USWNT's sheer dominance gets them first Olympic gold in 12 years after defeating Brazil 1-0 at finals
PARIS, FRANCE: The US women's national team defeated Brazil 1-0 on Saturday, August 10, to win the Olympic gold medal. The game needed a strong defensive effort in the first half and a well-executed comeback in the second to deny Brazil and its illustrious captain Marta.
A record-breaking fifth Olympic title, and first since 2012 for the US women who never trailed at any point in their six matches in France, marked the familiar conclusion to a tournament that had been so much about what's new for the USWNT, a new coach in Emma Hayes, a new front line of attackers, and a new outlook following the disappointment of last summer's Women's World Cup.
Mallory Swanson scores winning goal
Sophia Smith, who shrewdly ducked away from the play after realizing she was in an offside position and youthful midfielder Korbin Albert, who supplied the ball, set up Mallory Swanson's winning goal in the 57th minute with a smooth finish after sprinting through on goal. The crowd at Parc des Princes, which featured Tom Cruise and Megan Rapinoe, erupted as Swanson curved her shot past Brazil goalkeeper Lorena.
It was Mallory Swanson's fourth goal of the tournament
Mallory Swanson scored her fourth goal of the competition which tied for second most among all players and was more than any other American player. Brazil, which had controlled the majority of the opening minutes of the match, kept trying to force an equalizer but was unable to get past. Alyssa Naeher, the American goalkeeper, was her team's most useful player in the first half and continued to keep goals out in the knockout stages.
The women's teams started the game at a tempo that at least suggested possible offensive fireworks and the match was played on the same pitch where the men's teams from Spain and France battled out an eight-goal classic in their final a day earlier, according to ESPN.
Brazil started the game without veteran Marta
Although it was a reasonable move given that Brazil had just defeated France and Spain while Marta was serving a red-card ban, it still seemed odd to start without her. Furthermore, Hayes substituted Albert for Rose Lavelle in the starting lineup, seemingly acknowledging Lavelle's history of injuries and the potential for overtime.
The Brazilians came out swinging, just as they had upset Spain. Ludmila felt as though an arrow had been averted when Naeher stopped a close-range shot within two minutes. Brazil persisted without stopping. Adriana almost got a penalty from Crystal Dunn with her skillful end-line dancing. Ludmila spun around to face Naomi Girma and she sent a shot into the net that was called offside. After defeating Tierna Davidson, Gabi Portilho narrowly missed Ludmila with a risky cross in front of goal.
There were moments for the Americans too. Swanson used her speed to draw a corner, but Brazil always felt more threatening. Trinity Rodman's spectacular twist at midfield sent her hurtling towards goal. At halftime, the United States would have been well behind if Naeher hadn't made a spectacular reaction save against Portilho in stoppage time.
The Americans, on the other hand, were calm and more forceful in their announcements. Before Albert discovered her space, Smith moved just past Swanson's line of sight, and Sam Coffey made a wide-varying crack to draw the American crowd back in. With a mere glimpse and a potent pass, Brazil was left stunned.
Marta supposedly played her last international match
Entering her sixth Olympics and likely her last international encounter, Marta came on at the hour but was uncontrollably bottled up. A diving header from Adriana was pushed at goal from close range four minutes into ten minutes of stoppage time, but Naeher again slapped it away.
Marta placed her hands on her head. With delight, the American supporters chanted. After a year filled with immense disappointment, the USWNT returned. They won their first gold in the sports debut at the 1996 Games in Atlanta, and again in 2004 and 2008.
