USA survive Japan fightback to win gold
Reuters - Thursday 09 August 2012, 22:59
The United States won their third
successive women's Olympic football title by beating Japan 2-1 in
a superb gold medal match at Wembley Stadium on Thursday to
avenge their defeat in last year's World Cup final.
Two goals from midfielder Carli Lloyd, a header after eight
minutes and a rasping shot from the edge of the box in the 54th,
set the U.S on their way to a fourth Olympic gold from the five
women's tournaments played.
Japan, who beat the U.S on penalties in last year's World
Cup final, halved the deficit after 63 minutes when the
Americans failed to clear their lines, and Yuki Ogimi scored
from close range, her third goal in successive matches.
Japan dominated in attack from then on but could not find an
equaliser and were denied what looked like a certain goal seven
minutes from time when U.S goalkeeper Hope Solo made an
excellent save from substitute Mana Iwabuchi.
The attendance of 80,203 was a record for a women's match at
an Olympics beating the 76,481 at the Atlanta Games in 1996.
It was also the biggest crowd to watch a women's football match in Britain beating the 70,584 that saw Britain play Brazil
at Wembley earlier in the tournament.
They created a magical atmosphere at Wembley, completely
different from the usual domestic crowds, with fans cheering and
applauding both teams.
LUCKY BREAKS
Although the U.S deserved their win, they rode their luck
during the first half when Japan hit the bar twice and had what
looked like a legitimate penalty appeal turned down.
After Lloyd gave the U.S an early lead, when she dived in
to head the ball home just as Abby Wambach was shaping up to
shoot, Ogimi should have equalised but was denied when Solo
palmed her header on to the bar after 18 minutes.
Six minutes later the U.S, for the second successive match,
benefited from a dubious refereeing decision in the box.
A well-struck free-kick clearly hit Tobin Heath on the left
arm but, instead of awarding Japan a penalty, German referee
Bibiana Steinhaus waved play on.
The U.S had benefited from being given a penalty in their
semi-final when the ball struck a Canada defender's arm as she
was turning away and the referee ruled in the U.S's favour.
Their next piece of luck followed in the 33rd minute when
Shinobu Ohno rattled the bar with Solo well beaten.
Japan had their own slice of fortune before the break when
Azusa Iwashimizu headed against the inside of her own post and
saw the ball run across the face of goal before bouncing clear.
Japan, playing some neat passing moves, were never
intimidated by the more expansive Americans and their
perseverance paid off when Ogimi eventually forced the ball home
after Solo and her defence failed to clear.
Earlier on Thursday, Canada beat France 1-0 in the bronze
medal match at Coventry, with the players arriving at Wembley in
time to watch the final and be presented with their medals on
the pitch along with silver medallists Japan and the U.S.
The only discordant note of an unforgettable night came when
Switzerland's FIFA president Sepp Blatter was booed by the crowd
before the medal ceremony.
The head of football's world governing body is still unpopular
with home fans for presiding over an organisation that awarded
the 2018 World Cup finals to Russia instead of England.