Hammarstrom, Sweden top France for 3rd place

Associated Press

SINSHEIM, Germany

Marie Hammarstrom scored in the 82nd minute Saturday, giving short-handed Sweden a 2-1 victory over France in the third-place game at the Women’s World Cup.

Down a player for almost 15 minutes after Josefine Oqvist was sent off for kicking Sonia Bompastor in the chest, Sweden won a corner kick that the French managed to clear at the near post. But the ball popped out to Hammarstrom, who faked out a defender with a small side-volley, touched the ball a second time and then let fly with a thunderous left-footed strike from the edge of the box.

It was Hammarstrom’s first-ever goal for Sweden, and it allowed the Swedes to do the hippity-hoppity dance that’s become their trademark one last time.

Lotta Schelin staked Sweden to an early lead, scoring her second goal of the tournament in the 29th minute. Sara Larsson booted the ball from about midfield and Schelin, running at a dead sprint, caught up to it at the edge of the box. As French goalkeeper Berangere Sapowicz rushed out to try and smother the ball, Schelin deftly flicked it into the net with the outside of her right foot.

The two then collided, and Sapowicz came down on the outside of her right ankle. She immediately fell to the ground and was soon removed from the game.

Despite losing silky smooth playmaker Louisa Necib to an injury in the 32nd minute, France managed to equalize in the 56th. Blanketed by three defenders, Gaetane Thiney lost the ball but quickly managed to reclaim it and slide it to Elodie Thomas, who had replaced Necib. Thomas skipped a shot along the ground that was just beyond the outstretched hands of Hedvig Lindahl.

The teams were the top European finishers, qualifying them for next summer’s London Olympics.