Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Rosa Kafaji from Swedish side BK Hacken.

The Athletic reported that a transfer fee for the 21-year-old had been agreed between the clubs last week. Kafaji has now joined on a long-term contract and will wear the number 16.

A nine-cap Sweden international, Kafaji made her senior debut at 15 for AIK Football. She made 46 appearances for her hometown club before signing for Hacken in January 2022, where she scored 28 goals in 61 appearances.

“It feels amazing to join this club – I’m so happy to be here,” Kafaji said. “I had a very good feeling after speaking to Jonas and Clare and it just feels right to be at Arsenal. I’m hungry to keep growing and I know this is the right place for me to do that and compete for the biggest trophies. I can’t wait to get started and walk out at Emirates Stadium in front of all our supporters.”

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Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall added: “I’m delighted we’ve been able to bring Rosa to the club. She’s one of the most exciting young talents in the world and I’ve been a keen admirer of her game for a number of years. She plays with a fearlessness beyond her age and I know she has the hunger and mentality it…

Manchester United Women have completed the signing of Sweden defender Anna Sandberg from BK Hacken.

The 21-year-old has signed a three-year deal which runs until 2027 with the option of a further year.

She becomes United’s fourth summer signing following the arrivals of Elisabeth Terland, Dominique Janssen and Melvine Malard, whose loan move from Lyon has been made permanent.

“I’m very happy and grateful to sign for this big club, Manchester United,” Sandberg said. “I hope I can help our team with my qualities and deliver many winning moments for our fantastic fans.”

Sandberg joined Hacken from fellow Swedish side KIF Orebro in 2022. She made seven Champions League appearances last season as her side progressed from a difficult group and into the quarter-finals at the expense of Real Madrid and Paris FC.

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The left-back made her Sweden debut in 2023 and was part of the squad that reached the semi-finals at last summer’s World Cup, featuring once at the tournament.

“We are delighted to have Anna join our Manchester United family,” added United head coach Marc Skinner. “She is a talented young player, who already has a wealth of international and Champions League experience. We look forward to seeing…

“Outstanding!”, shouted Ollie Watkins towards the end of Aston Villa’s 1-0 away defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Villa carried the gait of a boxer in the 12th round of a low-in-skill, respectable-in-effort fight; hanging on, but merely surviving.

Backup goalkeeper Robin Olsen was drafted in again yesterday after Saturday’s training session demonstrated that no risk should be taken with first-choice Emiliano Martinez, who, having suffered a hamstring injury, remained at home with his wife and children.

The gulf in quality between 2022 World Cup winner Martinez and Olsen is distinct, but team-mates do trust the 34-year-old Swede. It was towards him that Watkins aimed the above praise, even if the 73-cap international appeared to sag at the final whistle, ruing not parrying Joao Pedro’s 87th-minute penalty away from danger, instead serving up a chance for the Brazilian to head what proved the winner off the rebound.

Olsen covered his head with his green shirt, as he had done several times throughout the afternoon.

Firstly, before kick-off, to wipe away the sweat from his pre-game preparations, then after that decisive penalty. Then again at full-time, after a second defeat in four days and the realisation that his efforts, even if Brighton’s technical staff made…

Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi and CF Pachuca’s Jenni Hermoso are among those nominated for The Best FIFA men’s and women’s awards 2023.

Messi, 36, won the 2022-23 Ligue 1 title with former club Paris Saint-Germain and also became the all-time goalscorer in Europe’s top five leagues. The qualification period for the award, however, does not include the men’s World Cup in 2022.

Hermoso, 33, won the women’s World Cup with Spain in August and was awarded with the World Cup silver ball following her impressive form at the tournament.

Five Manchester City players have been nominated for the men’s award after the English side won an historic treble in 2022-23. Julian Alvarez, Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland, Rodri and Bernardo Silva are all on the shortlist. Former City captain Ilkay Gundogan, who moved to Barcelona in the summer, was also named.

Four England players occupy the women’s list, including last season’s Women’s Super League top scorer Rachel Daly, Manchester City defender Alex Greenwood, Barcelona midfielder Keira Walsh and Chelsea forward Lauren James. USWNT captain Lindsey Horan and Australia striker Sam Kerr are also among the nominees.

City manager Pep Guardiola and Tottenham Hotspur coach Ange Postecoglou have been nominated for The Best FIFA men’s…

Sweden has long been a power in the women’s game, while Spain is a relative newcomer to big matches. They meet in a World Cup semifinal where the less experienced Spaniards are solid favorites to make a World Cup final for the first time.

Spain has never been to a World Cup semifinal and had never won a knockout game at a World Cup before this tournament. This is only Spain’s third World Cup.

On the other side, Sweden has been to every Women’s World Cup and is making its fifth World Cup semifinal appearance. The Swedes made the final once, in 2003 (a 2-1 loss in extra time to Germany).

Spain is -210 (10-to-21) to advance with Sweden at +140 (7-to-5) on BetMGM.

All odds from BetMGM. Here’s where you can buy tickets to upcoming games.

Spain vs. Sweden

Kickoff time: 4 a.m. ET/9 a.m. BST Tuesday

Venue: Eden Park, Auckland

Both teams had dramatic, tight victories to get this far. Spain survived an added time equalizer from the Netherlands to win in extra time.

The Swedes needed Japan to hit a penalty off the bar to pull out a 2-1 win in that quarterfinal. Sweden’s win avoided a Group C rematch between Japan and Spain, something Spain might be happy to see after an ugly 4-0 loss to Japan in that one.

The path for these two teams to get here is a bit different. In the Round of 16,…

The Women’s World Cup quarter-finals on Friday and Saturday feature four genuinely exciting fixtures between sides who seem very well matched. The four games all have a very different tactical feel, too. Here’s a guide to the main questions for each side.

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The Netherlands v Spain

Andries Jonker has broadly used the same system throughout this tournament, always with three defenders and attack-minded wing-backs. The precise shape has changed, though — sometimes Lieke Martens has played between the lines to form a box midfield, and on other occasions she’s seemed like a second striker. There is an intelligence and an understated flexibility about this Dutch approach.

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Their big problem is the absence of Danielle van de Donk through suspension. Her fellow Lyon midfielder Damaris Egurrola, a more defensive option, will probably come into the side and change the shape, sitting deep alongside Jackie Groenen as the Netherlands spend longer without the ball than they’ve been accustomed to in this tournament. The speed of Martens and, in particular, Lineth Beerensteyn, will provide their main threat.

Jorge Vilda, meanwhile, sprang several surprises for Spain’s 5-1 win over Switzerland, including changing his goalkeeper and leaving out…

Penalties are always a game of chance, turning 120 minutes into a matter of inches. For the U.S. women’s national team, those inches, or even a single millimeter, mattered the most on Sunday as it bowed out of the World Cup to Sweden at the quarter-final stage with a 5-4 loss in penalties.

These penalties were unlike most that we’ve seen from the U.S. Megan Rapinoe missed for the first time in years. Alyssa Naeher stepped up and scored as a surprise sixth selection. Sophia Smith, whose form going into the tournament had been red hot, missed hers as well. Any of those moments could easily have been the biggest takeaway from this shootout were it not for what happened at the very end, as goal-line technology decided the end of the shootout when Naeher couldn’t get a palm on the winning spot kick in time after parrying upward on the initial effort

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“That’s, unfortunately, the game of soccer,” said defender Crystal Dunn. “We played really well, we deserved to win, we created a lot of chances and we just couldn’t find the back of the net … penalties are a flip of a coin.”

As games edge closer to penalties, the goalkeeper who’s most in form tends to have the advantage. That meant that, though the U.S. had played well up to that point…

Start every morning of the 2023 World Cup with Full Time passed directly to your inbox. Sign up here.

I’m currently typing this from the Melbourne Fan Zone and watching what I can only describe as the hip-hop Wiggles. I’m Emily Olsen, here with Meg Linehan and Steph Yang — welcome to Full Time!

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We Meet Again

Preparing for another rematch

“It wouldn’t be a major tournament if we weren’t facing Sweden,” U.S. captain Lindsey Horan said at a media availability on Thursday.

It’s true. This will be the seventh time the U.S. and Sweden will meet at a women’s World Cup, the most-played matchup in the tournament’s history. The U.S. has a 4-1-1 record in the previous games.

In total, it will be the 10th time these two teams have faced off between the World Cup and Olympics, but just the second time they’ve met in the knockout rounds (the U.S. faced Sweden in the 2016 Olympic quarterfinal, with Sweden advancing on penalties). The U.S. will look to erase the ugly memory of the sides’ most recent major tournament meeting: a 3-0 loss to Sweden, which opened the USWNT’s subpar 2020 bronze medal Olympic journey.

Sweden players said they were excited, not afraid, of a matchup against the No. 1 ranked team in the world, especially since the U.S. dropped points to…

The United States’ failure to defeat Portugal on Tuesday was a setback in many respects.

It was a terrible performance, with Portugal only denied a famous win by the width of a post. It was a psychological blow, meaning the U.S. still haven’t beaten an established footballing nation in this Women’s World Cup. It means they will play their round-of-16 match in the early hours for supporters back home.

Most troublingly, it means their opponents in that match will be old foes Sweden.

The U.S. and Sweden have developed a fierce rivalry in recent years, which in itself is testament to Sweden’s ability to punch above its weight. This should, on paper, not be a rivalry. The two nations are not geographically close. The U.S. has a population of 330 million compared to Sweden’s 10 million. The U.S. are the most successful side in Women’s World Cup history while Sweden have never triumphed.

Yet this has become quite the grudge match. After Sweden, managed by former USWNT coach Pia Sundhage, defeated the U.S. at the 2016 Olympics on penalties, goalkeeper Hope Solo famously responded by calling them a “bunch of cowards”.

The defeat haunted the U.S. for the next couple of years. Some revenge was achieved in 2019…

Group play was unremarkable for the United States women’s national team, to be kind. However, the knockout stage represents a fresh start and equal footing for every team in the last 16 of the 2023 World Cup.

The Americans are favored to get past Sweden in the Round of 16 on Sunday and remain among the betting favorites to win the tournament, but confidence is not as high as it was before play started. Two straight draws, a timely goalpost save and a second place finish in the group will do that.

The U.S. has finished second in a World Cup group before. That was in 2011 and the USWNT made the final after finishing second to Sweden in group play.

Speaking of Sweden, these opponents have plenty history in major tournaments beyond just the 2011 matchup.

All odds from BetMGM. Here’s where you can buy tickets to upcoming games.

USWNT vs. Sweden

Kickoff time: 5 a.m. ET/10 a.m. BST Sunday

Venue: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium

If the USWNT has a rival, Sweden is on the short list of teams with the pedigree and head-to-head history to make a case. The Swedes have seven wins against the U.S., third-most of any country. Only Norway (19 wins) and China (nine) have beaten the U.S. more, but it has taken China 16 more games to get those two extra wins and most of Norway’s success was in the…