The final day of group play more-or-less went as expected, except for Marta earning a straight red for a reckless lunging kick that narrowly missed striking Spain’s Olga Carmona in the cheek.
France, thanks to Canada’s points deduction, the USA, and Spain all won their groups, while Canada, Germany, and Japan advanced as the runners-up in their respective groups. Colombia and Brazil advanced as the higher-ranked third-place teams. Australia, as the lowest third-ranked team, along with New Zealand, Zambia, and Nigeria were eliminated from the competition.
The United States Women’s National Team won all three of its group stage matches for only the second time. This feat was first accomplished in 2012 at the London Olympics, which is also the last time that the USA has won gold. The USWNT’s 9 goals scored in the group stage is a record for the team. Previously, their best tally was also in 2012, with 8 goals scored.
Also, this is the first time in the history of women’s soccer tournament at the Olympics that there were no draws in any group stage matches. All seven previous editions had at least one tied match during group play.
USWNT vs. Australia
“I told the girls before this game [against Australia] that it was a ‘banana skin’, but they didn’t know what I was talking about,” she said, laughing. “Apparently, Americans say it’s ‘trap game’, so that’s what I need to call it now!”
It did not end up being a “trap game” for the United States Women’s National Team, though Australia did make it interesting in the latter minutes of the match.
As the USWNT had already clinched a spot in the quarterfinals, the primary question left unanswered was where the USA would place. Thanks to the USWNT’s higher goal difference and goal scores, the USA was all but guaranteed to not end up as the third place team in the group, absent a large loss against Australia and a large win by Germany over Zambia.* A third-place finish would have meant a quarterfinal against France, while a second-place finish would have seen the USA facing Canada.
On paper, the USWNT dominated the match: The USA had a 2-to-1 advantage in possession, a 20-to-6 advantage in shots, a 9-to-2 advantage in shots on target, and 9 corners to just 2 for Australia.
However, it took a 43rd minute poke by Trinity Rodman during a corner kick scrum to break the deadlock. Rodman earned that corner kick via a shot from the top left corner of the 18-yard box by forcing Matildas goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold to parry the ball over the crossbar. The corner kick was headed into the middle of the 6-yard box by an Australian player. A contorted kick by Sophia Smith looped the ball to outside of the right corner of the goal where Rodman tapped the ball into the back of the net.
It took a few minutes for Rodman’s goal to be made official as there was some sort of communications issue between the referees and the VAR. Sam Coffey was in a de facto offside position and potentially may have interfered with Arnold’s ability to see Smith’s kick. During the delay, Australia’s head coach, Tony Gustavsson, was show a yellow card by referee Francois Letexier.
Korbin Albert, who came on as a substitute for Rose Lavelle, scored her first international goal in the 77th minute by collecting a poor clearance from Australia’s Clare Wheeler. At the top of the “D”, took one touch to settle the ball, then struck a hard shot that went into the upper left area of the goal. A leaping Mackenzie Arnold was able to get her fingertips on the ball, barely redirecting it.
Albert’s strike would end up being the game-winner as the Matildas would score in the first minute of second-half stoppage time. Center-back Alanna Kennedy, who was moved up to the front line late in the match, pounced on a header by Michelle Heyman and, at the top of the 6-yard box, lunge-kicked the ball, which bounced just to the left of Alyssa Naeher’s feet and into the back of the net.
With the loss, Australia were not officially eliminated from the match. They could have advanced if Colombia did not lose to Canada.
Sophia Smith almost had back-to-back matches with lucky deflection goals: In the 82nd minute, her deflect shot hit the left post and then the right post before Arnold grabbed the ball.
Washington Spirit’s NWSL rookie of the year candidate Croix Bethune saw her first minutes of Olympics action, coming on in the 79th minute as a substitute for Mallory Swanson. Once again, Jaedyn Shaw was not available due to a “leg injury” that occurred during a practice in France before the tournament kicked off (USA Today).
With the exception of the injured Tierna Davidson (leg or knee contusion), Emma Hayes chose not to rest any starters from the match against Germany, including Sam Coffey and Trinity Rodman who both had earned a yellow card in one of the two earlier group matches.
Coffey received a yellow card in just the 4th minute of this match and should have received a second yellow in about the 56th minute for stepping on the ankle of an Australian player. Coffey will miss the quarterfinal against Japan.
All single yellow cards are cleared after the quarterfinals*, so as long as Trinity Rodman and Korbin Albert do not receive a card against Japan, they will not be suspended for a semifinal match, should the USA advance.
*For example, with Germany’s 4:1 result over Zambia, for the USWNT to have finished third, Australia would have needed to win by 4 goals.
**Section 11.3 of the tournament regulations
The Other Matches
Sometimes soccer produces stunning moments of athletic prowess. Other times, there are shocking moments of lapses of judgment. Marta’s reckless karate-esque kick 5 minutes into first-half stoppage time is one of the latter.
This was Marta’s 201 international cap and it could be her last official international match, unless Brazil advances to the semifinals.
The caption on the video’s thumbnail translates to “Expulsion of a Legend”.
Brazil only needed a draw against Spain to ensure advancement. For three-fourths of the match, including over 20 minutes with a player disadvantage, Brazil held the reigning Women’s World Cup champions scoreless.
That changed in the 68th minute, when Brazil’s goalkeeper, Lorena, parried a deflected cross right into the path of an on-rushing 23-year-old Athenea del Castillo, who redirected the ball into the goalmouth using the inside of her right foot.
Spain doubled the lead in the 17th minute of second-half stoppage time on an Alexia Putellas strike from a few yard outside of the 18-yard box. The left-footed shot was beyond the reach of Lorena and kissed the right post before hitting the back of the net.
With their 2-nil victory, Spain won Group C. Brazil finished third and had to hope for favorable results in the remaining four matches.
Japan secured second place in Group B with a relatively comfortable 3:1 victory over Nigeria. Japan opened their scoring in the 22nd minute on a Maika Hamano tap-in off of a cross from Riko Ueki. Ten minutes later, the Nadeshiko doubled their advantage when Mina Tanaka pounced on a header from Ueki that bounced off the crossbar. In the 42nd minute, Nigeria cut their deficit to a single goal when, after a poor clearance by a Japan defender, Paris Saint-Germain’s Jennifer Echegini combined with Christy Ucheibe for a quick give-and-go, which led to Echegini striking a hard low shot with her left foot from inside the middle of the “D”. Five minutes into first-half stoppage time, Hikaru Kitagawa’s free kick from several yards outside the penalty area increased Japan’s advantage back to 2 goals.
Although Germany was in control early against Zambia, thanks to a 10th minute goal from Lea Schüller, they could not take a proverbially sigh of relief until at least the 61st minute, when Schüller powered home a cross from Klara Bühl. Fifteen minutes earlier, Bühl received the ball from Sjoeke Nüsken, dribbled about ten yards and then launched a low curving strike into the lower left corner of the goal. Then, in the 49th minute, German goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger passed the ball straight to the feet of Barbra Banda who dribbled around an outstretched Berger and rocket to the far bottom corner of the goalmouth. Berger, who was at the top of the 18-yard box was perhaps less than a few inches of possibly garnering a red card for handling the ball outside the penalty area, which would have been a denial of a goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO).
Australia’s hopes for advancement rested with Colombia. For the first 60 minutes of Colombia’s match, Australia had that hope. Then, in the 61st minute, Vanessa Gilles headed home a Jessie Fleming free kick. Canada held Colombia scoreless and advanced as the second-place team in Group A.
New Zealand made things interesting for France, tying the match 1:1 almost out of nowhere, in the 42nd minute, when C.J. Bott sent a throw-in to an unmarked Kate Taylor. Taylor then ripped a 25-yard strike from Kate Taylor whose shot dipped into the lower right corner of Pauline Peyraud-Magnin’s goal.
Marie-Antoinette Katoto had her second brace of the tournament and is now the top scorer in the women’s tournament, with 5 goals. Katoto first gave France the lead in the 22nd minute by heading down a cross from Sandy Baltimore. Katoto’s close-range header went straight into the hands of goalkeeper Anna Leat who was unable to stop the deflected ball from bouncing across the goal-line.
Katoto gave France the lead for good four minutes after the half-time break when she used her left foot to redirect a cross from outside back Sakina Karchaoui.
Group A
New Zealand 1, France 2
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Additional Links: PDF match report, FIFA match page
Colombia 0, Canada 1
Additional Links: PDF match report, FIFA match page
Group B
Australia 1, USWNT 2
Additional Links: PDF match report, FIFA match page, NBC Sports Highlights
Zambia 1, Germany 4
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Additional Links: PDF match report, FIFA match page
Group C
Brazil 0, Spain 2
Additional Links: PDF match report, FIFA match page
Japan 3, Nigeria
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Additional Links: PDF match report, FIFA match page
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