USA Women’s National Soccer Team Beats Brazil 1-0 to Win Fifth Olympic Gold Medal

PARIS, FRANCE – AUGUST 10: Naomi Girma #4 of Team USA celebrates winning the women’s tournament … (+) The gold medal match between Brazil and the United States of America during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Parc des Princes on August 10, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

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In her tenth game under U.S. women’s team coach Emma Hayes, forward Mallory Swanson scored the only goal to help her team beat Brazil 1-0 in the Olympic final, securing the U.S. its fifth Olympic gold medal.

The historic victory marked their first gold medal since the 2012 London Olympics. As for Brazil, legendary goal scorer Marta took part in her last Olympics after serving a two-match suspension for a red card and won her third silver medal.

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Swanson reaches another milestone with 100th cap

With a busy Olympic schedule including six matches in the past fortnight, Hayes made minor changes to his starting XI, placing Rose Lavelle on the bench and Korbin Albert in the starting line-up to play alongside Sam Coffey.

However, players’ fatigue meant that Brazil started the match with a strong and aggressive attack, during which Ludmila broke through Naomi Girma’s defense and tried to score a goal.

In the second half, Brazil held their defensive line, and when Trinity Rodman tried to score, the USA failed to score.

To celebrate her 100th cap for the USA, forward Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith raced into the penalty area, where Swanson slotted the ball into the bottom right corner of the net for a 1-0 lead.

Although the trio of Rodman, Swanson and Smith accounted for 10 of the U.S.’s 12 goals in the tournament, it was Swanson’s lone goal that ultimately put the U.S. back on top.

PARIS, FRANCE – AUGUST 10: Marta #10 of Brazil controls the ball against Emily Sonnett #14 of … (+) The United States team performs during the women’s gold medal match between Brazil and the United States of America during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Parc des Princes on August 10, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

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In April 2023, Swanson suffered a torn patellar tendon that kept her out of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where the U.S. was eliminated in the Round of 16. However, from the outset, the U.S. team has established a winning pattern in which even after losing a World Cup, they win an Olympic medal in the next cycle.

ForbesSwanson’s goal helps the U.S. win Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Games.By Manasi Pathak

“I think this group has just come together since the beginning of our preseason, knowing that we’ve grown so much,” Swanson said after the game. “It’s really cool for me to see that on and off the field. I think the most important thing, probably what you hear, is that we’re having fun. We’re having a great time. I’m just happy.”

Alyssa Naeher deflects Brazil’s last attempt

Marta came on in the 61st minute of the second half, and as Brazil tried to come back, the USWNT doubled up on defense. Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher rose to the occasion in the 94th minute when Adriana stooped to head the ball into the back of the net.

Although the attempt seemed promising for Brazil, Naeher went into defense and effectively turned the attempt aside, recording her fourth clean sheet in a single Olympic tournament and keeping clean sheets in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. Furthermore, the save made Naeher the first goalkeeper in women’s soccer history to keep a clean sheet in both the World Cup and the Olympic final.

With 10 minutes remaining in injury time, the USWNT players remained calm and with the final whistle began a new era of success as they won Olympic gold medals for the fifth time in USWNT history.

The U.S. women’s team will build on its success at the Olympics by facing Iceland on October 24 and 27 and will face them in further international friendlies.