USA vs Sweden LIVE: Women’s World Cup latest score as Megan Rapinoe starts on bench

The United States’ Women’s World Cup hopes are on the line as the defending champions face Sweden in the last-16 in Melbourne. The USA only scraped through Group E as runners-up, with the four-time champions avoiding an early exit by the narrowest of margins as Portugal hit the post in stoppage time Vlatko Andonovski’s side are under pressure after failing to win two World Cup group stage matches for the first time in their history, and face a Sweden side who cruised into the last-16 with three wins out of three. Sweden defeated the USA 3-0 on their way to winning the Olympics silver medal two years ago, and the side ranked third in the world will be confident that they can pull off the upset. Earlier, 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 . Follow live updates from USA vs Sweden as the World Cup last-16 continues. Women’s World Cup LIVE: USA vs Sweden Women’s World Cup last-16 continues with USA vs Sweden in Melbourne Match kicked off at the Melbourne Football Stadium at 10am BST Megan Rapinoe starts on bench with Rose Lavelle suspended for USA USA only narrowly avoided a shock group stage exit against Portugal Sweden reached last-16 as group winners and thrashed the USA at the Olympics Full time! Netherlands defeat South Africa 2-0 to set up Spain quarter-final Women’s World Cup LIVE: USA 0-0 Sweeden 10:10 , Ben Fleming 9 mins: The first corner of the evening for Sweeden: an area they will be looking to target today as they all tournament. They crowd the six-yard box and it’s a dangerous in-swinging corner but Naeher does well come through a crowded box and punch the ball clear. Women’s World Cup LIVE: USA 0-0 Sweeden 10:08 , Ben Fleming 6 mins: Another positive burst down the right sees Morgan cut it back to Smith inside the box. The winger can’t get her shot off from around the six-yard box before the ball is cleared. Sullivan picks it up on the edge of the box and tries her luck, but it sails wide of the right post. Women’s World Cup LIVE: USA 0-0 Sweeden 10:03 , Ben Fleming 2 mins: United States break with speed down the left and it’s Morgan on the ball, charging into the area. She has options but goes alone, cutting into the area before running into a crowd and losing the ball. Women’s World Cup LIVE: USA 0-0 Sweeden 10:01 , Ben Fleming Kick-off! USA get this match started and we are underway here in Melbourne. Women’s World Cup LIVE: USA vs Sweden 09:59 , Ben Fleming Today’s match is live on ITV 1 in the UK, with the winner facing Japan in the quarter-finals. You can see all the full schedule for the Women’s World Cup knockout stages, here: Women’s World Cup LIVE: USA v Sweeden 09:58 , Ben Fleming We are moments away from kick-off now! This game is the most-played fixture in Women’s World Cup history and today should hopefully serve up another classic. Women’s World Cup LIVE: USA vs Sweden 09:41 , Jamie Braidwood The USA fans always travel well for the Women’s World Cup, however there were loads of fans wearing USA shirts in Sydney this morning. The defending champions would have played in Sydney had they won Group E… but the finished second to the Netherlands. Looks like lots of people assumed they would be in Sydney, not Melbourne today. Women’s World Cup LIVE: USA vs Sweden 09:31 , Jamie Braidwood Carli Lloyd’s criticism of the USA team, following their 0-0 draw against Portugal: ‘I made some comments when I retired in 2021. I felt a shift within this team and federation, the culture and mentality. The importance and meaning from winning has changed, the importance now comes from what comes from winning. ‘It started to shift post-2020. There are a lot of off-the-field things that are happening but you never want to take anything for granted. You put on that jersey and you want to give it everything you have for the people before you and the people that are going to come after you. ‘I’m just not seeing that passion. I’m just seeing a very lacklustre, uninspiring, taking it for granted [mentality] where winning and training and doing all that you can to be the best possible individual player is not happening. ‘There’s a difference between being respectful to the fans and saying hello to your families but to be dancing and smiling…the player of the match was that post, they are lucky to not be going home right now.’ Women’s World Cup LIVE: USA vs Sweden 09:16 , Jamie Braidwood Amanda Ilestedt is Sweden’s top scorer at the World Cup with three goals… even though she is a centre-back. The defender, who will be joining Arsenal next season, is Sweden’s not-so-secret weapon from corner kicks. Will Sweden be able to deal with her threat at the front post? Women’s World Cup LIVE: USA vs Sweden 09:09 , Jamie Braidwood Team news! Megan Rapinoe remains on the bench for the USA, who are without the suspended Rose Lavelle. Julie Ertz moves into midfield as replacement, while Trinity Rodman starts in attack alongside Sophia Smith and Alex Morgan. USA: Naeher; Fox, Girma, Sonnett, Dunn; Ertz, Horan, Sullivan; Smith, Morgan, Rodman Subs: Murphy, Sanchez, Huerta, O’Hara, Williams, Thompson, DeMelo, Cook, Rapinoe, Lavelle, Mewis, Kingsbury Sweden: Musovic; Bjorn, Erikkson, Ilestedt, Andersson; Kaneryd, Assllani, Angeldal, Rubensson, Rolfo; Blackstenius Subs: Falk, Sembrant, Lennartsson, Sandberg, Janogy, Hurtig, Jakobsson, Blomqvist, Seger, Bennison, Schough, Enblom. Women’s World Cup LIVE: USA vs Sweden 08:56 , Jamie Braidwood The USA are still clinging on to their defence of the World Cup, but only just. Portugal’s Ana Capeta, brought on in stoppage time, came within the width of a post from sending the two-time defending champions crashing out of the tournament. If that’s how close the USA came to a first World Cup defeat since 2015, it’s a clear indication of how fragile their dominance appears to be. After only scraping through Group E as runners-up and with Sweden, who thrashed the USA at the Olympics two years ago, likely to be next in the last-16, there is little confidence that this is the same side who entered the tournament as favourites. Had Captea’s shot caught the inside of the post then the World Cup would have staged its biggest shock yet, with the dethroning of the four-time winners. Yet, even though Capeta’s strike agonisingly rebounded out, the nerves at the end as the USA survived only confirmed what many thought ahead of the World Cup. After draws against the Netherlands and Portugal, the first time the USA have ever failed to win two games in the World Cup group stage, it is clear that the gap between the defending champions and the rest of the world has closed. Report from the previous round after the USA escaped against Portugal USA’s narrow escape spells the end of Women’s World Cup dominance Women’s World Cup LIVE: USA vs Sweden 09:52 , Jamie Braidwood Today’s match is live on ITV 1 in the UK, and ITV X. The winner will head back to New Zealand to take on Japan in the quarter-finals. You can find the knockout schedule and how to watch, here: Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today Women’s World Cup LIVE: USA vs Sweden 08:33 , Jamie Braidwood The USA and Sweden are bringing some strong looks to Melbourne and the World Cup knockout stages: Women’s World Cup LIVE: USA vs Sweden 08:19 , Jamie Braidwood Former United States women’s national team player Carli Lloyd labelled USA’s performance against Portugal ‘lacklustre’ and ‘uninspiring’ as they almost crashed out of the World Cup in the group stages. The defending champions needed to avoid defeat but were inches away from elimination when Portugal substitute Ana Capeta struck the post in stoppage time. The USA held on to scrape a 0-0 draw, enough to secure progress to the last-16 while knocking Portugal out, but the four-time winners missed out on top spot in Group E with Lloyd highly critical of the display from her former side. Carli Lloyd slams former teammates as USA almost crash out of Women’s World Cup Women’s World Cup LIVE: USA vs Sweden 08:01 , Jamie Braidwood The Netherlands topped Group E ahead of the United States and are now through to the quarter-finals. Can the USA join them? Both teams from Group C defeated opposition from Group A yesterday with Japan and Spain. Women’s World Cup LIVE: USA vs Sweden 07:48 , Jamie Braidwood Can Sweden knock out the USA? After finishing runner-up in Group E, the USA will face a Sweden side who are organised, defensively sound and confident at keeping the ball – essentially everything the USA are not. Along with Japan, Sweden have been one of the most efficient teams in front of goal at the World Cup, but a key difference is much of their threat has come from set-pieces and the deliveries from Jonna Andersson, with Amanda Ilestedt a frequent target at the front post, leading to three goals already. Sweden thrashed the USA 3-0 when they met in the group stages of the Olympics two years ago: a repeat would be a hugely humbling way for the defending champion’s dominant run at the World Cup to end, albeit an inevitable one given their run so far. Women’s World Cup LIVE: USA vs Sweden 07:26 , Jamie Braidwood What’s gone wrong for the USA? The USA are having a crisis of confidence, given the sense that their reign as two-time champions is drawing to a close and a fan base that is close to meltdown back home. Having narrowly avoided a group stage exit against Portugal, coach Vlatko Andonovski has drawn much of the heat for the USA’s insipid performances. The debate off the pitch over what has gone wrong has been fierce, yet the team’s displays have so far lacked any of that same emotion. Andonovski’s side showed some glaring flaws against the Netherlands and Portugal, with no control in midfield and no sense of how to press or create chances, Women’s World Cup LIVE: USA vs Sweden 07:11 , Jamie Braidwood In case you missed the news overnight, Keira Walsh has returned to full England training ahead of the Women’s World Cup last-16 match against Nigeria on Monday, just days after the Lionesses midfielder was stretchered off against Denmark. It was confirmed that Walsh had not suffered an ACL injury after she was left on crutches following England’s second match of the World Cup, although the Champions League winner remained with the squad following scans. Walsh missed England’s 6-1 win over China in the final match of Group C, with Sarina Wiegman changing her formation to a 3-5-2 in the midfielder’s absence, but her quick return to training has boosted hopes that the 26-year-old could play again at the tournament. Wiegman will give an update as to whether Walsh will be available for selection at her press conference in Brisbane later on Sunday, with England facing Nigeria in the last-16 clash the following day. Keira Walsh returns to England training in Women’s World Cup boost Women’s World Cup LIVE: USA vs Sweden 06:49 , Jamie Braidwood United States coach Vlatko Andonovski mounted an impassioned defence of his team’s standards and said criticism of their World Cup campaign was unfair as the defending champions prepare for Sunday’s round of 16 clash against Sweden. The USA head into their first knock-out clash in Melbourne under fire after having scraped through the group phase with draws against the Netherlands and Portugal. Retired USA great Carli Lloyd gave a scathing assessment of the Portugal game, saying the post that saved the Americans in stoppage time was ‘player of the match’. Andonovski said the criticism was out of order: ‘For someone again to question the standards …. and mindset of this team after everything that they do, I personally don’t think it’s the right time to do that,’ he told reporters on Saturday. ‘And I don’t think it’s the right thing as well. I’m very happy with where they’re (the players) at, how they hold themselves accountable and they keep raising the standards.’ Reuters Women’s World Cup LIVE: USA vs Sweden 06:48 , Jamie Braidwood In-form Sweden are confident they can beat holders United States in Sunday’s Women’s World Cup last 16 tie when they go head-to-head on Sunday, the latest in a long list of clashes between the two heavyweights at major tournaments. The two teams have met in six previous editions of the World Cup, each time in the group stage. Sweden ended the Americans’ 2016 Rio Olympic run in the quarter-final and won 3-0 in the group stage at the 2021 Tokyo Games. They had contrasting routes to this year’s knockout stage, with Sweden topping their group with a perfect record while the U.S. scraped through after finishing runners-up. But the third-ranked Swedes are not expecting anything less than the best. ‘I don’t care about favourites and things like that,’ coach Peter Gerhardsson said. ‘We have the possibility to win the game, and that’s the most important thing… We know what we’re up against. ‘You can talk about revenge or underdog mentality. For me, that’s not going to make the difference tomorrow. It’s the players who play. The history is nothing. ‘I have great confidence in this squad and in all the preparations that we’ve made… Our feeling is that we believe we can win this game.’ Reuters Women’s World Cup LIVE: Netherlands 2-0 South Africa 06:37 , Jamie Braidwood South Africa’s players soaked in the applause at the end; although defeated by the Netherlands, they left the Women’s World Cup with their heads held high. After reaching the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time, a place in the quarter-finals proved to be a step too far but only after they pushed the 2019 runners-up in a contest that could have played out very differently on another day. It took a sensational performance from Netherlands goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar to end South Africa’s dream run. Van Domselaar was superb, player of the match after denying the excellent Thembi Kgatlana while she threatened to tear the Netherlands apart. Kgatlana was electric, with the noise inside the stadium rising as the waves of South