TOKYO — Stina Blackstenius scored a pair of goals and Sweden once again stunned the United States at the Olympics with a 3-0 victory in the women's soccer tournament.
The top-ranked Americans are the favorites to win gold in Tokyo and were riding a 44-match unbeaten streak heading into the match. However, Blackstenius put the Swedes up 1-0 in the first half and the United States couldn't recover.
Sweden had nine shots on goal during the match compared to just five shots on goal for the Americans.
Wednesday's match marked the second straight time that Sweden has beaten the U.S. in an Olympic competition. The Swedes ended the Americans' medal hopes in the 2016 Games in Rio in a scoreless quarterfinal match that was decided on penalty kicks.
The Americans' loss puts them in a precarious position with two matches remaining in group play. The U.S. will likely need to win games against both Australia and New Zealand to ensure they can advance to the knockout stage.
The U.S. women will play next against New Zealand on Saturday at 7:30 a.m. ET.
