The opening day of Women’s football at the Olympics was nothing short of spectacular.
Spain triumphed over Japan with a 2-1 comeback victory, while Canada secured a similar 2-1 win against New Zealand following some unusual pre-match drama. Brazil and Germany had also started strong, with Germany dominating Australia in a decisive 3-0 victory.
The final two matches featured France facing Colombia and the United States taking on Zambia. Our focus will be on the latter game, exploring how the USWNT navigated their way to a rampant victory against this Zambian side.
Emma Hayes’ first competitive game in charge saw no real surprises in her starting lineup with Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, and Mallory Swanson starting as the front three. The only real selection of note was that Crystal Dunn was selected ahead of Jenna Nighswonger at left-back. Sam Coffey and Lindsey Horan made up the double pivot, and that is where the base of this victory came from.
The US scored all three goals in the first half and were seemingly satisfied with their work…
