Sweden beat the United States 5-4 on penalties to knock the defending champions out of the Women’s World Cup after the teams were locked at 0-0 at the end of extra time on Sunday.

In the shootout, Lina Hurtig struck the winning spot-kick, though US goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher parried the ball on the line and the result needed to be confirmed by VAR.

Sophia Smith had had the chance to win the match for the four-time champion Americans but blasted the ball over the bar.

Sweden goalkeeper Zecira Musovic emerged as the hero, having kept the Scandinavians in the match, making 11 saves before the shootout to deny the Americans.

“We’re so happy right now,” Sweden captain Magda Eriksson said in a radio interview. “I don’t know how we managed to stay in this game.

“We didn’t play our best game, but in some way we showed we’re hard-headed, we showed heart, we never
give up. We took it to extra time, we took it to penalties and we managed to win.”

It was the first exit before the semi-finals in nine World Cups for the Americans, who had arrived at the tournament looking for an unprecedented third consecutive title.

US coach Vlatko Andonovski said the team had been practising penalties for the last nine months.

“I know we were criticised for the way we played... I think we came out today and were all about the grit, the resilience,” he said.

“Unfortunately, soccer can be cruel sometimes. For it to go to penalties and to end in that fashion, with the confusion at the end.”

Often starved of possession, the Swedes did not have a shot on goal until the 85th minute when substitute Sofia Jakobsson danced into the area, only to shoot straight at keeper Alyssa Naeher.

The talismanic Megan Rapinoe came off the bench in the ninth minute of extra time. Renowned for having a dead-eye as a penalty shooter, Rapinoe struck the fourth kick for the US over the bar after Sweden’s Nathalie Bjorn had also blasted over.

Naeher saved Rebecka Blomqvist’s fourth shot for the Swedes but Smith’s failed effort kept the Scandinavians in it.

After Naeher and Magdalena Eriksson converted their spot-kicks, Kelley Ohara sent her shot pinging off the right post, allowing Hurtig to step up and send the champions out of the tournament.

Winners of the last two World Cups in France and Canada, the US slumped to their quickest exit, having made the semi-finals or better in all eight previous editions.

Dutch advance

Jill Roord scored her fourth goal of the tournament as the Netherlands marched into the quarter finals with a 2-0 win over South Africa at Sydney Football Stadium.

Roord’s header gave her side an early lead and Lineth Beerensteyn added the second goal to secure the Dutch a date with Spain in Wellington on Friday.

The 54th-ranked African champions never gave up the fight in their first appearance in the knockout stage and were always a threat on the break through their lone striker Thembi Kgatlana.

Dutch goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar was equal to everything Banyana Banyana fired at her, however, and the 2019 finalists progressed to the last eight for the second successive tournament.

“I’m very happy with a good win against a tough opponent,” said Netherlands coach Andries Jonker.

“But the part of me that wants great football is disgruntled with the first half, where we gave the ball away too much.”

The Dutch started well, taking the lead from a corner in the ninth minute, when Danielle van de Donk headed the ball towards goal and defender Lebohang Ramalepe got in goalkeeper Kaylin Swart’s way to present Roord with a simple finish.