The US Women’s National Team (USWNT) won the Olympic gold medal on Saturday, beat Brazil.
The South Americans had the upper hand from the start, had the majority of possession and also had the better chances. The first half was undoubtedly the toughest test of the entire tournament for the USWNT.
Nevertheless, the Americans eventually found their way into the game and scored the only goal in the second half.
After missing her team’s best chance of the game in the 51st minute, Mallory Swanson scored a stunning solo goal six minutes later.
A great through ball from Korbin Albert created the scoring opportunity. The midfielder played the ball to Swanson, who stormed towards the goal on the left.
Swanson won the ball on the edge of the Brazilian box and placed a perfect shot into the net. Swanson’s goal marked her 100th overall appearance with the USWNT.
While Swanson scored the goal, Sophia Smith played a key role in the eventual winning goal.
The striker could have taken Albert’s pass as she was also free to head towards goal, but Smith was aware that she was probably offside and let Swanson take possession.
This intelligent decision essentially prevented an offside decision that would have resulted in a goalless game.
The USWNT defense has been exceptional since Hayes took the helm
Aside from the goal itself, USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher played a key role in keeping the game clean sheet. When Brazil outplayed the Americans early on, the goalkeeper made a great save to prevent a goal just before halftime. Later in stoppage time, Naeher also kept another potential goal out of the net with a firm hand.
Swanson, Smith and Trinity Rodman rightly attracted most of the attention in the USWNT at the Olympics.
Still, the team’s defense was undoubtedly a key part of their success. In fact, the Stars and Stripes didn’t allow a single goal in the tournament’s three knockout games. That’s especially impressive considering two of those games went into overtime.
Overall, the USWNT has allowed just two goals in ten games since Emma Hayes took over, both of which came during the group stage of the Olympics.
Hayes wins first Olympic gold medal for USWNT in 12 years
Although the USWNT is widely considered a heavyweight in the sport, Saturday’s triumph was the team’s first Olympic gold medal since 2012.
The Americans failed to win a medal in 2016 and only took bronze four years later at the Summer Games in Japan. It is also their first major title outside of CONCACAF since the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
For Marta, however, Brazil’s defeat will mark her last participation in the tournament. The legendary striker will go down in the history of the sport as perhaps the best player.
After all, the striker was named FIFA’s best player six times and scored almost 200 goals in her career. Despite these personal accolades, Marta never won a major title with Brazil.
Photo credit: IMAGO / Nordphoto IMAGO / Vitalii Kliuiev
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