Like the hard-fought victory over Japan in the quarter-finals, this tense victory was a reality check after the exuberant thrashings the USA inflicted in the sunrise phase of the Emma Hayes era.
But a win will do anyway – especially when it means the US is in the Olympic final. A year after one of their worst moments, the penalty shootout defeat to Sweden in the first knockout stage of the 2023 World Cup, a hard-fought and sometimes hard-to-watch 1-0 extra-time victory over Germany sent the USA in Saturday’s final at Parc des Princes, securing at least the silver medal.
The team has yet to regain the imperious brilliance that was the hallmark of American teams of the past; perhaps it never will, given the dramatic improvement of other nations. But in reaching the Olympic final, the USA returns to a familiar setting after the uncertainty and insecurity of the last two years under previous coach Vlatko Andonovski, as a group of exceptional veterans suffered a slow fade.
Related: The Emma Hayes Effect: The Reborn USWNT Looks Like an Olympic Contender Again
After winning four golds and one silver from 1996 to 2012, the USA lost in the quarterfinals in Rio and had to settle for bronze in Japan three years ago. They now have the chance to compete for another championship, but given the standard of play in the semi-final, it was tempting to wonder whether their 4-1 group stage win over Germany nine days earlier was the worst thing that could have happened. to the USA.
That result didn’t tell the whole story, as the teams were more or less evenly matched in terms of shots on goal. But the embarrassment evidently led Germany to review and redouble their efforts to establish a tactical bulwark against the usually effervescent attacking trio of Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson and Trinity Rodman, who scored eight of the USA’s 10 goals earlier in this game. , but they were only sporadic threats. on Tuesday.
Rodman scored the winning goal in extra time as the USA beat Japan 1-0 in the quarter-finals, finally resolving a stubborn low defensive block with a moment of individual inspiration. Until then, goals had not been difficult to come by, with the USA defeating Zambia 3-0 and Australia 2-1 in the group stage, as well as scoring four goals against Germany.
As against Japan, a fine goal in extra time was enough to overcome determined, well-trained opponents and continue Hayes’ stellar run of results. The 47-year-old Londoner has now recorded eight wins and a draw from her first nine games, the first of which, a 4-0 victory over South Korea, was just two months ago. She is wasting no time as she seeks to return the US to global dominance and build a youthful, irrepressible lineup.
The celebrations at the final whistle were understandably exuberant, a release of emotion after a tense night. There was one of those rare first periods where so little happens that the referee ignores the delays caused by fouls and whistles half-time without adding any time-out; a merciful act in this case.
The atmosphere was silent, with the 60,000-capacity home of Olympique Lyonnais far from full, and in any case there was little to rouse the modest crowd, their “USA!” chants taking on an echoing timbre similar to a tunnel in the vast arena. The contest evolved into a bitter midfield battle that best suited the Germans, who recovered from a shaky start to successfully stifle American attacks while mounting occasional offensive forays of their own.
An early three-minute goal from Rose Lavelle was easily saved by resilient goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger (of Gotham FC and Hayes’ ex-Chelsea), but the opportunity, a threatening run from Rodman and the amount of space generally available for the US in the final third seemed a bad omen for Germany.
Still, the underdogs had the best opportunity of the first half, with US goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher forced to stretch almost to her fullest to deflect Jule Brand’s low shot in the 24th minute. The USA were 3-1 up at half-time when the teams met in the group stage nine days earlier; on this occasion they were level at half-time.
At the start of the second half, Naomi Girma was in fine form alongside Emily Sonnett, who came on at half-time to replace Tierna Davidson. The fact that American central defenders were increasingly relevant underlined Germany’s growing confidence and threat, while the USA offered too much patience and too little pace. US possession was often spent passing the ball around, failing to provide territorial progression and giving Germany enough time to adapt to their defensive shape.
Girma solved the problem just after the 15th minute, advancing into midfield and brilliantly finding Swanson, who rounded the keeper but shot wide rather than passing the ball to a teammate for a simple finish, although there was suspicion of off-side.
The USA tightened the screw in the final minutes of the second half, but Germany remained firm and took the dispute to extra time. Having eliminated defending champions Canada on penalties in the quarter-finals, they would hardly have been averse to a shootout.
The dynamic Smith, however, had other ideas. Well fed by Swanson five minutes into extra time, she beat Feli Rauch and striker Berger to the pass and put the ball in the net.
Broadcast microphones captured Hayes directing the team from the sideline, urging players to “hang in there.” And they did, despite late German pressure, with Naeher again called into acrobatic action with an excellent late save, while Smith could have scored a few more goals as Germany left gaps in the defense.
Hayes, as everyone knows, is a winner; the only question now is the color of the medal.
