Abby Wambach scored twice to lead the United States to win their
second match in China 2-0 over Sweden in Chengdu, Southwest China
on Friday in World Cup Group B.
"I'm very proud of my players," said the US coach Greg Ryan at a
post-match press conference.
"We knew it would be a die-or-not game after the DPR Korea tie,
and all my players performed well in both attacks and defence,
especially the goalkeeper, Hope Solo, she's pretty good," he
added.
With the victory, marking the Americans' 60th match in FIFA
women's competitions of world cup, Olympic Games and Under-20 world
championship, the US extended their head-to-head unbeaten record
against Sweden to 20 out of 23 matches, including 15 wins.
Also they temporarily topped the table of Group B, the toughest
one of the ongoing tournament, ahead of the arguable Dark Horses
DPR Korea kicking off the other group match of the second round
later at 2000 local time on Friday.
The first round matches of the Group of Death had both ended in
draws on Tuesday, with the US and DPR Korea, which tied on 2-2,
leading on goal differential against Sweden and Nigeria on 1-1.
Wambach scored a tight-angle penalty in the 34th minute after
Swedish goalie Hedvig Lindahl pounded off a free kick from Carli
Lloyd and midfielder Lori Chalupny paced up for the lose ball but
was tackled down by Stina Segerstrom inside the box.
The 27-year-old Wambach, a tall girl with a bleeding head and a
numbed toe injured in Tuesday' s 2-2 tie against the DPR Koreans,
made it double for the top-ranked Americans at 58, setting piece
against two Swedish defenders to goal after receiving a nice pass
from Leslie Osborne from left wing.
She and her starting teammates, however, had suffered a slow
start against their Nodic rivals, being pressed into their own half
and conceding four corners in the opening five minutes.
They failed to make the very first shoot attempt until the 7th
minute when Lloyd rushed into the penalty box but only came up to
grapple down keeper Lindahl, who later fell on the ground holding
her painful leg to temporarily halt the match for a minute.
But the twice world cup winners soon recovered and hardly
surprised the audience in stand as a long drive by the 25-year-old
defender Cat Whitehill from near the midline just missed the target
by kissing the bar on 20 minutes.
The US also missed their chance to score in the 14th minute when
Lloyd's free kick 33 meters away from the Sweden's goalmouth made
through the defence but was easily saved by Lindahl.
Sweden's best opportunity before the break came in the 33rd
minute when skipper Victoria Svensson's superb long shoot from 33
meters wide went just narrowly higher.
They again missed the second half best as veteran forward Hanna
Ljungberg kicked a right corner narrowly wide on the 80th
minute.
The very similar repeated just three minutes later, leaving the
28-year-old striker, who only returned from injury sideline four
weeks before the tournament kicked off in China, just to rise on
her feet in silence.
Ljungberg admitted she's upset on the defeat, but insisted that
she's never lost confidence.
"I did not cry for the lose," she said after the match. "I don't
know whether others cried. But we are all the same to feel it a
pity and get disappointed for the result.
"But my teammates and I, as the coach said, are not at all
losing our confidence. It's just the second match in group. It's
far from the end yet," she added.
(Xinhua News Agency September 15, 2007)