"Ridiculously easy to hate her" - Fans react to Megan Rapinoe's bizarre post-match interview after USWNT's loss in Women's World Cup

Fans on Twitter have reacted to Megan Rapinoe's bizarre post-match interview after the USWNT were eliminated from the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 by Sweden on Sunday (August 6).

The two-time defending champions (2015 and 2019) were looking to win an unprecedented three-peat, but their campaign came to an early end following a shootout defeat to Sweden in the Round of 16 in Melbourne.

The 38-year-old Rapinoe, who made her final World Cup appearance against Sweden, missed her penalty. The former Ballon d'Or winner said in her post-match interview about an instance from her career that stands out for her: Rapinoe replied:

"Probably equal pay chance. I think, they are saying equal pay, but could have been saying a lot of things. I think this team always fought for so much more, and that's been the most rewarding part for me, of course."

She added:

"To win World Cups, winning championships and all, but to know that we used our special talent to do something that changed the world forever, that means the most to me."

Fans, though, were unhappy with Rapinoe's comments, with one tweeting:

"It’s so ridiculously easy to hate her."

Here are some of the best Twitter reactions:

Meanwhile, following a goalless 120 minutes, the USA-Sweden game went to penalties. Rapinoe was one of three American players - Sophia Smith and Kelley O’Hara being the others - to miss their penalty.

Interestingly, Sweden had also eliminated the USWNT in the 2016 Rio Olympics on penalties.

---

How Megan Rapinoe reacted to USWNT's exit from FIFA Women's World Cup

While there has been controversy regarding Megan Rapinoe's words and actions off the field, one thing that can't be denied is her on-field excellence. Rapinoe exits the Women's World Cup stage as a two-time winner.

Rapinoe missed her penalty against Sweden in what was her last appearance on the global stage. So, it was somewhat of an anti-climactic end to a glittering career. She reacted to the defeat (via News18):

“I mean, this is like a sick joke. For me personally, this is a dark comedy. I missed a penalty. This is the balance to the beautiful side of the game. I think it can be cruel and just not our day."

The USWNT's elimination from the FIFA Women's World Cup marked the end of an era as a new champion will be crowned this year while veterans like Megan Rapinoe wade off into the sunset.