NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Lynn Williams and Lindsey Horan scored minutes apart in the second half and the United States rallied to beat Iceland 3-1 on Sunday.
Forward Emma Sears made her debut for the United States as a second-half substitute and scored in stoppage time. She also had an assist, becoming the first player with a goal and an assist in her first national team game.
“We don't want to lose, we don't like losing. The U.S. mentality is we're going to bring it, we're going to claw, we're going to fight, we're going to come back,” Williams said. “So yes we were down, but I believe in us, we all believe in ourselves, and that's what it takes to win.”
The United States also defeated Iceland 3-1 on Thursday in Austin in the first of the three matches on home soil. The Americans play Argentina on Wednesday in Louisville, Kentucky.
The matches are the first for the United States since the team won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics this past summer.
Karolína Lea Vilhjalmsdottir scored on a corner kick to give Iceland the lead in the 31st minute. U.S. goalkeeper Casey Murphy leaped to get her fingertips on the ball, but it got past her and bounced into the goal after hitting the far post.
It was the first time the United States had trailed in 12 games under coach Emma Hayes.
The Americans had a good chance in the 62nd minute but Iceland goalkeeper Cecilía Ran Runarsdottir dove to push away Horan’s free kick. But Williams broke through in the 72nd minute to tie the game before Horan’s goal 3:45 later.
“It's honestly hard to find the words right now,” Sears said about her goal to cap the scoring. “This feels super surreal to not only be surrounded by such amazing people but also players that I've looked up to for so many years. I super honored to have been invited to this camp and to learn and grow in this environment.”
The United States recognized defender Kelley O'Hara with a halftime ceremony. O'Hara announced earlier this year that she was retiring. Her final professional season with Gotham FC in the National Women's Soccer League this year was cut short by injury.
The team also honored Mallory Swanson before the game for her 100th appearance for the United States. Her husband, Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson, was on hand for the ceremony.
Swanson's 100th game was the gold-medal match against Brazil at the Olympics. Swanson scored the lone goal in the 1-0 victory.
Among those missing from the U.S. squad for the three matches was Trinity Rodman, who was recovering from a back injury, and Crystal Dunn, who was absent for a personal commitment.
The U.S. will close out the year with a pair of matches in Europe. They play England at Wembley on Nov. 30 before facing the Netherlands in the Hague on Dec. 3.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Iceland forward Hlín Eiríksdóttir, right, keeps United States midfielder Korbin Albert, left, from the ball during the first half of an international friendly women's soccer match Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)
Iceland goalkeeper Cecilía Rán Rúnarsdóttir (1) blocks a shot by United States forward Mallory Swanson (not shown) during the first half of an international friendly women's soccer match Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)
United States defender Emily Sams (12) gets a header in front of Iceland forward Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir, left, during the first half of an international friendly women's soccer match Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian drones blasted apartment buildings and the power grid in the southern Ukraine city of Odesa in an overnight attack that injured six people, including a toddler and two other children, officials said Wednesday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed confidence in his country's eventual victory in the nearly four-year war against its neighbor.
Four apartment buildings were damaged in the Odesa bombardment, according to regional military administration head Oleh Kiper. The DTEK power provider said two of its energy facilities had significant damage. The company said 10 substations that distribute electricity in the region have been damaged in December.
Russia has escalated attacks on urban areas of Ukraine. As its invasion approaches a four-year milestone in February, it has also intensified targeting of energy infrastructure, seeking to deny Ukrainians heat and running water in the bitter winter months.
Between January and November, more than 2,300 Ukrainian civilians were killed and more than 11,000 were injured, the United Nations said earlier in December. That was 26% higher than in the same period in 2024 and 70% higher than in 2023, it said.
There are renewed diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting.
U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday and announced that a settlement is “closer than ever before." The Ukrainian leader is due to hold talks next week with European leaders supporting his efforts to secure acceptable terms.
Despite progress in peace negotiations, which he didn't mention, Putin reaffirmed his belief in Russia’s eventual success in its invasion during his traditional New Year’s address.
He gave special praise to Russian troops deployed in Ukraine, describing them as heroes “fighting for your native land, truth and justice.”
“We believe in you and our victory,” Putin said, as cited by Russian state news agency Tass.
The Russian Defense Ministry said 86 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight over Russian regions, the Black Sea and the illegally annexed Crimea peninsula.
Russia’s Defense Ministry released a video of a downed drone that it said was one of 91 Ukrainian drones involved in an alleged attack this week on a Putin residence in northwestern Russia, a claim Kyiv has denied as a “lie.”
The nighttime video showed a man in camouflage, a helmet and a Kevlar vest standing near a damaged drone lying in snow. The man, his face covered, talks about the drone. Neither the man nor the Defense Ministry provided any location or date.
The video and claims could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials.
Ukrainian officials have denied the allegations of an attack on Putin’s lakeside country residence and called them a ruse to derail progress in peace negotiations.
Maj. Gen. Alexander Romanenkov of the Russian air force claimed that the drones took off from Ukraine’s Sumy and Chernihiv regions. At a briefing where no questions were allowed, he presented a map showing the drone flight routes before they allegedly were downed by Russian air defenses over the Bryansk, Tver, Smolensk and Novgorod regions.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, called the Russian allegations “a deliberate distraction” from peace talks.
Zelenskyy said Romania and Croatia are the latest countries to join a fund that buys weapons for Ukraine from the United States.
The financial arrangement, known as the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL, pools contributions from NATO members, except the United States, to purchase U.S. weapons, munitions and equipment.
Since it was established in August, 24 countries are now contributing to the fund, according to Zelenskyy. The fund has received $4.3 billion, with almost $1.5 billion coming in December, he said on social media.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Security Service carried out a drone strike on a major Russian fuel storage facility in the northwestern Yaroslavl region early Tuesday, according to a Ukrainian security official who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Long-range drones struck the Temp oil depot in the city of Rybinsk, part of Russia’s state fuel reserve system, the official told The Associated Press. Rybinsk is about 800 kilometers (500 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
A previous version of this story was corrected to give the timing of the alleged attack on Putin's residence as late Sunday and early Monday.
Katie Marie Davies in Leicester, England, contributed to this story.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
This image made from undated video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, shows a downed drone at an undisclosed location that it said was one of the Ukrainian drones involved in an alleged attack on a residence of President Vladimir Putin this week – a claim Kyiv has denied as a "lie". (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
This image made from undated video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, shows a downed drone at an undisclosed location that it said was one of the Ukrainian drones involved in an alleged attack on a residence of President Vladimir Putin this week – a claim Kyiv has denied as a "lie". (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
This image made from undated video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, shows a man in camouflage standing by a downed drone at an undisclosed location that it said was one of the Ukrainian drones involved in an alleged attack on a residence of President Vladimir Putin this week – a claim Kyiv has denied as a "lie". (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
In this image made from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, a Russian Army soldier fires from D-30 howitzer towards Ukrainian positions in an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
