Germany’s golden goal: Women’s World Cup Moment No. 8

FIFA Women’s World Cup

Published Jul. 12, 2023 7:30 p.m. ET

Editor’s note: Each day between now and the kickoff of the first match of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on July 20, FOX Sports is counting down the most memorable moments in the tournament’s 32-year history.

The “golden goal” didn’t have a particularly long or interesting history at the World Cup until the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup final, and it’s safe to assume Sweden would have been perfectly content had things stayed that way.

Before 2003, only four men’s teams had ever lost on a golden goal in the World Cup knockout stage: Paraguay, Italy, Senegal and Sweden. Sweden’s women’s became the first and only women’s team to lose on a golden goal at the 2003 Women’s World Cup, and the first and only team to lose the final because of the rule.

To add insult to injury, FIFA stopped using the golden goal following the 2003 Women’s World Cup. Germany deserves all the credit for capitalizing on the opportunity, but Sweden looks really unlucky in hindsight.