2024-08-06 21:20:00
- Brazil are surprised in the Olympic semi-finals and Spain 4-2 against Marseille.
- A weakened Germany had to bow to USA 0-1 in extra time.
- The final will take place on Saturday in Paris, the bronze match the day before in Lyon.
The Spaniards couldn’t have had a worse start to the semi-final. While trying to pass the ball to a team member in midfield, goalkeeper Cata Coll shot at forward Irene Paredes from close range. She had no chance to avoid it, she was shot and became an involuntary scorer of the goals themselves.
The 2023 world champions did not recover from this early shock in the first half. Quite the opposite: Brazil, which had to compete in the semi-finals without the suspended Marta, had several chances to go 2-0 up. This came through Gabi Portilho shortly before half-time.
Even after the break, the Spaniards did not put one foot in front of the other. So it is not surprising that Adriana was able to increase the score to 3-0 for the South Americans in the 72nd minute. Salma Paralluelo’s two goals to make it 1:3 and 2:4 in the final phase (85th/90th+12) were too late for the Iberians. Meanwhile, Kerolin scored the fourth goal for Brazil (91st).
USA destroys Germany’s gold dream
In the first semi-final, the USA held on to a 1-0 lead against Germany in Lyon. This means the reigning Olympic champions will have a chance to win gold for the 5th time at the 8th edition of the women’s Olympic football tournament on Saturday.
Sophia Smith was responsible for the only goal of the game in the 5th minute of the first half of extra time. The 23-year-old striker headed the ball past Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger after receiving a pass from Mallory Swanson.
Too many absences from Germany
The USA were the better team for much of the game and were well-deserved winners in the end. Germany followed through with a great effort, but coach Horst Hrubesch’s team could not find much of a way to play. The DFB team complained about some important absences. For example, captain Alexandra Popp was missing (sick) and striker Lea Schüller was injured.
Germany still has a chance to win the bronze. The match for third place against Spain will take place on Friday in Lyon.
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