Football at the Olympics - Late opponent: DFB women lose in the semi-final to USA
The Dream of a Paris Finale is Over. Germany's Women's Football Team Falls Short Against the USA in the Olympic Semifinals
Despite a fierce fight and clever tactics, Germany's women's football team fell short in the Olympic semifinals, losing 1:0 to the USA in extra time. Sophia Smith scored the winning goal in the 95th minute in front of around 15,000 spectators in Lyon, securing the victory for the four-time gold medal winners. Without captain Alexandra Popp and top scorer Lea Schüller, the team coached by Horst Hrubesch couldn't find the net, and now hopes to win bronze in the match for third place, also to be held at the Groupama Stadium on Friday.
Can the DFB Women Win their Fourth Bronze Medal?
Their opponent will be the loser of the match between reigning World Cup champions Spain and Brazil. The DFB women have won bronze three times before: in 2000, 2004, and 2008. Before the semifinal, Hrubesch told his players, "We shouldn't return home empty-handed." The 73-year-old and his team had hoped to continue their "Tour de France" to Paris and the Olympic Village. However, Smith dashed all their hopes. Despite learning from their 1:4 loss to the USA in the group stage, Germany couldn't pull off a win.
Popp and Schüller's Absences were announced just hours before kickoff. Popp, 33, attributed her illness to the intense effort against Canada in the quarterfinals. She is the only remaining player from Germany's gold-winning team in Rio de Janeiro 2016. Lena Oberdorf, who was injured before the Olympics, watched the game from the stands, cheering on her teammates.
Oberdorf Cheers from the Sidelines
Oberdorf, a future Bayern player, arrived at the hotel on matchday with a knee brace and crutches. Popp had replaced her in midfield earlier in the tournament. Sydney Lohmann started in her place, while Nicole Anyomi replaced Schüller and played the entire game.
The German defense had a tough time at the start, struggling to keep up with the USA's high-speed forwards. Marina Hegering stood out, often stopping the American attackers with tactical fouls. The German women dug in and largely controlled the four-time World Cup winners until halftime. Jule Brand even tested Alissa Naeher in the 24th minute.
Scare from US Forward Swanson
After the break, the German team continued to press, with Wolfburg's Jule Brand causing trouble. Captain Giulia Gwinn's shot in the 60th minute showed the team's growing confidence. However, Smith's goal in extra time ended Germany's hopes of reaching the final.
Mallory Swanson briefly caused a scare when she rounded goalkeeper Berger but only hit the outside net. Apart from that, the Americans didn't have many ideas. Anyomi, who was struggling with cramps, was then substituted by Hrubesch for her Eintracht teammate Laura Freigang. Soon after, captain Hegering also had to leave the field injured. The pressure from the USA increased again. At the start of extra time, Smith outsmarted left-back Felicitas Rauch and chipped the ball over the perhaps too early rushing Berger to make it 1:0. Around ten minutes later, the striker missed a chance to make it 2:0. In the final stages, Laura Freigang failed to equalize with her chance.
In the aforementioned match, the United States of America's women's football team defeated Germany, advancing to the Olympic finals. Despite their best efforts, Germany, representing the United States of America in the Olympics, couldn't overcome the four-time gold medal winners.
