It’s official. The United States women’s national team got its groove back, and they have an Olympic gold medal to prove it.
The USWNT beat Brazil 1-0 on Saturday in the finals of the soccer tournament at the 2024 Paris Olympics to win its fifth Olympic gold medal. It was also the first Olympic gold for Americans since the 2012 London Games.
The USWNT prevailed in a tightly-contested game, which finished scoreless in the first half. Both teams were cautious about allowing their opponent too much space, leading to fewer chances in the opening 45 minutes.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 57th minute when Mallory Swanson, making her 100th for USWNT, received a perfectly placed deep pass from Korbin Albert. Swanson found herself one-on-one with Brazil’s goalie Lorena and expertly flicked the ball into the net.
Brazil intensified its attacks from that point on, but their attempts proved inefficient against USWNT’s stout defense. Forward Adriana had a great chance to pull Brazil back level in stoppage time, but U.S. goalie Alyssa Naeher delivered a fantastic one-hand save.
Winning the gold should provide a big morale boost for the USWNT team that experienced a tough stretch highlighted by early elimination at the Women’s World Cup.
Brazil, on the other hand, has suffered another disappointment. They have now lost three finals at the Olympics, and all of their three losses came from USWNT.
