Match report: U.S.A. vs. Brazil

USWNT wins 5th gold medal behind Mallory Swanson's goal

The U.S. women’s national team won gold for the first time since 2012, beating Brazil 1-0. Here are the key moments, stats and takeaways.

Key moments:

2’ — Ludmila finds herself open in the box but hits a weak shot right at Alyssa Naeher.

16’ — Ludmila beats Naomi Girma and has a goal disallowed for offside.

18’ — Ludmila is inches away from connecting with Gabi Portilho’s cross.

26’ — Mallory Swanson bursts down the left wing and forces a good save from a difficult angle.

45+2’ — Naeher makes a diving save to deny Portilho.

50’ — Yayá is forced to exit. Ana Vitória comes on.

57’ — GOAL: Swanson beats the offside trap and slides the ball past Lorena to open the scoring.

61’ — Angelina, Marta and Priscila enter. Duda Sampaio, Jheniffer and Ludmila exit.

64’ — Trinity Rodman cuts inside with a great move and fires a left-footed shot just wide.

74’ — Emily Sonnett replaces Tierna Davidson.

81’ — Tarciane takes out Sophia Smith from behind and receives a yellow card.

84’ — Both teams make subs. Rafaelle Souza comes on for Lauren and Lynn Williams takes the place of Smith.

89’ — Marta’s free kick sails over the net.

90+4’ — Naeher pushes aside a diving header from Adriana.

90+5’ — Casey Krueger enters. Swanson exits.

90+13’ — The final whistle blows.

Stats of note:

• All three times Brazil have reached the gold medal game, they have lost to the U.S. Germany won bronze on all three occasions.

• This is the fifth time the U.S. women have captured gold. No other nation has done so more than once.

• Eight players started all six games for the U.S. Girma and Naeher played all 600 minutes of the tournament.

• The U.S. did not concede a single goal in their three knockout stage games.

• Rodman, Smith and Swanson accounted for 10 of their team’s 12 goals in the tournament.

Player of the game: Mallory Swanson

The Chicago Red Stars winger was a key figure in two of the U.S.’ best attacking moves of the game, and the solo effort she didn’t score on was way more impressive than the goal. Naeher deserves an honorable mention but wasn’t forced into enough big saves to take the award away from Swanson.

The takeaways:

1. Emma Hayes got what she wanted

Emma Hayes’ decision to lean so heavily on her preferred 11 had its benefits and drawbacks. Perhaps those players really did need every possible minute on the field together. Maybe the U.S. aren’t playing for a gold medal if Hayes had rotated more. There is no denying the toll all the minutes took in such a condensed tournament though, and it showed at the worst possible time against the one of the worst possible opponents. Hayes has been open about her desire for her players to suffer. She got her wish, and a gold medal to go with it.

2. The U.S. waited out the chaos

The first warning sign was the second-minute shot. By the time Girma got cooked about 15 minutes later, it was clear it was going to be a long day for the U.S. defense. Brazil’s attackers were winning their individual battles and consistently creating chances. Then, when the second half started, the intense pressing stopped. The game calmed down. Brazil were nowhere near as threating, and the U.S. gained control. As shaky as they looked early on, the U.S. never let the game get away from them the way Spain did in the semifinals.

3. Being able to win multiple ways is so, so important

The first half was completely uncharacteristic for a major tournament final even though it ended 0-0. It was open and fast, basically the opposite of the U.S.’ other two knockout games. There was no low block to break down, and there was space to exploit. One of the underappreciated aspects of the self-named Triple Espresso attack is their ability to dismantle defenses in multiple ways. It was their pace against Brazil. Other times it’s their one-on-one skill or their combination play in tight spaces. That versatility is invaluable.