The Olympic Women’s Football Tournament at Tokyo 2020 has been so much fun so far. The field went from 12 to eight as the tide turned to the knockout rounds. These knockout games did not disappoint. Here’s a Quarterfinals recap that shows which four nations are moving on for a chance to medal in these Olympic games!
Quarterfinals Recap; four nations move on for chance to medal!
The Quarterfinals saw Canada take on Brazil, Great Britain vs Australia, Sweden playing Japan, and USA-Netherlands. These four matches all took place on the same day with staggering start times. If you’re a fan of knockout soccer these matches were for you. Here’s a look back at every bit of the action in a Quarterfinals recap!
Canada best Brazil 4-3 on penalties
Canada’s group stage was good enough to get second place in Group E, but they never really looked convincing in any of their matches. Brazil also took second place in their group. Group F allowed for some convincing games as Brazil was able to put up nine goals across three matches. Unfortunately, this game did not have goals in it at all.
After a grueling 120 minutes of 0-0 competition, the match needed to be decided in penalty kicks. Canada stepped up first. The all-time goalscoring leader Christine Sinclair was the first taker and her attempt was saved by Brazil! This swung the advantage Brazil’s way, and it looked like it would be enough for a win.
After three rounds Canda has scored two and Brazil had three. The fourth round saw Canada score to even the score at three, while Brazil’s attempt was saved! In the fifth and final round, Canada scored to take the lead 4-3. A save would give them the win to advance to the semis. That is exactly what happened!
Canada dug themselves out of a hole in the shootout to advance to the Olympics semifinals. They’ll play for a medal at Tokyo 2020, while Brazil exits the tournament.
Australia win thriller in extra time over Great Britain in a match that produced seven goals
Great Britain had an amazing group stage. They won Group E winning two matches and drawing their third. Australia was a third-place team at this competition coming out of Group G. their play had not been great, but the potential for greatness is still present in this team. These two nations fought in an instant classic thriller of a match.
International rivalries produce fun matches, this one had it all. Goals, rallies, and extra time set this one up to be a thriller that ended after 120 minutes! Australia opened the match looking to get out of their group stage funk and took the game to GB. Alanna Kennedy scored the opening goal in the first half for Australia, and they took that lead into halftime. As the second half opened up Great Brittain showed why they won their group. Striker Ellen White scored twice 20 minutes into the second half to give GB the lead that they thought would be enough to win. Australia had other ideas.
Australia’s superstar Sam Kerr scored an equalizing goal in the 89th minute to force extra time. In extra-time Australia came out the stronger team. Mary Fowler scored in the 103rd minute and Sam Kerr scored her second in the 106th minute! Australia quickly had a 4-2 lead with only 14 minutes left. GB tried to get back into things, Ellen White scored her third of the match to pull her team within one with five minutes left. Unfortunately for them, GB didn’t have enough to score a fourth.
Australia outlasts Gret Brittian to move on to the Semifinals of Tokyo 2020! We’re halfway through the Quarterfinals recap!
Sweden dominate host’s Japan 3-1
Sweden should be the Gold-medal favorites after their strong group G performance. They’re the only nation to win all three of their group stage matches. Japan lost two matches in their group stage but still was able to get through as a top third-place team coming out of Group E. This match was very one-sided in the final score but not the stat sheet.
This matchup was one between the team that had the best form in the tournament, Sweden; and the team that was the host nation, Japan. Japan was not the better side on the day but held the majority of the possession. Sweden was willing to sit back and hit Japan when they pressed numbers forward. It paid off for the Swedes inside of 10 minutes when they found the opening goal. Japan’s possession did produce an equalizer in the first half as Mina Tanaka scored in the 23rd minute. The match was tied at the half, but Sweden looked like they’d score soon and often in the second.
That is exactly what happened as Sweden scored again inside of 10 minutes of the start of a half. This time Japan couldn’t come back. Sweden’s defense was stout and didn’t allow Japan to find a way through. The Swedes plunged the dagger into the host’s hopes when they were awarded and converted a penalty in the 68th minute!
Sweden won 3-1 in convincing fashion on their way to the semifinals!
USA win rematch of 2019 World Cup Final over Netherlands in a penalty shootout
USA took second place in Group G after some shaky play. They needed to snap out of that as they took on a familiar powerhouse in the knockout rounds. Netherlands Won Group F convincingly through their offense. They scored 21 goals and let up eight through three matches. This game was one that was highly anticipated and didn’t disappoint.
This was a rematch of the 2019 World Cup Final that had the same type of intensity that that match had. The goal may have been different, but both of these nations wanted to go out and show that they were better than the other in what is turning into a bit of an international rivalry. This match had some wonderful goals as Vivianne Miedema scored twice; once to open the scoring and a second to even the match later on at 2-2. USWNT went down early and responded by scoring two goals in four minutes to retake the lead. The Dutch had a golden opportunity to lead once again but Lieke Martens penalty was denied by US keeper Alyssa Naeher.
No team could find a winning goal, so the match went to extra time. The 30 minutes of extra time provided no goals after some were flagged for offside. The match went to penalties where the fireworks continued. The first kick was taken by the Netherlands, and it was saved by Naeher. USA responded by converting their next three spot-kicks. Going into the fourth round, Netherlands needed to score to tie the US. A miss and a USA goal would end the match. The attempt came in from the Dutch and Naeher saved it again! Megan Rapinoe stepped up and roofed the ball!
The USA won 4-3 on Penalties and are through to the semis, completing the Quarterfinals recap!
The Semifinals are set!
There you have it! A full Quarterfinals recap of! Up next is the Semifinals. They are set for Monday! Australia takes its momentous win to take on the nation that should be labeled as gold-medal favorites, Sweden. On the other side of the bracket, we get to see the best rivalry in all of Concacaf Soccer: CANWNT vs USWNT! Both of these matches will be played Monday morning here stateside. Here’s a look at the date/times and where to watch for these matches.
- USA vs Canada | Monday, August 2 @ 4:00 am EST
- Australia vs Sweden | Monday, August 2 @ 7:00 am EST
We’ll continue to have you covered every step of the way here at Philly Sports Network. We’ll have an in-depth preview of both of these semifinals matches tomorrow! Stay tuned for that and more!
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Mandatory Credit: U.S. Soccer via U.S. Soccer WNT on Twitter
