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FOOTBALL

Sweden hangs by thread after draw with Aussies

Sweden could still advance to the next round despite drawing with Australia in their third match in the Fifa Women's World Cup late on Tuesday.

Sweden hangs by thread after draw with Aussies
Australia's Emily van Egmond and Sweden's Lisa Dahlkvist vie for the ball. Photo: Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP

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Australia advanced to the last 16 of the Fifa Women's World Cup after being held 1-1 by the Swedish ladies in Canada.

Captain Lisa De Vanna scored after five minutes for the Matildas but ten minutes later Sweden were on level terms thanks to Sofia Jakobsson's equalizer at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium.

A draw was enough to see Australia through to the knockout round for a third consecutive time as they finish second in group D behind the United States.

READ ALSO: Five reasons to support Sweden's women

Meanwhile, the Swedish ladies were faced with disappointment on home turf. Coach Pia Sundhage had previously told The Local she believed her side had a chance of winning the tournament.

“The central line and the goalkeeper are important, if we can get ourselves together there we can go far. Caroline Seger, Lotta Schelin and Nilla Fischer are three world players who can inspire others to play well too,” she said.

The USA lead the group with seven points after beating Nigeria 1-0 in Vancouver, with Australia on four.

As second in Group D, Australia next play Brazil in Moncton next Sunday. Sweden have three points and could still advance to the next round as one of the four best third-placed finishers out of the six groups.

African champions Nigeria are eliminated with just one point.

RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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