Olympic Soccer 2016: Women's Quarter-Final Results and Semi-Final Schedule
The United States collapsed to a shock defeat to Sweden in the quarter-finals of the women's Olympic football competition at the 2016 Rio Games, as Jill Ellis' team lost a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw at the Mane Garrincha Stadium.
The game remained tied at full-time, and despite plenty of efforts on goal, the match needed to be decided by spot-kicks.
The Swedes held their nerve, capturing a 4-3 victory on penalties, as America had one shot saved and missed once.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
The hosts Brazil avoided the same fate as the Americans, outlasting Australia in eight rounds thanks to two saves by Barbara.
It decided a 0-0 draw that saw Brazil's offense come up empty despite recording 29 shots.
Germany join the Swedes in the semi after they narrowly edged out China by a single goal. 30-year-old Melanie Behringer was the hero of the hour as she scored a late winner.
Canada produced a further shock result when they sent France out of the competition, winning 1-0 with a strike from midfielder Sophie Schmidt.
Here are the confirmed quarter-final results:
| United States | 1-1 (Sweden win 4-3 on pens) | Sweden |
| China | 0-1 | Germany |
| Canada | 1-0 | France |
| Brazil | 0-0 (Brazil win 7-6 on pens) | Australia |
| Tuesday, Aug. 16 12 p.m. ET | Brazil vs. Sweden |
| Tuesday, Aug. 16 3 p.m. ET | Germany vs. Canada |
World Champions Crash Out of Rio Games
The United States, the reigning World Cup holders, suffered a rare loss in their match with a dogged Sweden outfit, as the Americans were defeated on penalties.
The USWNT were dominant against their knockout competitors in Brasilia, as they held the ball with aplomb and confidence for most of the battle.
The United States almost took the lead after 28 minutes through an own goal, but the Swedes survived the scare as the Americans poured forward.
OptaJack highlighted the world champions' retention of the ball in a fascinating contest:
The score remained goalless at half-time, and Ellis appeared glum on the touchline as the referee blew her whistle.
Sweden took a surprise advantage shortly before the hour mark, as Stina Blackstenius hit America with a devastating counter, ripping through the defence to beat Hope Solo.
The United States appeared tired and mentally drained as the game continued at pace, and their concentration ebbed and flowed as they searched for a precious equaliser.
The goal they craved finally arrived as forward Alex Morgan found the back of the net, as highlighted by the USWNT's official Twitter account:
The tie was forced into extra-time as the sides remained level at the final whistle. Sweden continued to play on the counter to exploit America's aggressive offence and tested Solo as the pendulum swung back and forth.
The USWNT looked the most likely as the match drifted into a second half of extra-time, as the Swedes dropped deeper, apparently happy with penalties to decide their fate.
Carli Lloyd struggled to remain influential through the match, and the two-time Olympic gold medalist cut a frustrated figure as she hunted the win.
The United States believed they had stolen the win as Lloyd found the net with a header with only minutes remaining, but the skipper was penalised for a foul as she turned away to celebrate. Sweden immediately countered again, and they found the net themselves as Lotta Schelin fired home.
However, the referee once again blew her whistle to stop the game, calling offside to rule out the dramatic goal, forcing penalties.
Morgan stepped up to take her side's first spot-kick but was devastated as she witnessed her effort saved by 'keeper Hedvig Lindahl. Sweden then capitalised to make it 2-1 as Solo moved early.
Lloyd kept America in the hunt, netting her team's third effort, allowing Solo to make a world-class save in the top corner to make it 2-2. The scoreline reached 3-3 as the players held their nerve, but Christen Press skied her shot for the United States, giving Sweden a kick to win.
Lisa Dahlkvist kissed the ball before placing it on the spot and slotted her effort home to break American hearts.
The loss was completely unexpected as the USWNT dominated with the ball, but Sweden kept their heads above water to shock the Americans at the final hurdle.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
