by Admin
Aug 10 2024
The United States Women’s Soccer team has defeated the samba ladies of Brazil in the women’s Paris Olympic final held today to win its fifth record gold medal.
The highly intense match between the two finalists witnessed only a goal difference which was scored by Mallory Swanson in the second half.
The Chicago Red Stars forward broke through the Brazilian defense with a beautiful solo run after being sent through a pass from midfielder Korbin Albert in the 57th minute to give the United States team the lead and secure victory.
The United States female soccer team were seen as the underdogs going into the final match against a well known opponent in the Brazil team which paraded the legendary Marta who is six times recipient of the Federation Internationale Football Association (FIFA) World Player of the Year award (2006–10 and 2018), she was brought in the second half but couldn’t salvage the match for the Brazilians.
The Samba ladies had the United States team on the edge of their seats in the 16th minute when a goal by new Chicago Red Stars acquisition Ludmila was ruled offside. That didn’t stop them from pressing forward and outplaying the American side in the first half with the Brazilian team recording eight shots on target compared to their opponents 3 shots on target.
The star of the match was the United States goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher who was at her best to keep the Samba team from scoring a goal, her most impressive performance came in the first half stoppage time with a sensational reflex save in to thwart a first-time, point-blank shot from Gabi Portilho.
The second half began in a different direction when the United States team took the bull by the horn and halted the pressure from their opponents.
The Chicago Red Stars goalkeeper was also called into action in the dying minutes of the second half to help secure the victory over the Brazilian team.
This is the fifth gold medal for the United States women’s team since the London 2012 Olympic Games when they defeated Japan at the final.
The United States women’s team was ranked fifth in the world female soccer rankings, which is their lowest ranking going into any Olympic competition.