By Philip O’Connor
(Reuters) – Sweden’s Lina Hurtig might immortalise her shootout-winning penalty against the United States with a tattoo, but only if her country wins the World Cup, she told reporters in Auckland on Tuesday as the team prepared for their quarter-final with Japan.
The 27-year-old Arsenal winger came off the bench in the 81st minute of the last-16 clash and got her moment of glory when she struck the seventh penalty in a wild shootout that saw the Swedes on the brink of elimination before coming from behind to win 5-4.
American keeper Alyssa Naeher got both hands to Hurtig’s spot kick but the ball made it over the line by a matter of millimetres and a FIFA VAR image showing it was a shade over the line quickly went viral.
“It’s just how everything went,” Hurtig told reporters. “That picture afterwards, it was so crazy. It’s so crazy that we went through on that (penalty).”
“The (VAR) picture I’ve seen a lot, the penalty not so much. I don’t want to see it again, I get a little pain in my stomach actually, there’s so many feelings that come up when I see it,” Hurtig said in an interview with Swedish radio.
Reactions from home have ranged from congratulations to suggestions that she get a tattoo of the viral image of the penalty that set up Sweden for their meeting with Japan.
“I’ve said that we have to beat Japan now, otherwise it’s all for nothing,” Hurtig said. “But if we win gold it’s not impossible.”
Sweden, who have appeared at all nine World Cup tournaments but have never won one, meet 2011 champions Japan in their quarter-final at Auckland’s Eden Park on Friday.
(Reporting by Philip O’Connor; editing by Clare Fallon)
