The USA score four goals to Germany’s one to a bag place in the knockout rounds of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Match run-down
Germany and the USA went head-to-head during matchday two on July 28 at Marseilles’ the Stade Vélodrome.
A game of five goals, with all but one in the first half, saw the USA beat Germany 4-1 overall. A brace from Sophia Smith and yet another goal from Mallory Swanson boosted the USA two goals ahead after Giulia Gwinn bagged Germany’s sole goal.
Four minutes after subbing in for Smith, Lynn Williams nabbed the fourth and final goal for the USA deep in the 89th minute. The USA collected the three points needed to propel them into the knockout rounds in early August, still with another group stage game to go.
Goals galore
The USA’s three-pronged frontier of Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith led an ever-more lethal attack. Smith got a brace, with her first goal, and the first of the game, in the 10th minute.
Giulia Gwinn came up hot for Germany when she levelled the score with a shot out of nothing in the 22ndminute, making it 1-1.
Swanson was quick to react to Berger’s fumble mid-save, shooting and scoring from the lefthand side in the 26th minute.
By just tucking it in this time, Swanson bagged her third goal of the tournament in only the first two games. She ties with France’s Marie-Antoinette Katoto as top goalscorer, each with three goals and one assist.
The second part to Smith’s brace came off Lavelle’s corner kick, with Smith shooting and curving the ball high into the back of the net in the 44th minute.
Lynn Williams sealed the goal fest in the 89th minute, sliding the ball into the bottom corner from the left and solidifying a 4-1 to the USA.
BT90 player of the match: Trinity Rodman
Rodman, despite not bagging a goal herself, was an absolutely key piece to this USA win.
Her cross to Smith down the righthand side which resulted in the game’s first goal came only seconds after an initial forward drive with the ball down the same flank for Rodman.
She also made three more powerful crosses from the right during the match, including a strong pass to Sonnett that allowed her a shot on goal, just saved by German goalkeeper Ann Katrin-Berger.
Schuller’s attempt on goal was cleared on the left by Rodman after Naeher made an initial save.
A look at injury availability
The USA’s Jaedyn Shaw was still not fit to play and remained out again after missing the game against Zambia. Croix Bethune stepped into the squad for both games instead of Shaw.
Emily Sonnett was substituted in during the 44th minute when Tierna Davidson went down with a mild injury that left her to sit out the rest of the match.
Alexandra Popp went down in both the first and second half, the latter causing Elsa Senss to come on as substitution in the 74th minute. Goal-scorer Giulia Gwinn donned the Captain armband in place of Popp.
Matchday three availability for Shaw and Davidson remain uncertain for the USA whilst the fitness of Germany’s Alexandra Popp will undoubtedly be a much-awaited question.
USA head to the knockouts
With a score of six points, the USA follow Spain as the second team to advance to the quarterfinals. Both teams top their respective tables after two wins, zero losses and zero draws.
Germany stands in second for Group B with three points after one win, one loss and zero draws.
Australia ties with Germany on three points but sits third with a lower goal difference, leaving Zambia at the bottom of the table with zero points.
Starting XIs
USA: 1-Alyssa Naeher; 2-Emily Fox, 4-Naomi Girma, 12-Tierna Davidson, 7-Crystal Dunn; 10-Lindsey Horan (Capt.), 17-Sam Coffey 16-Rose Lavelle; 5-Trinity Rodman, 9-Mallory Swanson, 11-Sophia Smith
GERMANY: 12-Ann-Katrin Berger; 19-Felicitas Rauch, 5-Marina Hegering, 3-Kathrin Hendrich, 15-Giulia Gwinn; 17-Klara Buhl, 11-Alexandra Popp, 6-Janina Minge, 16-Jule Brand; 7-Lea Schuller, 9-Sjoeke Nusken
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