5 years ago, the USWNT were blocked from winning an Olympic medal because of Sweden. The Scandinavian side shocked the world's no. 1 women's football team by beating them on spot-kicks in the quarter-finals, meaning that the Stars and Stripes ended up crashing out early. It was also the first time the USWNT failed to win a medal in all six of their Olympics Games performances.
Flash-forward to 2021 and Sweden were at it again, beating Vlatko Andonvoski's team 3-0 in a result that certainly has left the squad and their fans reeling.
Notably, prior to this game, the USWNT had conceded just one goal in 2021. The team who scored? Yes, you guessed it, Sweden. The Blågult came into this contest with their own unbeaten run, which dated back to October 2020, but it nowhere compared to the whopping 44 game unbeaten streak strung together by the reigning World Cup champions.
Certainly, it's a shock result, as of the five games played on matchday one, the USWNT were one of just two teams who didn't score. The other were China, who were not surprisingly crushed by Brazil.
This marks only the second time the USWNT have failed to win their Olympic Games opener. The first and last time? In 2008, when they were beaten 2-0 by another Scandinavian side: Norway. Interestingly, Norway also beat Team USA at the 2000 Games, clinching gold at their expense following a 3-2 victory.
