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Germany secured their fifth all-time medal in women's Olympic soccer Friday by defeating Spain 1-0 in the bronze medal match at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
The lone goal in the match was tallied by German midfielder Giulia Gwinn, who scored on a penalty kick in the 65th minute after Spanish goalkeeper Cata Coll committed a foul on Gwinn.
Miraculously, Spain was handed a lifeline of sorts just three seconds before the seven minutes of stoppage time were set to expire, as Germany's Janina Minge fouled Lucía García, resulting in a penalty kick for Spain.
Alèxia Putellas, who won the Women's Ballon d'Or in 2021 and 2022, took the penalty from, but German goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger confidently turned it away, sealing the win for Germany.
Spain was on the attack for much of the match, but they never netted an equalizer despite out-shooting Germany 14-7 and winning the possession battle 59 percent to 41 percent.
While Spain had never before played for a medal in Olympic women's soccer, they were widely expected to make the podium in Paris given that they are the No. 1-ranked team in the world.
However, a meeting with battle-tested Germany was never going to be easy, as the Germans have played for and won Olympic medals with regularity and were coming off a tightly contested 1-0 loss to the United States in the semifinals.
Germany is one of only four different teams to have won an Olympic gold medal in women's soccer, accomplishing the feat in 2016. Before then, they won three consecutive bronzes in 2000, 2004 and 2008.
With five total medals at the Olympics, Germany are second to only Team USA, who have won six Olympic medals in women's soccer.
That medal count is guaranteed to go up to seven for the Americans with the only question being whether they will win gold or silver.
The gold medal match between the United States and Brazil will conclude women's soccer at the 2024 Summer Games on Saturday at 11 a.m. ET.
The United States women's national team will play for the bronze medal after Canada earned a stunning 1-0 upset over the international powerhouse in Monday's Olympic semifinal.
The match was scoreless until Jessie Fleming scored a penalty for Canada in the 75th minute:
The shot was just out of reach of backup goalkeeper Adrianna Franch, resulting in the only score of the match. Starting goalie Alyssa Naeher, who was the hero during the quarterfinal victory over the Netherlands, was forced to leave with an injury in the 30th minute.
Canada held on for the win and will face Sweden in the final for a chance at its first gold medal in women's soccer. Sweden beat Australia in the other semifinal match Monday.
The upset win was a breakthrough for Canada, which has earned bronze in the last two Olympics:
A gold medal would be the biggest moment in program history, while Christine Sinclair could add another achievement after already ranking as the top international goalscorer in history. The 38-year-old played 87 minutes in Monday's win.
The United States, meanwhile, was unable to build on its 2019 World Cup win with another major trophy.
The Americans had plenty of chances to score, outshooting Canada 17-5 in the match, including a 6-2 advantage in shots on goal. They simply weren't able to get anything into the back of the net, even after adding key subs Carli Lloyd, Megan Rapinoe and Christen Press in the 60th minute.
It continued an up-and-down run of matches in Tokyo that featured just one win in 90 minutes. The USWNT also had one loss and one draw in group play before surviving the quarterfinal on penalty kicks.
"Obviously, our standards are perfection all the time, so we really never reached that, and we wanted the gold medal but we have a ton to still perform for," Rapinoe said after the match.
The team will now compete for the bronze Thursday against Australia. After finishing in just fifth place at the 2016 Olympics, the United States will try to win its first soccer medal since 2012.
CONCACAF confirmed Friday that the men's Olympic qualifiers have been suspended because of concerns about the spread of coronavirus:
The confederation issued a statement to confirm the news, per USSoccer.com.
"Concacaf is committed to working with key stakeholders to consider options to reconvene our competitions at an appropriate time in the future."
The matches were due to start on March 20 in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Jason Kreis, the U.S. Under-23 men's national team head coach, had named a 20-man squad for the tournament.
The U.S. team were due to play Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Mexico in the group stage as they bid for a place in the Olympics for the first time since 2008.
The top two teams from the group would go through to the semi-finals, where victory would be enough to secure one of the last two remaining places at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The decision to suspend the tournament follows news that Major League Soccer has been called off for 30 days because of the coronavirus outbreak:
Meanwhile, U.S. Soccer announced Thursday it had cancelled all men's and women's international games that were scheduled for March and April.
Friday also brought confirmation that the Premier League, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga have also now been postponed, bringing a halt to all top-level football in Europe:
The worsening coronavirus pandemic continues to fuel doubts as to whether the 2020 Olympics will take place as originally scheduled.
U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested postponing the event until next year, per Reuters:
Japan's Olympic minister, Seiko Hashimo, told reporters on Friday the International Olympic Committee are "absolutely not" considering postponing or cancelling the Games, which are due to start July 24.
Nigeria secured the bronze medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics men's football tournament on Saturday, beating Honduras 3-2.
Umar Sadiq gave the Nigerians the lead late in the first half, and Aminu Umar doubled their lead shortly after the break. Sadiq added a third goal after 56 minutes, and while Anthony Lozano managed to pull one back for Honduras and Marcelo Pereira added a second goal just before full-time, the Dream Team hung on for the win.
Imoh Ezekiel started up front for the Nigerians, with Sadiq sliding in behind him, while Alberth Elis was in charge of the creative impulses for Honduras.
The Nigerians started the match in fine form, pressing high up the pitch in search of an opener, and their efforts were nearly rewarded after seven minutes. Umar found some space inside the box and fired a hard shot on goal, smashing the ball off the crossbar.
Umar put Luis Lopez to work minutes later, and Allans Vargas tested the reflexes of Nigerian goalkeeper Daniel Emmanuel. Honduras gained a reputation for frustrating opponents around the box during the early stages of the tournament, but Nigeria had few problems finding openings in the opening stages.
Okechukwu Azubuike ran into the first booking of the match after just 16 minutes, and Umar went close again shortly after, missing the goal by inches. Ezekiel also missed a golden opportunity after a great lob put him through on goal, to the astonishment of Sports Radio BrilaFM:
|26'| What a miss! Ezekiel missed a clear chance to give Nigeria the lead after an inch perfect lob. #HON 0-0 #NGR #footballliveng #Rio2016
— Sports Radio BrilaFM (@889BrilaFM) August 20, 2016
Emmanuel picked up a knock after rushing off his line to clear a dangerous ball from Honduras over the top, but after some brief treatment, he was able to continue. Elis put him to work almost immediately after, and the stopper showed no signs of distress.
Sadiq opened the score after 34 minutes, pushing the ball beyond the grasp of Lopez after a fine assists from Mikel John Obi, one of the veterans on the team. USWNT star Sydney Leroux Dwyer wasn't impressed with the team's celebrations, however:
The setback was a nightmare scenario for Honduras, a team built to defend a lead and play on the counter. The side was now forced to come out of their shell and dictate play themselves, and they barely managed to put together solid passing movements before half-time.
Mikel almost released Umar with a clever pass just before the break, as the Dream Team easily preserved their lead and were 45 minutes away from bronze.
The Dream Team went looking for a second goal early after the break, with both Ezekiel and Mikel putting Lopez to work. Just four minutes into the half, Umar converted after a lovely attack, firing home a rebound.
Sugar Clyne of Sports radio BrilaFM was sure the bronze medal was in the bag:
Lozano played Oscar Salas into the box, but the Honduras midfielder couldn't take advantage, as Nigeria's defence closed him down in time.
But the Dream Team was unleashed at this point, and Sadiq scored his second goal of the afternoon after 56 minutes to all but end the contest. Mikel once again provided the assist.
Desperation mode now set in for Honduras, who made several substitutions in an attempt to change things up. But Nigeria were in full control, and both Usman Muhammed and Stanley Amuzie came close to adding to the lead.
Sadiq also had a shot saved before Lozano pulled one back for Honduras with a powerful header, restoring some hope. But Nigeria remained by far the better team, and Sadiq came close to restoring the three-goal gap after 73 minutes.
The Dream Team took control of the ball after that and stopped pressing forward with numbers, opting to take all of the momentum out of the contest. They were shocked when Pereira scored from a set piece with another header just minutes before the final whistle, however, setting up a tense finale.
Honduras' late push didn't lead to any chances, however, and Nigeria held on for the win.
Brazil and Germany will contest the final later on Saturday.
To follow...
Brazil can gain a measure of revenge when they take on Germany in the gold-medal match at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games at Rio de Janeiro's iconic Maracana Stadium. The Selecao will be keen to erase the memory of their dismal 7-1 semi-final defeat against Germany at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Oddsmakers believe the South Americans can get their revenge, and are tipping a star-studded squad led by Barcelona forward Neymar to get the win. However, it won't be easy against an accomplished German side built on midfield power and excellent technique in forward areas.
Before a preview and prediction, here are the schedule and streaming details, followed by the odds:
Date: Saturday, August 20
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 p.m. BST
Live Stream: NBC Olympics / BBC Sport
| Team | To Win | Draw |
| Brazil | -190, 15-13 | 33-13 |
| Germany | +145, 14-5 | 33-13 |
| First Goalscorer | Odds |
| Neymar | 3-1 |
| Gabriel Barbosa | 7-1 |
| Gabriel Jesus | 7-1 |
| Nils Petersen | 7-1 |
| Serge Gnabry | 12-1 |
| Julian Brandt | 12-1 |
| Both Teams To Score | |
| Yes | 3-4 |
| No | 25-19 |
| To Score a Hat-Trick | |
| Neymar | 20-1 |
| Serge Gnabry | 125-1 |
He's found the net six times to lead all scorers at these games, and Arsenal forward Serge Gnabry is well worth a bet to strike first at 12-1. Jack Lang and Stephan Uersfeld of ESPN FC have identified the cat-quick winger as Germany's key danger man.
Lang highlighted Gnabry's pace as a potential problem for full-back Zeca, who likes to travel forward and can be caught out positionally. It's a dangerous combination against a player with Gnabry's perceptive movement.
The timing and direction of his movements are as important as the speed of his runs. If Gnabry drifts into the middle, Brazil's full-backs will be dragged with him. Given the number of quality passers in German ranks, they should have no trouble finding the 21-year-old exploiting defensive gaps down the sides of the Brazilian back four.
On the face of it, this could be a tough defensive battle, despite all of the star forwards set to feature. After all, Brazil's defence has yet to be breached at these Games thanks to the talent and expert leadership of Paris Saint-Germain ace Marquinhos.
Germany have also steadied the ship after a rocky start and haven't conceded in their last three matches. In particular, Borussia Dortmund's Matthias Ginter has proved to be a talisman at the back.
Yet, it's still too difficult to believe neither side will find the net in this final. They've both been free-scoring during the knockout phase, with Brazil hitting eight goals, compared with Germany's six.
There are just too many skilled attackers in the final third for this one to end 0-0. Neymar and Chelsea's Willian are ably supported by young stars Gabriel Barbosa and Gabriel Jesus for the Selecao. Meanwhile, Gnabry's efforts have been complemented by fellow winger Julian Brandt, as well as strikers Nils Petersen and Davie Selke.
Defences may have been on top recently for these two teams, but expect goals in the final, with both teams scoring a solid bet at 3-4.
Brazil have been mightily impressive in recent matches, so their status as favourites makes some sense, particularly on home soil. However, Germany boast the more well-rounded squad.
There's an abundance of pace, width, intelligence and creativity in attack. Just as importantly, though, there's brains and brawn underpinning everything in midfield.
Lars Bender is the combative box-to-box roamer who also boasts an underrated eye for a quality pass between the lines. Brother Sven Bender is the disciplined destroyer who expertly protects the back four.
Throw in Max Meyer's vision and flair, and Germany have the ideal balance in the middle.
As if their overall talent isn't enough, the Germans also have their own extra motivation for winning. Claiming gold would be a fitting sendoff for coach Horst Hrubesch.
The 65-year-old is already relishing this final and telling his players to do the same, according to German publication Kicker (h/t ESPN FC's Uli Hesse): "You can go to the Maracana and play for the gold medal in front of a sell-out crowd against none other than Brazil. What more can you hope for as a young player?"
A fond farewell awaits Hrubesch as his carefully constructed team can once again play spoilers on Brazilian soil.
Prediction: Brazil 1-2 Germany
Host nation Brazil will find Germany tough opposition when the two vie for the gold medal in the men's soccer final at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games on Saturday.
It's also a game that offers the former the chance to make up for the humiliating 7-1 semi-final defeat Germany inflicted on Brazil on home soil at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
The match will take place at Rio's iconic Maracana Stadium and boasts some of the most prolific attacking players at these Games. In particular, Arsenal fringe forward Serge Gnabry will be under the spotlight after being chiefly responsible for firing Germany to the final.
The hosts are no slouches in the final third, either. Not with Barcelona star Neymar and exciting prospect Gabriel Jesus both in top form.
Before a more in-depth preview, here are the schedule and streaming details, followed by the form guide for each team:
Date: Saturday, August 20
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET/9:30 p.m. BST
Live Stream: NBC Olympics, BBC Sport
| Stage | Brazil | Germany |
| Semi-final | Won 6-0 vs. Honduras | Won 2-0 vs. Nigeria |
| Quarter-final | Won 2-0 vs. Colombia | Won 4-0 vs. Portugal |
| Group Stage | Won 4-0 vs. Denmark | Won 10-0 vs. Fiji |
| Group Stage | Drew 0-0 vs. Iraq | Drew 3-3 vs. Korea Republic |
| Group Stage | Drew 0-0 vs. South Africa | Drew 2-2 vs. Mexico |
It's been a remarkable tournament for Gnabry, who has gone from forgotten boy wonder in north London to the leading goalscorer at these Games. The burly winger has netted six goals, per FIFA's official site.
More than the numbers, though, what Gnabry has done is remind everyone of the talent that was making him a breakthrough player at Arsenal during the 2012/13 and 2013/14 campaigns.
Unfortunately, a lengthy injury followed by a disastrous loan spell with West Bromwich Albion pushed Gnabry into the shadows. Yet his pace, perceptive movement, underrated physical power and keen eye for goal are all still there.
It's no wonder Gunners manager Arsene Wenger recently told reporters he is anxious for the 21-year-old to sign a new deal.
Yet, as good as Gnabry has been, Germany are far from a one-man show. Their forward line is aided by Maximilian Meyer's vision and skill, while the midfield is underpinned by Lars Bender's brawn and efficiency.
The Germans have the players to boss the ball in the middle and keep Brazil's flair players quiet, and there's every reason to want to silence Neymar and Co. His pace can terrorise any defence, while Jesus is a true livewire who knows how to exploit any space between the lines.
However, Brazil's key player might be midfielder Renato Augusto. The 28-year-old has a shrewd eye for a defence-splitting pass in the final third, and his vision is the key to the success of Neymar and those around him.
Germany would be wise to push one of Lars or Sven Bender into a man-marking role on former Bundesliga ace Augusto.
It's isn't just in attack where the Brazilians are strong, though. The presence of Paris Saint-Germain's Marquinhos has made this team a tough nut to crack, with no goals conceded so far.
His ability to cope with the Germans' movement and quick, one-touch combination passing will be the decisive factor in this final.
Canada beat hosts Brazil to the women's football bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, winning 2-1 after a tough and exciting match.
Deanne Rose opened the score midway through the first half, and Christine Sinclair doubled Canada's advantage early in the second. Brazil pushed for a goal and found it through Bia Zaneratto with 10 minutes left to play, but they couldn't find a late equaliser.
Both teams would rely heavily on their veteran stars, with Brazil's Marta and Sinclair of Canada starting. TSN's Gareth Wheeler thought several Canadian stars were likely to be playing their last Olympic match:
Both teams displayed plenty of attacking intent early, with Marta terrorising the Canadian defence and Sinclair and her team-mates putting heaps of pressure on the hosts' midfield.
Fouls were a regular occurrence in the opening minutes, and one of those almost led to the first goal. Sinclair tried her luck with a free-kick from a long way out and sent a wonderful effort bouncing off the crossbar, with goalkeeper Barbara surely beaten.
Olympian Karina LeBlanc was fired up:
Melissa Tancredi also went close, as she had a header blocked.
Things got a little heated in the 15th minute, as two fouls in quick succession had the players on edge. The Brazilian team were visibly frustrating Canada with some harsh tackles, and Canadian fans and pundits thought the hosts did everything possible to make sure they were punished when they retaliated.
Canadian Soccer News' Daniel Squizzato was not impressed:
The match was delayed for a short while to treat an injury to Ashley Lawrence, before Formiga blasted a shot high and wide. Brazil were starting to push up the pitch more, but just as they seemed to be on their way to the opener, the Canadians struck.
Lawrence produced a fine run before playing an excellent pass into Rose, who converted from the edge of the box to give her team the lead.
Per ESPN Stats & Info, she made history in the process:
Rose nearly doubled her tally just minutes later, missing the target from a similar position after some great work from Sinclair. Brazil's response came through Marta, who fired a shot right at goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe.
Canada took the pace out of the match toward the end of the half, and Brazil seemed content to go into half-time with the score as it was.
Brazil started the second half with renewed energy, and Zaneratto only just missed with a header, but just seven minutes into the half, Canada struck again. Veteran striker Sinclair took a nice pass from Rose and calmly slotted home from inside the box, doubling her team's lead.
TSN's Mark Masters loved it:
Brazil's pressure increased even more, with Rafaelle missing a huge chance and Zaneratto faring little better. On the other side of the pitch, Rose hit the post after a clever header from Tancredi.
The hosts had to attack, but Canada kept putting together the better chances on the counter, with Barbara denying Lawrence after 67 minutes and Janine Beckie having a shot blocked by Monica.
Rafaelle was the main driving force behind Brazil's comeback bid, but her team-mates didn't provide her with the support she needed around the box.
Debinha should have scored with a close-range header after 76 minutes, before Zaneratto finally found the breakthrough with 10 minutes left to play.
Erika missed a headed chance to tie things up, and Zaneratto came agonisingly close with a hard shot that just missed the target. Canada killed the clock in the final minutes, holding on to their slim lead.
Sweden and Germany will contest the final of the tournament later on Friday.
To follow...
Hosts Brazil are likely still smarting from their penalty shootout loss to Sweden in the semi-final of the women's soccer event at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Still, the South American nation can earn consolation by beating Canada in the bronze-medal match.
It will require big performances from Brazil's notable attacking talent, most of whom have been quiet in recent matches, even the legendary Marta. Of course, Canada will be able to counter with 33-year-old prolific striker Christine Sinclair.
Before a more in-depth preview, here are the schedule details, streaming information and form guides for each nation.
Date: Friday
Time: Noon ET
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra
Form Guide for Brazil: LWDWW
Form Guide for Canada: LWWWW
All form guide information via FIFA.com.
It will naturally pain both sides to know they lost in the semifinal to teams they beat comfortably earlier in the tournament. Brazil couldn't break down a Sweden side they put five goals past in the group stage. Meanwhile, Canada's 2-0 defeat to Germany in the final four erased the memory of the former's 2-1 win in the group stage.
The veteran Canada squad likes to lean on the experience of several players aside from Sinclair. They include Melissa Tancredi, 34, Rhian Wilkinson, 34, and Diana Matheson, 32, per Daniel Squizzato of MLSSoccer.com.
The quartet's savvy will be invaluable in trying to keep the ball away from a Brazil team that is stocked with flair. In particular, Marta and fellow attackers Cristiane and Beatriz have each found the net twice at these Games, per FIFA.com.
It's a trio that combines perceptive movement with artful passing and defence-stretching pace. Yet, it's also a forward-thinking group that disappointed in the semi-final, with Cristiane seeing a spot-kick saved during the shootout.
For all their ingenuity up front, Brazil have actually failed to score in their last three Olympic matches. Australia took them to penalties in the last eight, and South Africa held them to a goalless draw in their final group game.
As usual, though, the Canadians will look to Sinclair for an answer to any potency in attack from their opponents. The veteran striker declared before the Games she's not yet ready to call time on her career, according to Kurt Larson of the Toronto Sun.
She's been a success in the tournament, finding the net twice to offer a reminder of her enduring class. Sinclair has also received excellent support from Janine Beckie, the top scorer at these Games with three goals.
The Beckie and Sinclair partnership can decide the destination of bronze if Canada are direct and decisive on the break. However, if Marta and Co. are inspired to rekindle the magic by one last chance for glory on home soil, Brazil's greater attacking depth will tell.
On Friday night in the Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Olympic women's football will crown only its third gold medal-winning team, which in seven tournaments is quite incredible.
Sweden and Germany will do battle for the top prize at the 2016 Olympic Games, as they seek to join an exclusive club occupied by Norway and five-time champions the USA.
Germany have had an up-and-down path to this final. It started so well, dispatching the unpredictable Zimbabwe 6-1.
There was a huge downside to that game as Simone Laudehr had to come off injured and was then ruled out for the tournament.
In her absence, Bayern Munich midfielder Melanie Behringer stepped up her game. She scored twice against the Mighty Warriors and added her third in the group-stage loss to Canada.
A thunderbolt from the 30-year-old was enough to squeeze past China, and then she got the ball rolling from the penalty spot in the semi-final rematch against Canada.
It's a return that even Behringer herself is struggling to believe, as she told FIFA.com: "I've never scored this regularly at a tournament before: a goal a game. It's a nice feeling for me. But ultimately the only thing that counts is that we win as a team. If I can contribute to that, then great. In the end it doesn't matter who scores."
The key to Friday's final will be Germany's ability to break down Pia Sundhage's rejuvenated defence.
After a steady start, beating South Africa 1-0 through Nilla Fischer, it all went downhill for the Swedes as they were destroyed 5-1 by Brazil. Although, they would have the last laugh.
A goalless draw against China secured a place in the quarter-finals, but no one expected them to go any further.
As discussed previously in this column, Sundhage had a moment of clarity, changed up the tactics and direction and Sweden found a way to beat the U.S. on penalties to reach the semi-finals.
The Swedish boss, going for her third consecutive gold medal, would be the first to admit that her tactics are neither pretty nor exciting, but the most important thing for the Scandinavians at this point is success.
During the Olympics, you want to be inspired by the sporting feats that you see. Runners wanting to emulate Usain Bolt, Mo Farah or Wayde van Niekerk.
Some of the performances in the swimming pool have been outstanding, and especially in Britain, the achievements in the cycling velodrome will inspire many others to take up the sport.
Sweden's game plan that worked against the U.S., beating them on penalties, then worked again against hosts Brazil, but it won't be catching the imagination of casual football fans. However, back home, the Swedish fans will be loving this turnaround.
All it takes is for little girls or boys back in their homeland to have the desire to emulate the excellent goalkeeping performances of Chelsea Ladies' Hedvig Lindahl, the leadership of Fischer, or to score not one, but two game-winning penalties like Lisa Dahlkvist.
Lindahl said, per FIFA.com:
I’m delighted that Pia has put her faith in me, and that confidence is crucial to our tactic of inviting opposing sides on and then hitting them on the counter-attack. It’s all down to the whole team, though. To play that way, we have to know exactly what we’re about. I think today you have to give credit to our defence, who cut out an awful lot of crosses.
It's never going to excite the casual fans, but at this point, that's not the priority of the two coaches.
That doesn't mean that Friday night's final doesn't have a huge level of intrigue surrounding it.
We all know Sweden's tactics, they are now well-documented, but vastly experienced coach Silvia Neid—guiding Germany in her last tournament—will also know them.
Her job, in her final game as head coach of Germany, is to conjure up her own plan that will break down the resolute Swedish defence and also stop them hitting on the break.
Germany don't have the same level of flair that Brazil had, but despite having 33 shots on goal, the hosts couldn't find the net. Another approach is needed.
In front of goalkeeper Almuth Schult, Neid has relied on the experience of Saskia Bartusiak and Annike Krahn.
Down the flanks could be key. Using the pace and width of Leonie Maier and Tabea Kemme. However, it's not just the ability to get wide, the quality of the balls into the box needs to be exceptional.
That's where Brazil let themselves down. Dominating possession and shots isn't enough. You need to be clinical and accurate against this Swedish defence.
Germany's attacking play will need to improve from what they have shown so far. Unconvincing against China, it took a superb solo strike from Behringer to separate the two sides.
Neid will be hoping that Sara Dabritz, combined with the exceptional talents of Dzsenifer Marozsan and Alexandra Popp—the trio played together at the U-17 World Cup in Azerbaijan—can lead Germany towards gold, and the 21-year-old attacker is already looking to emulate her team-mates.
Bayern Munich's Dabritz told FIFA.com:
Both of them are definitely role models for me. They've already achieved so much at such a young age. It's incredible. They're still pretty young and are already in the senior national side. You can definitely learn a thing or two from them.
[...]
It was crucial because that goal made it 2-0, which gave us much more security. It was important in terms of the flow of the game too, because Canada were putting us under pressure. It really did us good. But even at 2-0 you can't ease off. Things happen so quickly in football. If Canada had scored then we'd probably have lost our way a bit. It was good that we kept them out. We defended superbly throughout the entire game and towards the end we sat back a little bit more as Canada pressed. But we withstood their pressure.
Friday's game will be the first time Germany have played at Rio de Janeiro during these games, something that excites the young midfielder, who explained:
We'll get to experience the Olympic flavour. We'll be in the Olympic Village. And to be able to see how it all works is obviously fantastic. But we're focusing on the match. We've only got two days to recover. It's unbelievable to think that we'll be playing at the Maracana. That was our aim during our preparations for the tournament. We had this objective and this dream and now we've fulfilled it. Now we want to win the game.
The combinations between Dabritz, Popp, Marozsan and Anja Mittag will be crucial in pulling the Sweden defence apart and giving the Germans a chance at fulfilling their dreams of gold.
It’s safe to say that after the group stage, no one would have predicted a Sweden vs. Germany final, but lately, in both the domestic leagues and international tournaments, we have learned the lesson that success is just as much about the team collective than individual ability.
Whoever can come together as the strongest unit on Friday could be the team that finishes with that coveted Olympic gold medal.
