Brazil take the lead against Spain in BIZARRE fashion. 😳
A clearance ricochets off Spanish defender Irene Paredes and into her own net to give the Seleção an early advantage! #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/uu9s3w0D6a
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) August 6, 2024
So how do these two teams match up? The Americans are undefeated and have survived some close tests, but will that extra hour of play affect the Americans in the final? These teams have been playing every three or four days for the duration of the two-and-a-half-week tournament, and USWNT coach Emma Hayes has received criticism for not rotating players or using subs earlier in matches. Nine Americans have started every match and that number might have been 10 if not for Tierna Davidson getting injured in the second group game against Germany.
Of course, that’s all there is to complain about when Hayes is undefeated since taking charge of the team in June. The U.S. has eight wins and a draw under Hayes.
Brazil also gets a boost in the form of Marta’s return. The legendary forward was suspended for both knockout games after getting a red card in the previous meeting with Spain in group play. This is Marta’s final year before retiring from international play so her team will be plenty motivated to send one of the all-time greats out with a gold medal.
This isn’t even the first final these teams have met in this year. In March, the U.S. beat Brazil 1-0 in the final of the W Gold Cup in San Diego. The USWNT has won the last seven meetings against Brazil and has gone nine straight without a loss. Brazil last beat the Americans in 2014.
(Photo of Naomi Girma: Claudio Villa / Getty Images)
Source link : https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5684832/2024/08/07/uswnt-brazil-olympics-gold-medal-game-odds-paris/
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Publish date : 2024-08-06 22:00:00
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