Olympic women’s soccer 2012 – USA 2-1 Japan – as it happened
Final thoughts
The Japanese players are in tears click, but Sasaki smiling stoically as he consoles them. They’ve really played their part in this tournament.
Catharsis for the USA as they gather round the flag on the sideline, beaming broadly in relief and joy.
Lloyd’s two goals were the icing on the cake for a driven individual performance by Authentic Prada Bags Online Singapore the midfielder. Morgan’s tireless running bought the team so much time and made the opportunity for the opener. And Solo came up when it counted in a great team effort. And what joy for Wambach after missing out on Beijing with a broken leg. But at different times in this tournament there have been vital contributions from the whole squad, for a deserved team victory.
That’s all for me. There were way, way more emails and tweets than I could possibly use in this report, but I promise I’ll look through all of them and they’re all greatly appreciated. Thanks for keeping me company today and throughout this tournament.
FINAL SCORE: USA 2 JAPAN 1
THE USA ARE THE OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS!
90 mins +2: Another free kick for the US as the Japanese attack breaks down. We’ve had the two minutes.
90 mins +1: Heath is brought down in the center circle and the US have a free kick they’re in rush to take. It comes long eventually for Morgan – who twists and turns and gets her shot off, but it’s blocked and Japan may have one more chance…
90 mins: Heath defends calmly by dinking the ball up and clear. Now Wambach hurls herself into a challenge in the last minute and picks up a yellow. Free kick just inside the US half. Another Miyama free kick. Unbearably tense here.
Miyama’s kick is long, deep and out of bounds. There’ll only be two minutes of added time and we’re into them now with the US winning 2-1
88 mins: Heath and Morgan try to combine on the edge of the box, but it’s intercepted as Morgan sprints past her marker in search of the overlap. The US have the ball again at the back and now Morgan harries brilliantly up front to force a corner off a tired defender who should have been able to clear. Cheney drives it in and Wambach gets free of her marker to meet it – but she can’t hit the target.
86 mins: Half a chance at the other end as Cheney lofts a free kick to the back post, where Wambach climbs well, but can only glance her header past the post. Japan can come forward but a careless ball runs out for a throw the US will be in no rush to take. last throw of the dice for Japan: Ohno off. Maruyama on. A fresh forward with only a few minutes to make the difference.
BRILLIANT SAVE BY SOLO!
84 mins: Has Authentic Prada Handbags Online Solo just won it for the US? Rampone made a dreadful error to let Tanaka in free on goal. She opens up to place the ball wide of Solo in the far corner, but the keeper at full stretch pushes it wide of the post. Great save!
Updated
82 mins: Wambach earns a free kick as she’s pushed in the back near the half way line. Heath runs down the left to pick it up then pauses wisely on the ball, before the ball eventually comes to O’Hara who steps up to hammer one JUST over the bar. Smart play by the US in the build up to that. not rushing. Less than ten minutes to go now…
80 mins: The corner is taken short and eventually the ball is cleared as far as Morgan, who gets down the right and sends a cross against, for …Rampone?!?! (what’s she doing there?) who has kept running but can’t get power on her header. Buehler comes off for Sauerbrunn. The defender had injured herself in that clash in the box with Solo and Kumagai earlier. Still USA 2 Japan 1. It’s very tense.
78 mins: Will Sundhage match the Japanese substitution with one of her own? Her players beginning to weary. Another free kick is conceded from a tired tackle by Lloyd. Miyama drives this one in and Boxx heads clear for a corner…
76 mins: Morgan once again makes a chance for herself with her pace and invention, but she’s slightly run the ball away from an ideal shooting position when she eventually lets fly on the edge of the box and the ball is high and wide. Japan bring off Sameshima for Iwabuchi. Crowd just announced by the way: 80,203
74 mins: Lloyd is penalized for a handball outside the box and yet again the US have conceded another dangerous free kick… Miyama over it and once again there is confusion in the box as Solo can’t claim and the second ball just won’t fall to be cleared. Eventually the ref blows for an infringement, much to the American’s relief. They’re living dangerously.
Tim Kendell emails:
“I’ll never forget the arm ball Norway’s Mellgren used to set up her golden goal to beat the US in 2000. Bitter, but you can’t let these calls/non-calls eat you up.”
72 mins: …Miyama again with the kick and it’s another beauty, that has to be headed away by a great defensive header from Wambach at the expense of a corner. It’s taken short but Heath is alert to break up the move. Still USA 2 Japan 1 but there may be more goals in this.
70 mins: Wambach’s fine by the way. The US temporarily still high up in the Japanese half – evidently feeling attack is the best form of defense. The Japanese eventually get on the ball and work the ball patiently round the back – they were 2-1 down in the World Cup final, remember… Now they have a free kick about 15 yards outside the box, slightly left of center…
68 mins: Lloyd is crowded out on the edge of the box, but keeps possession well, only for the move to break down and Japan to counter at speed. But Rampone is there brilliantly to pick up the ball and maraud forward down the right. Now finally we have a brief break as Wambach goes down injured in the Japanese half. Then a big chance as the free kick comes in and is headed down to give Buehler a stretched chance at poking home, but she can only hit the keeper as she lunges for the ball. End to end now.
66 mins: Japan move forward into the US half and Miyama slices a shot just over the US crossbar after neat build up play. They’ve had a lot of possession in this half.
64 mins: Immediately Japan get a corner and the USA are relieved to see Solo go up to claim it with some authority as Japan press. Hold on to your hats for the last 25 minutes. US trying to get a period of possession to calm things down. Decent game management from them, but Japan have the ball back now and can advance.
GOAL USA 2 JAPAN 1 (Ogimi!)
62 mins: Ohno looks for an opening and spreads the play brilliantly out right, then races back to pick up the return and direct traffic. She eventually cuts the ball back for Sawa, whose shot is blocked but Ogimi is able to bundle the ball in as they fail to clear.
Updated
60 mins: “Whither Rapinoe? seems like a non-factor” wonders Karen via email. Let’s just say, that of the US midfielders, tonight has been Lloyd’s night. Rapinoe has done plenty in this tournament. Still USA 2 Japan 0 with half an hour to go.
Updated
58 mins: If this were almost any other team than the Japanese you’d think this was game over, but they seem to play the same game regardless of the score and aren’t looking to be in a panic. Cheney on for Rapinoe by the way, and now Tanaka comes on for Sakaguchi in the first substitutions.
Updated
56 mins: Almost immediately the Japanese have another free kick in the US half. Miyama sends it deep, and Wambach heads clear at the post and suddenly the break is on for the US as Morgan sprints clear then cuts inside for the shot at goal, when perhaps she could have slipped the ball to her left for Wambach – who had rampaged clear. The US could have sealed it there, but for now they’ll be happy with a 2-0 advantage.
GOAL! USA 2 JAPAN 0 (LLOYD!)
Screamer from Lloyd, who picks up the ball in midfield and lopes forward to the edge of the box before firing an unstoppable shot from the edge of the box across the keeper, for a wonderful, crucial goal in this final!
54 mins: Japan keeping the ball out wide to try to work round the US and tire them out. Tired clearances from Rampone and Lepeilbet, but hang on a minute…
52 mins: Wambach lurks at the back post as Morgan lofts a deep cross into the six yard box that Fukumoto has to push clear. Then at the other end the Japanese have a throw deep in US territory and manage to work the ball through for Miyama to come off Rapinoe’s shoulder for the snapshot near the penalty box. it goes wide, but warnings at both ends there.
50 mins: Morgan goes on a twisting turning run into the Japanese box to pick up the corner kick as her cross is blocked. Rapinoe curls it high and it’s headed clear but fed back wide to Lloyd on the right. SHe cuts back brilliantly and for a second the goal opens up, but she can’t set herself for a shot and it’s crowded out by the Japanese defense. Still USA 1 Japan 0.
48 mins: Buehler down injured after that last play – replays showed her being flattened by Kumagai, though admittedly the US defender was rugby tackling her as it happened…
Looks like a light rain is falling in London.
Japan starting the livelier in this half, with the onus on them to attack.
Peep: OK we’re back. It’s 1-0 to the USA and Japan are kicking of the second half. Immediatelythey have another dangerous free kick near the corner of the box from Miyama. It’s curled in beautifull and Solo has to punch clear bravely as Kumagai crashes into her.
Your emails:
We’re still talking about that Canadian decision:
E Gallard says:
“Wambach was brilliant to be counting off seconds repeatedly in Authentic Prada Bag For Sale Ph earshot of referee. That is veteran play- tremendous. Under those circumstances, it was likely that repeated violations of 6 second rule would generate a call.”
New York Red Bulls fans will tell you that Thierry Henry counts on his fingers every week, in an entertaining party piece that never, ever gets old (or gets a free kick), but we’re probably never going to reach agreement on this one… so let’s perhaps move on. Thanks for everyone’s emails on the subject.
I’ve had a fair few emails about Boxx – with people wondering how she’s doing. As I mentioned she’s sitting very deep, which is why we’re seeing so much of Lloyd. Boxx doing the unglamorous work to try and stop the Japanese working their way up the middle (perhaps why we’re seeing them thread balls round her down the channels so often), while Lloyd has a mandate to get forward. Suspect the effectiveness of that tactic will be determined by how well Lloyd holds up in the second half. It’s a role that asks a lot of her and we may see Cheney at some point.
Updated
Half time thoughts
Fascinating game, as the US came storming out in the opening moments with all of the adrenaline of the semi-final still seemingly coursing through them.
Japan though are not World Champions by accident and were consistently dangerous – both on speedy counters and with their ability to unlock tight defenses. Solo had to make one fantastic save to keep her team ahead, but it’s clear that Japan willl have more chances in this one.
That said, the US are always dangerous, and could have doubled their lead with Iwashimizu’s desperate clearance bouncing off the post. The game is fantastically poised for the second half. As I said earlier – next goal may be absolutely crucial.
Updated
Half time: USA 1 Japan 0
45 mins +1: Now Japan have a dangerous free kick in the US half that Miyana launches long and deep, but it’s headed clear and Lloyd’s 8th minute goal will separate the teams at the half.
Half time thoughts in a moment.
44 mins: Wambach picks up the ball from a terrible pass out by Fugumoto but Japan just about scramble back before Wambach can set herself for a snapshot. She ends up laying it off to Boxx instead, whose ambitious shot is high and wide. A moment later Heath has a shot from similar distance that skips off the turf and straight at the keeper.
42 mins: Lloyd, who’s been excellent, gets forward, cuts to her left on the edge of the box and hits a left foot shot from distance that Fukumoto has to get down to sharply. Then Rapinoe sends a dangerous cross into the box that earns Japan a free kick when Kumagai is kicked high by Wambach, whilst clearing.
40 mins: Japan Agatha Ruiz Dela Prada Sale Uk playing the ball with notably higher tempo now. You suspect the US would be happy to get in at half time with the score still at 1-0. Rapinoe loses possession off the referee and Japan advance, but Lloyd is back again to help out in defense. The US come forward again through the overlapping Lepeilbet, but her cross is way overhit and that will be a goal kick.
Updated
38 mins: Japan seem to fancy their chances down their left side and they’re getting a lot of joy there, now they work another neat one two that leads to Ohno curling a beautiful Agatha Ruiz Dela Prada Online Shopping shot just past Solo’s post. Gasps around the crowd at another close attempt.
36 mins: I’m hearing the steady ping of emails arriving in my inbox. Quick look at subject lines indicates there’s a lot of keenly felt opinion one way or another on that controversial call. I’ll get to those when I can. We have a brief lull for a moment, then Japan swarm forward again, but Lloyd gets back well to take the ball of Kawasumi, who was shaping to shoot from distance…
Japan hit the bar again!
34 mins: Ohno twists and turns in the box, looks to have lost it, regains it then pokes a delicate ball back for Miyama – who chips Solo in the American goal but sees her shot crash off the charmed US crossbar. A lot of warnings for the US here…
32 mins: …Rapinoe sends it deep to where Wambach is able to head it goal wards, though it’s a knockdown more than an attempt on goal. The US stroking the ball around the Japanese half after the ball is cleared, but the final ball lets them down. Nonetheless they’re still pressing and this is an enthralling game.
Micky Lim (@MickyLim2)
@kidweil was torn between my feelings for Kumagai and my bet on the yanks, but now sucked into a wonderful game of football.August 9, 2012
30 mins: You suspect the next goal could be crucial, with both sides having great chances. Ohno cuts across her marker to meet a low angled ball into the box, but Buehler recovers to force her to concede the goal kick rather than get a shot off. Still USA 1 Japan 0. USA have another corner…
US hit the post!
More drama here, as the US pepper the Japanese box with crosses, ending with Lloyd whipping one in that Iwashimizu feels she has to head clear, but she only succeeds in glancing a fierce header off the inside of the post with Morgan lurking.
Controversial call!
26 mins: Japan have a dangerous free kick on the corner of the US box. First look for Miyama. Her cross is charged down immediately by the wall and on second glance it’s clear that Heath’s arm was up as part of the block. US very lucky not to give up a penalty there.
Updated
24 mins: Rapinoe is crowded out on the right but Authentic Prada Messenger Bag For Sale earns a throw off her challengers. But then her pass is errant as the US try to work a crossing chance. They seem to have ridden the storm a little for the moment as they press again, but just as I write that Japan counter once more – they’re very dangerous on the break.
22 mins It’s still USA 1 Japan 0 by the way. Now Wambach tries a little fancy footwork, but doesn’t quite pull off her attempt at a delicate through ball and Jpan have the ball. The keeper sends her kick all the way through to Solo, whose confidence will be high after that reaction save a moment ago.
20 mins: Japan in the ascendancy now, as they find their feet in this game, but The US aren’t to be bullied and they’re trying to keep up their pressing game. But Japan will know that they’ll have moments where they can control the tempo in this game and this looks to be one of them. Lloyd playing in a pretty advanced position by the way, with Boxx sitting in front of the defense.
Japan hit the bar!
18 mins: Chaos in the US box! Kawasumi finds some space to the left of the box and looks to have beaten Solo with her shot, but the keeper is helped out be her defenders, in a scrambled clearance. Then a minute later Ogimi sends a diving header in that Solo has to fingertip off the bar. What a save!
16 mins: …Rapinoe sends it in but it’s headed clear simply enough, then a disappointing ball back into the box gives Japan possession again.
Dan emails:
“Having listed laws worthy of The Pythons, you failed to say why the referee ought not to have made the call as she did. If a law is silly–get rid of it! For the referee’s part, what she should *not* do is wonder “Oh what will people *say* if I make this call?” Players and their coaches are expected to know the laws of football, and if they don’t, it is not the referee’s part to teach them. It was the correct call. Oh, incidentally, it’s a red-card offense to step on someone’s head. Unless, of course, you’re in Cornwall.”
Dan’s referencing Tancredi’s foul in the semi-final, by the way.
14 mins: Sundhage is scribbling on her notepad at the side of the field. Rapinoe gets forward down the right and finds a low ball into the box, with a neat cutback to wrongfoot the defense before she slids it in. The onrushing Wambach is just short of it though.
Now the US pick up their first corner…
12 mins: Miyama tries to thread a ball behind the US back line for Kinga, but it’s just too long. Japan don’t look unduly rattled, but they’re yet to find their passing rhythm against a fired up USA. 1-0 to the USA.
GOAL! USA 1 JAPAN 0 (Lloyd!)
Heath gets acres of space down the left and feeds a low ball for Morgan, whose first touch looks to have forced her too wide, but she wraps her leg round it to send a cross through for Lloyd to touch home from point blank range, just ahead of Wambach – who I originally thought got the final touch. Advantage USA!
Updated
8 mins: First pressure for Japan on the edge of the US box, as they get the ball forward and try to add numbers in Are Prada Mens Shoes Worth It the US half. Marco emails with a fair correction:
“I’m a US fan, but I’m not on board with the revenge narrative. Getting “revenge” implies that one’s opponent previously did something unfair or dishonorable in some way or didn’t deserve a previous victory. Japan won the World Cup fair and square. They were the better team and fully deserved the win. Hell, I was happy for them, although I would’ve preferred a US victory. And today, I again–really, really–want the US to win. But that’s pretty much the extent of it.”
6 mins: Lloyd’s neat through ball is just cut out as she tries to find Wambach, and now Japan are able to get forward. At least they are until Lloyd barges through to pick up the ball and send a ball forward for Morgan, who looks to be flattened on the edge of the box. No foul though.
4 mins: Morgan, as she does, makes a chance out of nothing on the edge of the box to cut the ball inside her defender and get a shot off, that forces a save from Fukumoto. US looking lively early on, but there’s a brief break for Japan that stretches the US backline but Kawasumi can’t reach the final through ball.
2 mins: Japan try to get their flowing passing game going, but there’s an early interception by Rapinoe, and the US press forward. They’ll have a throw parallel with the box now, which they turn into a high cross into the box. It’s cleared, but not without nervousness as the ball bounced down in Authentic Prada Handbags Outlet Uk the box.
Peep: We’re under way in the Gold medal match. Lloyd sends a ball straight through for Wambach, whose flick down can’t find anyone.
Gary Naylor shows up:
“Without wanting to sound patronising (always the cue for a patronisingstatement) the women’s sport at these Games has been fantastic hasn’t it? Like cricket, football is a game played by women that is competitive, skillful and great to watch. henceforth, internationals and all the major tournaments (at the very least) should be televised as a matter of course.”
Shots of the crowd:
Huge noise inside the stadium as the two sides shake hands and go to their ends to warm up.
Eight of the US starters started that final last year. How will that weigh on the outcome?
Incidentally, I got an email from Pete Etechells wanting to know what was the more significant tournament in the women’s game – Olympics or World Cup. I tend to think of them as on a fairly close par, since their histories run in close parallel, but perhaps other readers have strong opinions.
Japan are giggling in their huddle. Do they know something we don’t?
First tweet:
Brian Duddy (@bduddy55555)
@kidweil I like that changing GDN’s edition to “US” sorts the medal table by total instead of gold. Really catering to Americans, eh?August 9, 2012
Can’t speak for the Guardian, Brian, but I am reliably craven to the highest bidder.
In unrelated news, the anthems are being sung now.
Team news
USA: Solo; Rampone (C), O’Hara, Lepeilbet, Buehler; Boxx, Lloyd, Heath, Rapino; Morgan, Wambach
Japan: Fukumoto; Kingya, Iwashimizu, Kumagai, Sameshima; Sakaguchi, Miyama (C), Kawasumi, Sawa; Ohno, Ogimi
the big news is that Boxx is listed as a start for the US. She limped out of the opening game against France with the US down 2-0 and barely a quarter of an hour played, and now she returns to take her place in the midfield. She has a lot of experience, but it’s a gamble by Sundhage to start her back from injury straight into the final. We’ll watch her progress carefully. That said – we’ll watch all the US players as the game wears on and we see what effect that gruelling and physical extended semi-final battle has had on the team.
Sakaguchi doesn’t get as much attention as Miyama, but she’s always a danger getting on the end of balls into he box, when defenders are distracted by Ohno and Ogimi.
The letter of the law
OK, let’s deal with the incident that hung over the US women’s semi-final – the award of the indirect free kick by referee Christina Pederson, that in turn led to the handball, that led to the penalty, that led to the third equalizing goal for the US.
Within the letter of the law, the referee absolutely had the discretion to award the kick, after the Canadian goalkeeper McLeod held on the the ball for longer than the statutory six seconds. The problem is, that within the letter of the law of the host country, taxi cab drivers are required to ask each passenger if they have small pox or the plague, it’s illegal to eat mince pies on the 25th December, and in Hereford you may shoot a Welsh person all day, but only on Sunday, and only with a Longbow, as long as he is in the Cathedral Close (these are all true).
The award of the indirect free kick under those circumstances is very, very rare. And while the crucial stage of the game is not meant to be relevant to any decision the referee makes, the handling of disciplinary matters always involves an element of common sense and discretion, and it’s very hard to see how the free kick was justified, despite the apparent warning the goalkeeper was given by the referee’s assistant.
It was a shame that such an incident should have intruded on a classic game, though with fifteen minutes to go there were always likely to have been further twists, and as Morgan’s ultimate winner showed, the US play right to the final whistle.
Anyway, take a moment to check out the highlights of that extraordinary game to whet your appetite for the final. But just remember, it is illegal for ladies to eat chocolate on a public conveyance.
A note on the workforce
A special welcome, by the way, to the workforce of America. Your emails show you have been with us the whole tournament – at first furtively checking for updates of scores and gradually becoming more emboldened as the tournament went on – to the point where today many office blocks throughout the US probably look like a cross between the middle sections of Office Space/Fight Club, as gum-chewing middle management put their feet on their desks and hook up the conference room projector to show looping animated gifs of Alex Morgan’s semi-final winner, while staring out their superiors with a look that says, “What?”
They’ll be in good company today. Apart from their peers in Japan, we have the small matter of over 85,000 people expected at Wembley for today’s final.
Preamble
Welcome to the Olympic women’s soccer final – and it’s the one the purists, if not the neutrals, wanted. This afternoon sees a restaging of last year’s World Cup final between the pre-tournament favorites, the USA, and the team that beat them last year, Japan – who themselves now stand on the verge of the unprecedented achievement of winning World Cup and Olympic tournaments in consecutive years.
So what do we expect today? Japan came through the battle of the two most technical teams in the competition by beating France in their semi-final. It was a game in which they soaked up a lot of pressure, particularly after taking a 2-0 lead and forcing a desperate French side to attack. The Japanese also came close to letting the lead slip in a frantic two minute spell that saw them concede a goal then a penalty – and but for Bissaglia sliding her kick just past the post, who knows how that game could have gone in extra time? The US will note the Japanese susceptibility to pressure, but they should also note their deadliness at set pieces – both the Japan goals in the semi originated with precise dead balls taken by the excellent Ayo Miyama.
The USA arrived in the final after a game for the ages against Canada on Monday. Three times the excellent Christine Sinclair put Canada ahead in that game, and three times the US came back – via two goals from Rapinoe, a disputed penalty by Wambach (more of that in a bit) and finally a 122nd minute winner from Alex Morgan, with the last attack of the game, as Pia Sundhage rolled the dice with the attacking 3-4-3 formation to go for the win. You can read my breathless attempt to make sense of it all, here. The fundamental pertinent fact though is that this US team have a lot of goals in them from many sources, but for sides that can keep their cool and strike against the momentum of the American’s pressing game, there will be opportunities. Miyama in particular will have watched the space found from crosses for the second and third Canadian goals and fancied her chances of doing some damage today. Even aside from the subplot of the American’s desire for revenge and the Japanese bid for the double, this one’s nicely set up in technical terms alone.
I’ll Agatha Ruiz Apertura Outlet Prada Montevarchi Dela Prada Online Shop be back with more build up and team news shortly, but for now tweet and email your thoughts in the build up and as the game progresses today. @KidWeil for the busy Twitterers, and for those who like to relax into long form prose, graham.parker.freelance@guardiannews.com. Thanks for all your tweets and emails so far in this tournament – here’s hoping we go out on a high note.
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