The U.S. women’s national team arrived in Paris with its eyes on a gold medal and after six grueling games in 16 days, the young American team walked away with just that.
The Olympic champion USWNT emerged victorious on Saturday, leaving Marta and a talented Brazilian side with silver once again. It was forward Mallory Swanson, in her 100th cap for the USWNT, who sealed the 1-0 win for the Americans. The 26-year-old striker found the back of the net 57 minutes into the frenetic finale at the Parc des Princes in Paris, her goal ultimately standing as the game winner.
The shutout marks just the second time an opponent was held scoreless in a gold medal match—the first coming in 2008 when the U.S. last faced Brazil in the final game of an Olympic tournament. The two teams also faced off for gold in 2004 in Athens, with Team USA winning there as well. The third meeting between the two sides for Olympic gold had the same outcome, but the victory did not come easily as the Brazilian side arguably gave the USWNT its toughest test of the Paris Games by far.
Brazil came out firing in the early minutes of the match, hungry to strike first. The USWNT escaped the tremendous pressure from As Canarinhas’ frontline off a fantastic effort from goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher despite a discombobulated defense that struggled to keep up with the frenetic pace of play.
Though Brazil continued to control possession for the majority of the match, Team USA reasserted itself in the second half and found its footing again. Finally able to create a few of its own opportunities on offense, it took an aggressive effort by the USWNT to find the back of the net. All that was needed was one goal, and it was Swanson who eventually came through.
A pass from midfielder Korbin Albert, the 20-year-old who started in place of Rose Lavelle in the midfield, found Swanson and fellow forward Sophia Smith (playing on her 24th birthday!) with space to maneuver. With Smith offside, it was Swanson who struck when one-on-one with goalkeeper Lorena for her fourth goal of this Olympic tournament. The crowd erupted, giving the USWNT the confidence it needed to fend off a relentless Brazil for the remainder of the match even as the South American side found a second wind in stoppage time. Brazil made one final push for gold, with Naeher again coming in clutch to keep the USWNT’s narrow lead in tact.
The victory marks the USWNT’s first Olympic gold medal in more than a decade—the last coming in London in 2012—and fifth overall. Despite ranking as the winningest team in Olympic history, the last two Games had proven challenging for the USWNT. After falling in the quarterfinals in Rio and then taking bronze in Tokyo, nothing was guaranteed in Paris.
The USWNT’s gold came on the back of three consecutive one-goal wins in France—the American’s quarter and semifinal matches both extending into extra time—as they managed to eke out shutout wins in each round of the knockout stage.
It was a team effort for Team USA throughout the entire tournament. Swanson, Smith and Trinity Rodman provided the offensive firepower needed to propel the team past its opponents while Naomi Girma and Naeher shut down scoring opportunities, allowing just two goals through the six Olympic matches played.
Getting the team to the top of the podium just 10 games into her tenure, head coach Emma Hayes reasserted the Americans’ standing atop women’s soccer and validated her approach. Any questions about her decisions around the roster (like leaving USWNT veteran Alex Morgan off the Olympic squad) or game plan (sticking with her preferred starting lineup despite concerns about fatigue) were silenced with the win.
For the retiring Marta, the silver is a bittersweet send off for a soccer legend who started on the bench for Brazil after serving a two-game suspension for a red card earlier in the tournament. Coming in after the halftime break, the Brazilian star was welcomed by a rapturous applause as she took the pitch for her final Olympic match, with plans to retire from international play at the end of the year. But not even Marta could get past Naeher to even the score, leaving Brazil without the evasive Olympic gold once again.
