August 2 – After two successive bronze medals, Canada defeated the world champions and four-time gold medallists USA 1-0 with a second-half penalty from Jesse Fleming to reach the women’s football final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
At a steamy Ibaraki Kashima Stadium, the Canadians upset the sky-high tournament favourites with a gritty and physical display to triumph over their neighbours for the first time since 2001 and for only the fourth time in history, ending a 36-game winless streak against the Americans.
Canada controlled the first half, moving the ball around smoothly and setting the rhythm of the match. At the half-hour mark, the Americans lost their goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, who had been struggling for ten minutes after landing badly on her right leg.
The US didn’t have a single attempt on target for 65 minutes, but they dominated the second half and the introduction of the attacking trio Christen Press, Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd finally brought a flurry of chances. The Canadians however resisted and got a penalty at the other end after an on-field review.
Chelsea’s Jesse Fleming converted the spot kick with confidence to hand Canada the lead in the 74th minute. The Americans’ response was too timid and they never came close to equalising, except for Lloyd’s header against the woodwork. Throughout the competition, the US have looked ponderous after a 3-0 opening defeat to Sweden. They drew blank scoresheets in three of their five matches.
Since the introduction of the women’s tournament in Atlanta in 1996, no reigning world champion has won the Olympic Games. In Rio de Janeiro, the Americans were eliminated by Sweden in the last eight.
On Friday, a new Olympic champion will be crowned when Canada meet the winner of the other semi-final between Sweden and Australia in the gold medal match.
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