With several strong center backs away - Nilla Fischer, Linda Sembrant and Amanda Ilestedt are all injured - Emma Kullberg gained confidence from the start when Sweden tonight concludes the national team with the match against the USA in Columbus, Ohio.

But together with Chelsea's Magdalena Eriksson, the 28-year-old, who made his first international minutes, had a great fight during the first 45 minutes of the match.

Quick close

After the first half, the US already led with 3-0 and it was the experienced attack duo Carli Lloyd and Christen Press who were behind most of it. 1-0 came in the sixth minute when Eriksson dropped the mark on Lloyd as nicely advanced by Press could push in 1-0 from close range - her 119th national team goal of the career.

Sweden then had a good period, where Lina Hurtig was really close to acknowledging after a forward by Kosovare Asllani, but where Emily Sonnett threw the leg and got away the ball in the last second.

Dream goal of Lloyd

Instead came 2-0 in the 28th minute. This time it was Lloyd who played Press on the left in the penalty area. Press had both Emma Kullberg and Hanna Glas against her but with a quick bodily fine she chased away the two, got past and then poked the ball through Hedvig Lindahl's goalkeeper hands.

Three minutes later it was time for Lloyd to bid on the delicacy of the match. Tobin Heath won a nick duel against Magdalena Eriksson and joined Lloyd who sneaked in behind Kullberg and got hold of the ball. In the blink of an eye, she saw Lindahl running out and it utilized the 37-year-old mercilessly by elegantly chipping the ball over the Swedish goalkeeper and into goal.

It looked really bad for Sweden, which for a while seemed to be on its way to a record loss - the women's team has never lost an international with more than four goals - but it worked out nicely in the end.

Bennison was astonished

For Sweden, football feet had also been spiked with magic - on the bench. In the second half, 17-year-old talent Hanna Bennison came in and a little later also the teammate from Rosengård, Anna Anvegård.

In her first A national team match, Bennison showed why she is seen as Sweden's big future. In position just in front of the USA's penalty area, she got the ball and with a fancy lob pass she found another Rosengård player, Nathalie Björn, in depth. Björn turned it over to Anna Anvegård who set the reduction.

The Swedish shooting queen was not finished there. Just five minutes later, Sofia Jakobsson exploited a superb slur in the US defense, twisted the ball in front of goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and recorded the ball to Anvegård who distinctly pushed 2–3 into the open goal.

Carli Lloyd then missed a penalty, but she could afford it this evening. Sweden failed to shake off any receipt, and thus had to end the national team year 2019 with a loss.