The U.S. women's national team didn't just lose on Sunday -- it lost in perhaps the most painful way possible.
In the longest match in Women's World Cup history, Sweden defeated the U.S. in the seventh round of a penalty kick shootout after a scoreless 120 minutes.
The game winning goal, scored by Sweden's Lina Hurtig, was deflected twice by U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher but narrowly cleared the goal line by what appeared to be a mere millimeter.
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Understandably, the devastating result had fans reeling on social media during and after the match. With the game beginning at 5 a.m. ET and 2 a.m. PT, Americans who woke up early or stayed up late were met with pure heartbreak.
U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski was handed the blame by plenty of fans online, largely due to his substitutions made throughout the match. Megan Rapinoe came on for Alex Morgan in the 99th minute, notably, and missed a penalty kick in the fourth round.
While the final result wasn't what the nation expected, plenty of hope remains for the future of the USWNT. Young stars Sophia Smith, Noami Girma and Alyssa Thompson will be expected to carry the Americans into the future.
