USWNT's 'Triple Espresso' of Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman & Sophia Smith spearheads GOAL's Women's Olympic Team of the Tournament

While an honorable mention must be given to Ann-Katrin Berger here, who saved a last-minute penalty in the bronze medal match to ensure victory for Germany after being the hero in the quarter-final shootout against Canada, it's Brazil No.1 Lorena that gets the nod in this XI.

That's because she too came up with penalty heroics in the last eight, denying Sakina Karchaoui from 12 yards as the Selecao went on to beat France 1-0, before producing perhaps the best goalkeeping performance of the tournament in the semi-finals to help her nation unexpectedly reach the gold medal match.

Though the 27-year-old was among the Brazil players who drew criticism for time-wasting, no one could deny that she was outstanding in her shot-stopping in the last four, making eight saves as the South Americans went 3-0 up and, after some late and desperate pressure from Spain, eventually won 4-2. Lorean was a huge reason why her nation emerged from this tournament on the podium.

It was fitting that Giulia Gwinn netted the goal that secured the bronze medal for Germany given how much of a key role the fullback played at both ends of the pitch for her team.

The Bayern Munich star netted twice in the tournament, along with a successful spot-kick in the shootout victory over Canada in the quarter-finals, and she was again nerveless from 12 yards to beat Spain on Friday in a result that went some way to papering over the devastating group-stage exit Germany suffered at the World Cup 12 months ago.

It's difficult to know what else to say about Naomi Girma. Those who have watched the 24-year-old regularly in her first few years in the NWSL have known about her quality for a while and, over the past few weeks, she has now ensured that the whole world understands just why Emma Hayes, head coach of the United States women's national team, described her as "the best defender I've ever seen".

No one completed more passes at the Olympics than Girma, her total some 120 ahead of anyone else, and she also managed to create four chances from those, despite playing at centerback. That's not to underrate her defensive work, though. While the statistics don't always show her impact off the ball, given her strong positioning prevents the need for desperate actions, Girma was among the USWNT's best players for winning possession back.

One of the best sights throughout Brazil's run to the gold medal match were the regular celebrations from Tarciane when she was simply doing her defensive work. Ranked 14th on GOAL's NXGN list back in 2022, the 21-year-old has long been touted as an exciting prospect for the future, and this year has seen her take huge steps towards realizing that potential. After moving to one of the game's best leagues in April when she joined the Houston Dash in the NWSL, Tarciane backed that up with a starring role in Brazil's silver medal-winning tournament.

Head coach Arthur Elias was not shy in rotating his team throughout the Olympics, yet Tarciane remained a fixture, starting five of Brazil's six matches. In those, she was a colossus, with her performance against Spain in the semi-final a particular highlight.

Though Colombia was eliminated in the quarter-finals, that should not detract from a marvelous tournament on an individual level for Manuela Vanegas. Despite that exit in last eight meaning she only played four out of a possible six matches at the Olympics, the 23-year-old ranked second overall for tackles won and joint-third for interceptions made, her defensive work crucial as the South American nation came within a whisker of the a guaranteed medal match, only to lose on penalties to Spain.

At the other end of the pitch, Vanegas' determination to get forward and the manner in which she made herself an effective outlet down the left helped Linda Caicedo be supported and, thus, thrive. The defender herself created plenty, too, with the only Colombia player to rank higher in that particular category being Leicy Santos, an attack-minded midfielder.

Real Sociedad will do well to hold onto her for much longer, as Vanegas is surely going to attract the interest of some elite clubs sooner rather than later.

It was cruel that Alexia Putellas' last moment at this tournament was a saved penalty in the dying moments of the bronze medal match, her inability to convert from 12 yards denying Spain the chance to keep its hopes of a medal alive by taking Germany to extra-time. If Gwinn's success from the same distance at the other end was fitting of her displays at Paris 2024, then Putellas' distress was the opposite, as she was La Roja's stand-out player in France.

The two-time Ballon d'Or winner came into the summer off the back of a tough season at Barcelona. A second knee surgery, just a few months after her successful recovery from a devastating ACL injury, was required midway through and meant we didn't see the world-class midfielder in full flow during 2023-24.

However, Putellas reminded everyone of her class with two goal-of-the-tournament contenders in the group stage, and while Spain head coach Montse Tome inexplicably, in the words of the Spanish press, under-used her in the quarter-final and semi-final, she came off the bench in the latter game to inspire some belief in her team despite them being 3-0 down to Brazil. A shot that struck the crossbar, a corner that set up Spain's first goal and a header that assisted the second left many wondering what might have been had she started the match.

It's not been a tournament with too many stand-out midfield performers, hence the switch to a 4-4-2 for this XI, but one player in that position who did quietly impress was Germany's Janina Minge. The 25-year-old wasn't included in Horst Hrubesch's initial 18-player squad and had only started once for her country ahead of Paris 2024. However, an injury to Lena Oberdorf, whom she has been signed by Wolfsburg to replace during the summer window, saw her alternate status upgraded and she has done brilliantly to soften the blow of her compatriot's absence.

Adding to that sole start at senior level with six in a row at the Games, no player won possession back more often than Minge across the entire Olympics, with her anticipation off the ball standing out impeccably as Germany got on the podium.

When the whistle went at the end of the USWNT's 1-0, extra-time triumph over Japan in the quarter-finals, Sophia Smith turned to Trinity Rodman and simply said: "I'm so happy for you." That's because Rodman's superb goal, in the 105th minute, had secured the U.S. passage through to the semi-finals - and deservedly given her a chance to soak up some of the spotlight.

Rodman was superb throughout the group stage, finding the back of the net in the wins over Zambia and Australia while setting up Smith to break the deadlock against Germany, but this was a standalone moment, a decisive and match-winning contribution that saw a heap of praise come her way.

There was a lot of hype about the then-21-year-old going into the World Cup last summer and, unfortunately, it turned into a difficult tournament for the whole team, with Rodman struggling to break out of that and show what she could do. This summer has been totally different. After several years of lighting up the domestic scene, Rodman announced herself as a force to be reckoned with on the world stage in France.

While Lorena did so in between the sticks, no player stepped up more for Brazil on the other side of the ball on its way to the gold medal match quite like Gabi Portilho. With Marta suspended for the quarter-final meeting with France, the Selecao was up against it and the match played out like that too, with Les Bleues creating chances aplenty. But as those passed by without being taken, it was Portilho who made the host nation pay, finishing clinically in the 82nd minute to send her nation into an unlikely semi-final.

There, still without Marta and taking on tournament favorite Spain, Brazil was once again unfancied - and yet again, Portilho made her mark, first by sneaking in behind Olga Carmona and converting Yasmim's cross brilliantly for 2-0, and then by setting up Adriana intelligently to extend that lead.

The 29-year-old couldn't quite make it a hat-trick of big knockout stage games in the final, but that's not to say that she didn't turn up. Two fantastic crosses just evaded team-mate Ludmila as Brazil put the USWNT under heavy first-half pressure, while an effort from Portilho herself in stoppage-time was only denied by a brilliant Alyssa Naeher save. She showed up in the big moments for her nation this summer to help it claim that silver medal.

First off, honorable mentions must go to both Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Barbra Banda here. With five goals, the former ended this tournament as its top-scorer, despite France's quarter-final exit, while Banda's four goals and one assist kept Zambia's hopes of progression from the group stage alive for as long as possible. However, Sophia Smith simply has to form part of the attack in this XI.

Like Rodman, there were big expectations of the U.S. star going into last year's World Cup, but she struggled to live up to them, in no small part due to the failures of the team as a whole. This Olympics, however, has been a totally different story. Smith ended the Games with as many goal involvements as Katoto and Banda, thanks to the two assists she racked up alongside her three goals, and was a key player as the USWNT clinched gold.

Her stand-out performance was certainly the two-goal display against Germany in the group stage, as Hayes' side saw off its biggest rival for top spot with relative ease in a Smith-inspired 4-1 win. But in terms of coming up clutch, it is the rematch with that same opponent in the semi-finals that will be most memorable for many, as the 24-year-old coolly lifted the ball over an outstanding Ann-Katrin Berger to put the U.S. into the final.

No player at this tournament registered more direct goal involvements than Mallory Swanson, whose four goals and two assists in just six games played a massive role as the U.S. stood on top of the podium. There were few, if any, better performers at Paris 2024 than the Chicago Red Stars forward, whose story of bouncing back from serious injury to be one of the stars of the show has been one of the best at the Games, too.

Just as Rodman got her moment in the quarter-final against Japan and Smith had hers in the semi-final win over Germany, it was the turn of Swanson in the gold medal match, in rather fitting fashion giving how crucial each member of the 'triple espresso' attack was to this triumph.

After Brazil wasted chance after chance, the deadly 26-year-old wasn't going to pass up her opportunity just before the hour mark. Alert to a surprise opening after a mistake in the opposition defense, Swanson set off on her run, took a couple of touches to set herself and never looked like missing as she put the ball in the bottom corner to make the U.S. the Olympic champion once again.