USWNT’s loss, late blown lead for Angels among sports betting’s worst beats from the last week

Of course one of the narrowest defeats in women’s World Cup history was also a bad beat for sports bettors. It wouldn’t happen any other way.

This week’s edition of bad beats in sports betting from the last week in sports is highlighted by that memorable U.S. women’s soccer defeat Sunday vs. Sweden, and also features entries from Shohei Ohtani’s Los Angeles Angels and a backdoor cover in the WNBA.

Here’s a look at this week’s bad beats.

If you had a bet on the USWNT to advance Sunday morning, you had to be feeling pretty good for most of the game. The U.S. dominated the run of play in regular time and had a few chances in extra time.

OK, now it’s fine to be nervous. Anything can happen in penalty kicks.

But after Sweden sent one over the bar, the U.S. had a huge advantage. On the brink of reaching the quarterfinals, disaster struck. Megan Rapinoe missed the net. So too did Sophia Smith. Then Kelly O’Hara hit one off the post.

Sweden’s Lina Hurtig stepped up to the spot with a chance to send the Swedes through. She hit one to her left, and Alyssa Naeher read it correctly. She popped the ball into the air, and then, you probably have seen the screenshot dozens of times by now.

The ball, by millimeters, crossed the line. VAR review confirmed it. The Americans were going home, Sweden was going through, and U.S. “to advance” bettors were ripping up their tickets.

» READ MORE: After Sweden eliminates U.S., England and Spain are World Cup favorites

The WNBA’s Washington Mystics were around 2½ to 3-point favorites Friday night vs. the visiting Los Angeles Sparks.

Mystics backers were in decent shape entering the fourth quarter, the home team ahead by five. The lead grew to 10 with five minutes to play, and then got tighter down the stretch.

Leading by three, Natasha Cloud made a pair of free throws to put the Mystics back up by five with eight seconds to go. Exhale, Mystics bettors.

But no one told Azura Stevens the game was over. The Sparks forward drilled her third three-pointer of the night and cut the Mystics lead to two with three seconds left, and that was the final score, 79-77. Washington inbounded the ball and did not get fouled.

Ouch.

» READ MORE: The case for Bijan Robinson to lead the NFL in rushing yards during his rookie season

You did what has been a wise thing this season: backed the Angels to win in a game shoe-in MVP Shohei Ohtani was starting in. Perhaps you backed them -1½ runs on the run line against the Seattle Mariners. Maybe you even got crafty and did an Ohtani home run/Angels win parlay.

But after four innings on the mound, Ohtani was removed for a reliever due to some cramping in his hand and fingers. The game was scoreless at the time, and Ohtani did stay in the game as a hitter, so it wasn’t full crisis mode for Angels bettors.

Later, Ohtani homered in the eighth inning to give the Angels a 3-1 advantage. And when Angels closer Carlos Estévez came on in the ninth, Angels backers had to be feeling pretty good. Estévez entered with a 1.88 ERA and 23 saves. But he walked the first two batters, then gave up a single before getting the first out with a strikeout.

With one out and the bases loaded, Cade Marlowe came to the plate. Estévez got ahead, 0-2, and tried to elevate a fastball for strike three.

Marlowe, of course, hammered it. The grand slam put the Mariners ahead, 5-3, and that was the game’s final score.