19 August 2023
Juventus Women's Linda Sembrant will return to Turin with a World Cup medal around her neck after her Sweden side claimed bronze at this year's showpiece.
After a narrow defeat to Spain in the semi-finals, Sweden took on hosts Australia in Lang Park in Brisbane on Saturday evening in their third/fourth play-off encounter, with both pride and a medal to play for.
In front of a vocal home crowd, it was Sweden who took the lead, Fridolina Rolfo burying a 30-minute penalty to send the European side in front, an advantage they took with them into the half-time break. Seventeen minutes into the second half, Sweden had another, as from a clinical counter-attack, captain Kosovare Asllani was on hand to fire in a fierce strike and double the lead.
Sembrant would enter the fray as a late substitute, her second appearance in the competition, before joining her teammates in celebration at the final whistle, the 2-0 victory securing a podium finish for Sweden at this year's global spectacle.
