PARIS, FRANCE – AUGUST 10: Naomi Girma #4 of Team United States celebrates victory in the Women’s … [+] Gold Medal match between Brazil and United States of America during the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Parc des Princes on August 10, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Getty Images
In the tenth game under U.S. Women’s National Team Head Coach, Emma Hayes, forward Mallory Swanson scored the lone goal to defeat Brazil 1-0 in the Olympics final to secure the fifth Olympic gold medal for the USA.
The historic victory marked their first gold medal since the 2012 London Olympics. As for Brazil, legendary goal scorer, Marta, competed in her final Olympics after serving a two-game red card suspension and collected her third silver medal.
Forbes2024 Paris Olympics: Marta Bows Out With Silver, Restoring Brazil’s PrideBy Samindra Kunti
Swanson Adds Another Milestone In 100th Cap
With a compact Olympics schedule of competing in six games over the past two weeks, the starting XI was slightly adjusted by Hayes, which saw Rose Lavelle on the bench and Korbin Albert in the initial lineup to work alongside Sam Coffey.
However, with the player fatigue, Brazil opened the game with a strong and high pressure attack as Ludmila sliced through the backline of Naomi Girma to make an attempt on goal.
In the second half, Brazil held their line and as Trinity Rodman looked to make an attempt, the USA came up empty handed.
To add an additional moniker to making her 100th appearance with the USA, forward Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith sped their way through to the box where Swanson clipped the ball to the bottom right corner of the net to secure a 1-0 lead.
Although the trio of Rodman, Swanson, and Smith contributed to the USA’s 10 of their 12 goals in the tournament, the lone goal from Swanson ultimately made the difference to bring the USA back to the top.
PARIS, FRANCE – AUGUST 10: Marta #10 of Team Brazil controls the ball against Emily Sonnett #14 of … [+] Team United States during the Women’s Gold Medal match between Brazil and United States of America during the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Parc des Princes on August 10, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Getty Images
In April 2023, Swanson suffered from a torn patellar tendon that prevented her from missing the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup where the USWNT were eliminated in the Round of 16. However, since its inception, the USWNT have created a pattern of winning where even after a World Cup loss, they persevere with an Olympic medal in the following cycle.
ForbesSwanson Goal Helps U.S. Win Olympic Gold Medal At Paris 2024 GamesBy Manasi Pathak
“I think this group really just came together from the beginning of our pregame to know we’ve grown so much,” said Swanson following the game. “That’s really cool to me, seeing that on and off the field. I think most importantly, you’re probably hearing it, we’re playing with joy. We’re having so much fun. I’m just so happy.”
Alyssa Naeher Deflects Brazil’s Final Attempt
In the second half, Marta made her appearance in the 61’ minute and with Brazil’s drive for a comeback win, the USWNT doubled down in their defense. Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher rose to the occasion in the 94th minute as Adriana leaned in for a header to the back of the net.
Although the attempt looked hopeful for the Brazilians, Naeher reached in for the save and successfully deflected the attempt to mark her fourth shutout in a single Olympic tournament and posted clean sheets in the quarterfinal, semifinal and final. Additionally, the save also made Naeher the first goalkeeper in women’s soccer history to record clean sheets in both the World Cup and Olympic final.
With 10 minutes of stoppage time added to the clock, the USWNT maintained their composure and with the final whistle, it marked a new era of success as the USWNT were now Olympic gold medalists for the fifth time.
The U.S. Women’s National Team will host another set of international friendlies following their success at the Olympics when they face Iceland on October 24 and October 27.
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=66b893d550de4ad883e58517edc110ca&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Fjackiegutierrez%2F2024%2F08%2F10%2Fuswnt-defeats-brazil-1-0-to-win-fifth-olympic-gold-medal%2F&c=15455972275502381319&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-08-10 09:47:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
