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USA v. Brazil
Golden Day For USA As Brazil Bow To Lethal Lloyd
by Jeremy Ruane
The USA clinched back-to-back gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Women's Football Tournament in Beijing on August 21, 51,612 fans watching them sink the more fancied Brazilians 1-0 in extra-time at the Workers' Stadium thanks to a strike from lethal midfield dynamo Carli Lloyd which was fully befitting of such a great stage.
The first half-hour was a very cagey affair, with defences dominant as two well-matched opponents cancelled each other out. USA captain Christie Rampone was in commanding form at the heart of her team's back-line, while Erica was a picture of composure as the Canarinhas kept the reigning Olympic champions at bay.
It was at this point that Brazil decided to shed the shackles, and for the remaining fifteen minutes of the half, they were the better side, a claim which the USA were justified in making early on in a match which they started solidly.
The first opening came about via a Lindsay Tarpley error, onto which Renata Costa was swift to swoop. She threaded a pass through to Marta, whose slide-rule ball sent Cristiane racing through the USA's rearguard. Hope Solo slid out to save at the feet of the on-rushing striker.
Three minutes later, Renata Costa rampaged down the right - her raids down the flank were a feature of Brazil's play. On this occasion, she was closed down just inside the USA's half, but was still able to slip the ball forward for Marta to motor after.
And how! Gathering a ball which only her acceleration made possible to rake in, she proceeded to wriggle her way past both Lori Chalupny and Tarpley before letting fly, only to drag her shot into the hoardings, much to the disappointment of the capacity crowd, which included Pele and FIFA President, Sepp Blatter.
The reigning FIFA Women's Player of the Year was suddenly into everything in this match. In the 37th minute, Daniela's free-kick sent her racing down the left at pace, only for Solo to pluck her cross from the skies.
Two minutes later, Marta whipped in a free-kick from the right, and the imposing figure of Solo - one of the world's best goalkeepers - stood firm under pressure to gather the ball in as it zoomed towards the target.
This sparked a flurry of opportunities. Five minutes before the break, Marta produced some simply sublime skill to dazzle her way past Shannon Boxx, Heather O'Reilly and the soundly performed Heather Mitts before whipping in a cross which Chalupny cleared by the far post.
The resulting corner was cleared, with Mitts and O'Reilly teaming up on the right as the USA looked to counter-attack. The latter hooked the ball across for Amy Rodriguez to flick into the path of Angela Hucles, whose twenty-yard volley sailed over the crossbar.
A similar fate befell Cristiane's effort seconds later, after she had scythed inside off the right flank past four opponents before letting fly. It was the last attack of note in a closely contested first half, which left all inside Beijing's Workers' Stadium eagerly awaiting the second forty-five minutes.
Defences continued to dictate terms throughout the early stages of the second spell, with the USA's combination the busier - no surprise there, given the speed and accuracy with which the Brazilians were knocking the ball around as they sought the breakthrough.
It nearly came in the 53rd minute. Formiga held the ball up on the left, awaiting another darting run from Marta. As if on cue, the number ten appeared on the scene, took the ball off her team-mate and swept past two opponents to the by-line, from where she looked to pick out Cristiane with a low cross.
Solo wasn't having a bar of it, however, smothering superbly. She was less troubled long-range efforts from Marta and Renata Costa around the hour mark, in between which Daniela spurned a great chance to open the scoring.
She fired a twenty-yard free-kick into the defensive wall, after Mitts, who was riding on a yellow card picked up in the first half, came close to picking up a second when clattering into the back of Daniela, who complained to referee Dagmar Damkova that the offender should be booked for a second time.
Had she acceded to the Brazilian's plea, Mitts would have become the only player to be shown the red card at this Olympic Women's Football Tournament - a statistic which is likely never to be seen in the men's game at this level of competition.
The general pattern of play continued until eighteen minutes from time, when Solo produced a brilliant one-handed reflex save to keep the USA on level terms. Daniela slipped Marta into the penalty area on the left, and the striker bamboozled both Mitts and Markgraf before letting fly, only to be denied in spectacular style by Solo.
Her save inspired her USA team-mates, who began to push on, having been on the ropes for much of the half. Lloyd let fly with a couple of long-range efforts which, while lacking accuracy, were the reigning champions' first shots in the half.
Marta replied with a tame twenty-five yarder which Solo grabbed confidently, prompting a USA raid which created chaos on the edge of Brazil's penalty area five minutes from time. Mitts won the ball on half-way and fed Lloyd, who sent Rodriguez racing through between Renata Costa and Barbara.
The `keeper parried the ball, but in doing so, it spun outside the area to the surprise of both the chasing striker and retreating defender. The goalkeeper was quickest to react, Barbara kicking the ball out for a corner, which she then punched out as Hucles' delivery brought genuine pressure to bear on the `keeper for the first time in the match.
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More was to follow. Substitute Lauren Cheney charged towards goal, but was closed down by Tania. Brazil's captain was only able to clear the ball to Hucles, however, and from the edge of the penalty area, she snatched at the chance to surely win the gold medal for the USA, her first-time effort smothered soundly by Barbara.
Brazil had been pounding away for a goal for the bulk of the match, but in its dying stages, it was the South Americans who were under the cosh from the nation to whom they succumbed in the corresponding match at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
And they should have succumbed on the scoreboard as the match entered stoppage time. A raking goal-kick by Solo saw Rodriguez racing clear of all-comers with just Barbara to beat. But she opted to chip the advancing `keeper when a low finish would have driven a dagger through Brazilian hearts.
Barbara grabbed the ball with as much relief as greed, and repeated the dose seconds later as Rodriguez tested her again, after Cheney had battled her way through a couple of challenges.
It was the last act of the ninety minutes, meaning the gold medal match would require a further half-hour's football to determine the destiny of one of the most prized honours in the women's game.
Within six minutes of the resumption, its destiny was decided. After Rodriguez had warmed Barbara's gloves once more, the lethal left foot of Carli Lloyd struck gold for the USA.
Back-heeling a Cheney pass to Rodriguez, the dynamic midfielder moved up to support her besieged team-mate, who held the ball up well before timing her lay-off into Lloyd's path superbly. She surged to the edge of the penalty area before thundering a drive across Barbara into the far corner of the net - 1-0 USA.
Brazil, having been on top for so long, were distraught at this potentially fatal setback, and set about the task of redressing the balance with venom. But the rock-solid Rampone and her team-mates were not to be denied, and held firm in the face of everything the Brazilians threw at them.
A rare error by Markgraf presented the Canarinhas with their first opening, in the 102nd minute. Marta dashed through, only for the defender to race back and block the striker's effort, with Mitts and Rampone combining to complete the clearance.
Brazil kept coming, and a succession of corners with ten minutes remaining had the USA rocking. Lloyd and Cheney both headed past their own posts as corners from Marta and substitute Francielle pinned them back.
Marta then got the ball on the right and waltzed past three opponents before shooting inches over. Six minutes from time, she whipped in a twenty-five yard free-kick from the same flank which bounced inches past Solo's right-hand post with the `keeper beaten all ends up, the only time in the match this was the case.
Back came the USA, Rodriguez sending substitute Natasha Kai dashing down the left. She linked with Cheney, who found support in the form of Lloyd bombing through from midfield once more.
Into the penalty area she powered, the retreating figure of Erika on her shoulder notwithstanding, before bashing the ball beyond Barbara once more. This time, it thudded against the base of the far post and ricocheted out into the goalmouth, but no-one in a white shirt was following in to finish the job.
It triggered a terrific final onslaught from Brazil, who were desperate to avoid a second successive Olympic silver medal to go with their runners-up slot at last year's FIFA Women's World Cup Finals. But try as they might, it just wouldn't happen.
Marta's corner was punched out by Solo to Renata Costa, who rattled the side-netting. Seconds later, Marta went solo down the right, powering past two opponents before whipping in a low cross which no-one in a Brazilian shirt was able to turn home.
Then, in a desperate final act, Rosana, another substitute, hoisted the ball into the penalty area, where the tournament's leading scorer, Cristiane, leapt to meet it with her head.
But she could only guide her header wide of Solo's far post, and collapsed in a torrent of tears as, seconds later, the final whistle sounded to acclaim a jubilant USA champions for the third time in four Olympic Women's Football Tournaments.
USA: Solo; Mitts (booked, 37), Rampone, Markgraf, Chalupny; O'Reilly (Kai, 101 (booked, 113)), Boxx, Lloyd, Tarpley (Cheney, 70); Rodriguez (Cox, 119), Hucles
Brazil: Barbara; Renata Costa, Erika (booked, 107), Tania; Daniela (Fabiana, 77), Simone (Rosana, 104 (booked, 106), Ester, Formiga (Francielle, 105), Maycon; Marta, Cristiane
Referee: Dagmar Damkova (Czech Republic)
In the bronze medal match, the exciting talent that is Fatmire Bajramaj came off the bench to fire Germany to a 2-0 win over a Japan side which dominated the reigning world champions for the bulk of the match.
But Nadeshiko ultimately had no answers to the Kosovo-born German speedster, who battered the rebound home from a tight angle after Miho Fukumoto had parried Kerstin Garefrekes' 69th minute header, then beat the `keeper all ends up at her near post three minutes from time after dancing past a defender when cutting in from the left.
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