Megan Rapinoe slammed for LAUGHING by US fans after missing a crucial penalty in World Cup shootout against Sweden… before crying on the pitch as her team was knocked out

Angry soccer fans from the US attacked Megan Rapinoe for laughing after she missed a crucial penalty kick in the World Cup penalty shoot-out against Sweden, which USWNT ultimately lost and was eliminated from the tournament.

It meant that Rapinoe, 38, has played her last World Cup game for the US.

She cried on the pitch with her devastated teammates in Melbourne after Sweden won, but it was her immediate reaction to her own missed penalty that left many fans with little sympathy.

She took the USA’s fourth penalty in the shootout to give her team a 4–2 lead in the shootout and fired her shot high over the crossbar. But as she walked back to the centerline, she grinned and laughed to herself.

“I don’t see what’s funny about this?” wrote one fan on Twitter in response. “The laughter shows how much this team took this as a joke. So much for being a role model for the rest of the team.’

She was still smiling as she rejoined her teammates during the midway shootout

Moments later, Rapinoe was in tears as her career ended in a landslide defeat in the US

Another said: “I’m a Megan Rapinoe fan in general, but laughing after a missed penalty doesn’t look good.”

Another USWNT fan said, “Megan Rapinoe laughs after missing a game to gain horsepower… never been happier to see a player quit.” I never want to see her on my TV again. What a way to end your career.’

Another fan from the US tweeted, “Megan Rapinoe laughing after missing her PK will be in my nightmares. What a joke.’

The U.S. team had split some of its fan base throughout the tournament in Australia and New Zealand, with several of the starting line-up repeatedly refusing to sing the national anthem before their matches.

Rapinoe, a two-time World Cup winner, played every game as a substitute. She had started this in overtime but struggled to make much of an impact during her time on the field.

“I’m devastated, it feels like a bad dream,” said Alex Morgan. “It doesn’t feel great.”

USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski said after the game that he was proud of his team despite crashing in the last 16 stage of the competition.

“I’m so proud of the team, so proud of the girls and women on the field and everyone off it,” he said. “I know we were criticized for the way we played and

“I know we were criticized at different times during the group stage. I think we came out today and showed what it’s all about.

‘We showed guts, resilience, struggle and courage. We showed everything we could to win the game and unfortunately football can be cruel sometimes.’