The USWNT cruised to yet another victory in the Paris Olympics that sees them full of confidence as they head into the quarterfinals this weekend. The U.S. team had already made it through to the next round, along with Spain, but had one more game left in their group to fine-tune a few things, and that means they knocked the Aussie Matildas out of the Olympics once and for all.
The women’s team defeated Australia with a resounding 2-1 victory, although it could have been much more, this midweek on Wednesday. A stoppage-time goal pulled back by the Aussies had the country thinking they could pull a huge upset, but the clock ran out. The Matildas were sent packing, and the winners headed through to the QFs feeling better than ever.
USWNT vs. Mathildas: How it happend
Heading into the game, all of the talk was on the USWNT and how well they have played so far in this tournament. They are finally gelling and meshing together, as we had hoped they would have in the Women’s World Cup last year in Australia and New Zealand. Now with Emma Hayes at the helm, it seems as though she knows how to tactically choose the right players in the right positions.
The front three, consisting of Rodman, Swanson, and Smith, have been absolutely deadly. Swanson has a three-way tie as the tournament’s leading scorer with three goals so far, but Sopha Smith scored two in a single game, and Rodman, who seems to be the spark and the playmaker of the team, has also had tons of hype.
Early play kept things close for USWNT
Sam Coffey earned a yellow card in just the third minute of play, meaning that she will miss the next match, the quarterfinals. It is uncertain if this was a tactical decision so that she could play 90 minutes this game and rest the next game to give someone else a chance, or if this was purely a lapse of concentration.
All eyes were also on the Matildas, as they had been playing without their ‘star’ striker, Sam Kerr. She played rarely in the World Cup last year either, as a calf injury limited her minutes, and was followed up by an ACL tear in January that has seen her out for her club Chelsea, and her country for the majority of the year.
The first goal eventually came in the 43rd minute, as Rodman, the super-quick winger/playmaker, netted for the USWNT. Thai comes after a hectic play that saw Sopha Smith provide the assistant to Rodman after Gustavsson, the Matildas’ coach, received a yellow card due to an extremely lengthy stoppage time to review the VAR call.
Second 45 provides breakthrough
Once the second half got underway, fans noticed a few changes for both teams. Nighswonger replaced Dunn, and Kyra-Cooney Cross, the younger who plays for Arsenal in the FA WSL in England, came on for Wheeler. Twenty minutes later, Hayes made a few tactical substitutions that saw Williams, Krueger, and Korin Albert come on for Rodman, Lavelle, and Fox. Two minutes later, Korbin Albert earned a yellow card, something they didn’t want to happen, especially with Coffee already out in the next game.
However, the game ended the USWNT’s way, as they scored in the 77th minute to hold out for the win. Next, the USWNT won their Group B with ease and now are on to the quarterfinal this Sunday. The U.S. team faces off against Japan, a team they have a lot of history with, to see who can make it to the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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