The second matchday of the Olympic Women’s Football took place this past weekend! The action was all over the place. Surprisingly not many nations secured their spot in the quarterfinals on this second matchday. The competition is tightening! If you missed any of it here’s a look back at Olympic Women’s Football Matchday 2.
Women’s Football Matchday 2
Of the 12 nations competing in the second matchday, four could have locked in their spot in the quarterfinals with one group stage match still to be played. That did not happen in this competition, as we saw any close matches between nations fighting for a chance at an Olympic medal. Here’s a look at the groups, matches, and where the nations stand after two matches played.
Group E
Group E saw Great Brittian jump out to a lead after the first matchday. Canada and Japan were on their heels, while Chile drug up the rear. Heading into matchday two, Great Brittian knew that a win would secure their spot to the knockout rounds. Canada and Japan had a chance to close that gap on GB, and Chile would try to get back into the competion.
Chile can’t comeback against Canada
Canada opened their competition with a tough 1-1 draw. They thought they had all three points in their first match, but allowed Japan to come back in the final minutes. In their second match against Chile, the Canucks were able to come out to an early lead. Beckie scored just before halftime to give Canada the lead. She scored soon after the second half as well. Canada had a 2-0 lead but that didn’t mean Chile was out of the contest.
Chile won a penalty 10 minutes after going down 2-0. The pen was converted, and Chile felt the momentum of the match swing their way. They fought for an equalizer for the final 30 plus minutes. Canada felt the same feeling that it did against Japan. Would they allow Chile to score again late on and drop points? not this time. Canada held on to win getting a crucial three points ahead of their final match against Great Brittian. Chile fell and with their loss were mathematically eliminated from the knockout rounds with one match to go against Japan.
Japan fall to strong Great Britian
Japan battled in their first match to get a point from Canada. Now they entered a tough matchup with Great Brittian. GB won their first match with ease beating Chile 2-0. On matchday two, it was clear that both nations had a huge opportunity ahead of them. Japan being the host nation had their whole nation pulling for them to beat the group favorites after the first match. They kept things close as the first half was a scoreless affair.
As the game shifted to the second half things changed. Great Brittian looked to grow into the match while Japan faltered. In the 74th minute, GB found the goal they were looking for. Ellen White put the effort away giving Great Brittina the lead. This was her third goal in two matches as she is trying to make her case for the golden boot. Japan could not get a late equalizer as they did in the first match. The 1-0 result meant that Great Brittian was the first nation to make it to the knockout rounds, while Japan would need to win and some help on the final matchday to make the knockout rounds.
Standings
Group F
The Netherlands and Brazil each won their first matches in Group F. They impressed over China and Zambia respectively. On matchday two, the two teams that won would face each other and the two that lost would as well. It gave a great opportunity for the Netherland or Brazil to punch their ticket to the quarterfinals. While China and Zambia would fight to get crucial points to stay alive to the final day.
China and Zambia play wild 4-4 thriller
For the two nations that lost their first matches in Group F play, they needed to come out and get points from their second matches. Both China and Zambia’s offenses were clicking but unfortunately, neither team’s defense showed up in this thrilling match. China and Zambia traded goals inside the first 15 minutes. China’s Shuang Wang, who scored the first goal, scored two more. Her 23rd-minute hattrick gave Chania the advantage. Zambia added another goal before the half, and the match went to the second half 3-2 in favor of China.
Zambia came out with their scoring boots still on in the second half. Barbra Banda scored just before the first half ended and added two more goals by the 69th minute. Her hattrick gave Zambia the 4-3 lead before the 70th minute. Unfortunately for them, they could not hold on to the lead in the final 20 minutes. Wang added her fourth goal of the match to make the game 4-4. The contest ended soon after that. Both nations are still alive heading into the final day thanks to splitting the points on matchday two.
Netherlands and Brazil duke it out in 3-3 draw
The two top teams in Group F met on matchday two! Both knew that a win would send them to the quarterfinals with one match still to play in the group stage. The Netherlands and Brazil both played like that was on the line in another thrilling match. The Netherlands opened the scoring in the third minute, but Brazil equalized 14 minutes later. Both nations kept probing but neither could find another goal in the first half.
In the second half, there were more fireworks that were fired in back-and-forth fashion. The Netherands went up 2-1 in the 59th minute, but only held the lead for five minutes. Brazil made it 2-2 on a Marta penalty. Just four minutes later, Brazil went up 3-2. With just 20 minutes left, Brazil looked to control the match and get the win. That would not come as the Netherlands scored again to tie the match at three with only 11 minutes left. There were opportunities for a winner but neither took advantage of them. The match ended 3-3, leaving room for each nation to advance on the final matchday in Group F!
Standings
Group G
The top dog in Group G was not the USA, it was Sweden. The Swedes put a beatdown on their rivals the United States in the first matchday. Speaking of rivalries, Australia beat New Zealand on the first matchday as well. On the second day, Sweden and Australia would meet head-to-head to see which would take the top spot in the group and possibly qualify for the knockouts. The USWNT and New Zealand looked to stay alive on matchday two.
Sweden keeps dominating run going over Australia
Sweden came out and knocked off the world’s number one ranked USA in their first match. They got to play a strong Australian side in their second match. Would they be able to come of that emotional high and get another three points? They started off strong scoring in the 20th minute to take the lead but allowed Australia’s Sam Kerr to score the equalizer 16 minutes later. The match went to halftime tied 1-1, but it was not the only action that would occur!
In the second half, Kerr found her second goal to give Australia the lead. The goal stunned Sweden a bit, but instead of taking the Swedes off their game, it woke them up. Just four minutes after going down Sweden found the equalizer, 11 minutes after that, they found the go-ahead goal. The quick swing took Australia out of the match. The Aussies were stretched thin and Sweden was able to get a back-breaking goal. The final score was 4-1, and Sweden secured their spot in the knockout rounds, while Australia needs to push for a win in their final matchday vs USA.
New Zeland struggle as USA gets back into form scoring six
New Zealand and the USA both lost in their first matches to teams that are labeled as their rivals. This match became an essential “must-win” for both nations. For the USA, their opening game loss was their first in 44 matches. The USWNT came out in this second match looking for vengeance. They scored early thanks to Rose Lavelle. Lindsey Horan scored a second just before halftime. The USA was up 2-0 and continued to look dangerous.
The USA kept possession and had a purpose in their attack. They found a third goal in the 63rd minute thanks to a New Zealand own goal. The Kiwis did get a goal of their own soon after that, but that was a consolation. The USA went on to score three more thanks to Christen Press, Alex Morgan, and a second own goal from New Zealand. The final score was 6-1 in favor of the USWNT. They moved up to second place in the group, heading into a huge final match against Australia. New Zealand still has a thread of hope in the final match day, but they will have to beat Sweden and get help to make the quarterfinals.
Standings
Matchday three finishes group stage play
All matchday three games will be played on Tuesday, July 27. Here’s a look at the group’s final games
Group E:
- Canada vs Great Britain @ 7:00 am EST
- Chile vs Japan @ 7:00 am EST
Group F:
- Brazil vs Zambia @ 7:30 am EST
- Netherlands vs China @ 7:30 am EST
Group G:
- New Zeland vs Sweden @ 4:00 am EST
- USA vs Australia @4:00 am EST
Who will make it out of their group? Who will be off to play in a game to either continue their dream to win an Olympic medal and who will be headed home? We’ll have to watch and see! If these games are too early for you, have no fear. Philly Sports Network will have you coved every step of the way with a recap of the action and a preview of the quarterfinals later this week!
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