Mallory Swanson, Aitana Bonmati & INDIVISA's women's Olympic Team of the Group Stage

Two USWNT stars featured in best XI after the first round at Paris 2024 was completed, with two Ballon d'Or winners grabbing spots in midfield

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  GK: Lorena (Brazil)

  There were a number of impressive goalkeepers in the group stage, with Nigeria's Chiamaka Nnadozie incredibly unlucky to be going home early after her wonderful efforts, while Anna Leat pulled off some top-class saves despite New Zealand being up against it in Group A. However, it's Lorena of Brazil who gets the nod in this XI.

  No goalkeeper had a bigger positive difference between their goals conceded and expected goals against during the first three matchdays, with the Selecao's No.1 picking the ball out of her net just four times despite the statistics suggesting she should have done so on more than six occasions. The 27-year-old racked up the fourth-highest save percentage of starting goalkeepers too, making more saves than any of the three above her, and kept out a penalty against Japan.

  Lorena's group stage was a genuine highlight reel and Brazil will hope that she can keep that up as it prepares for a tough test against hosts France in the quarter-finals.

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  RB: Giulia Gwinn (Germany)

  After a devastating second ACL tear in just over two years forced her to miss last year's World Cup, it's been a delight to see Giulia Gwinn thriving at this Olympic Games. Her performance against Australia in Germany's opening game was superb, as she and Jule Brand ran riot down the right. When that wasn't happening, Gwinn was delivering deadly set-pieces, two of which were turned into assists in the 3-0 win.

  Things didn't go to plan quite as much for Germany in its second game, against the U.S., but don't let that take away from Gwinn's beautiful strike which levelled the scores early in that encounter. She then closed the group stage out with a solid display in victory over Zambia, with only two players creating more chances than the full-back in the opening round.

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  CB: Naomi Girma (United States)

  While statistics are great to further emphasize just how good certain players are, it feels like they don't quite do Naomi Girma's performances at this Olympics justice. To understand what makes the 24-year-old so special, it's easier just to focus on her during games, to watch how intelligent her positioning is, how she prevents dangerous situations from developing without a hugely eye-catching intervention and to understand the significance of her role in this team.

  That is both out of possession and also when the USWNT has the ball, as her passing is real top quality and her decision-making is excellent, too. It's remarkable to think that she is still so young and, as a result, can grow so much yet as she gains more experience. Girma is already a world-class talent and is showing that on this big stage.

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  CB: Vanessa Gilles (Canada)

  When Canada was deducted six points midway through the group stage, it was assumed by many that the reigning Olympic champion was going to be knocked out early. Yet, against all odds, the 2020 gold medalist is still here - and Vanessa Gilles is a huge reason why.

  Canada's record of three wins from three games comes from a collective team effort and real mental resilience throughout the incredible noise around it in France, but Gilles absolutely deserves singling out after scoring two huge goals to earn six of those nine points.

  It was 12 minutes into stoppage-time when she showed the composure of a centerforward, not a centerback, to slot home the winner against France, and she backed that up on Wednesday with a brilliant header that secured three points over Colombia, in a must-win game. Winning just short of 70 percent of her duels, Gilles has certainly done her work on the other side of the ball, too.

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  LB: Manuela Vanegas (Colombia)

  Things haven't always gone Colombia's way in this tournament, as an injury to Catalina Usme and a controversial red card for Mayra Ramirez leaving the team a little limited at times, but the South American side has done enough to reach the quarter-finals and it can count Manuela Vanegas among its most impressive performers.

  Providing reliable support that allows Linda Caicedo to thrive further forward, Vanegas has actually been Colombia's most creative player at the Games, creating six chances in three games from left-back, a total that puts her joint-fifth across the tournament. Indeed, it was her ball in from the left that led to Leicy Santos' stunner in the win over New Zealand.

  The 23-year-old has been brilliant in her defensive work too, though, with no player at the Olympics winning more tackles and only two making more interceptions.

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  CM: Yui Hasegawa (Japan)

  What makes Yui Hasegawa's performances at the Olympics so impressive is that she has been so consistently good despite Japan approaching all three matches in a different way. The players around her have changed, the demands of the game plan have differed and how much of the ball she has been able to see has altered on each outing - and yet, she always finds a way to stand out.

  In Japan's final game, a 3-1 win over Nigeria, that was with a defense-splitting pass that allowed Riko Ueki to square the ball to Maika Hamano to open the scoring. In the dramatic victory against Brazil, Hasegawa's all-round game was the draw, with her creating four chances and winning back possession 13 times all in the same 90 minutes. Even when Spain deprived her of the ball on the opening day, the Manchester City star still regained it more often than any team-mate. She is a remarkable player.

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  CM: Aitana Bonmati (Spain)

  Spain has a real chance of becoming the first team ever to win the Women's World Cup and then follow it up a year later with an Olympic gold medal - and a big reason for that is because its two Ballon d'Or winners are performing brilliantly in the middle of the park.

  Let's start with Aitana Bonmati, who picked up the accolade in 2023 and is sure to do so again in a few months' time. Her goal against Japan in the first round of matches was a particular highlight, but she is firing on all cylinders in all areas of her game right now, with her defensive work deserving much more praise and attention than it gets.

  Bonmati oozes class when she takes to the field and the way she can run a game for her team in such a seamless manner helps to make Spain the team to beat as the Olympics moves into the quarter-final stage.

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  CM: Alexia Putellas (Spain)

  Next to Bonmati in that midfield is Alexia Putellas, her Barcelona team-mate who won the Ballon d'Or in 2021 and 2022. Injuries have hampered the 30-year-old in the last two years, with an ACL rupture on the eve of the European Championships in 2022 followed by another knee surgery during the 2023-24 season. However, towards the end of that campaign, she sent a few timely reminders that her world-class quality remains and she has continued in that vein at the Olympics.

  When Spain was struggling to break down Nigeria in the second group-stage match, it was Putellas who found a way to beat the seemingly unbeatable Nnadozie, lifting a free-kick over her late on in the encounter. A few days later, with La Roja already through, the midfielder earned herself a rest and a place on the bench. Yet, when she left it just before the hour mark, she used her opportunity on the pitch to better that strike with an absolute thunderbolt to cap victory over Brazil.

  Putellas will be having a goal of the tournament competition with herself at this rate!

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  FW: Barbra Banda (Zambia)

  Barbra Banda has scored more goals at this year's Olympic tournament than all-but-one player involved - and yet, she will not feature beyond the group stage. Once again, the Zambia defense has not covered itself in glory on its second appearance at the Games, though that should not take away from the terrific individual displays Banda has put in.

  When the Copper Queens needed some respite against the United States, especially when down to 10 players, it was the captain who charged forward with the ball at her feet and so nearly made things happen all on her own. Against Australia, it was a combination of Banda and Racheal Kundananji, the two most expensive women's players of all time, who gave Zambia a huge chance of victory, Banda netting a third Olympic hat-trick in five matches before an almighty defensive collapse resulted in a ridiculous 6-5 loss.

  The chances of progressing were incredibly slim by the time the third group game came around then, an eventual 4-1 loss to Germany, but Banda still signed off with another goal when some high energy pressing, at 3-0 down, resulted in an easy finish for her 10th goal in just six appearances at the Olympics.

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  FW: Marie-Antoinette Katoto (France)

  Who is that player with more goals at the tournament than Banda, you ask? That would be Marie-Antoinette Katoto, the France striker whose efforts have helped fire the host nation into the quarter-finals. The 25-year-old has scored in every game so far this summer, with two of those five proving to be the difference in wins over Colombia and New Zealand.

  Katoto has had to wait a while for this opportunity to shine on the big stage for her country. She was controversially snubbed for a home World Cup in 2019, suffered a brutal injury in the second game of the 2022 Euros and missed last year's World Cup as a result of that, too. However, she is absolutely flying at France's home Games and her partnership with winger Kadidiatou Diani will be key if the host is to stand on top of the podium in Paris later this month.

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  FW: Mallory Swanson (United States)

  Rounding out the frontline is another wonderful comeback story, that of Mallory Swanson. The United States forward was in incredible form at the start of 2023 and looked a sure bet to be a starter at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand - that was until she fell victim to a knee injury of her own and missed the tournament completely.

  She is back now, though, and making the most of her opportunity to start for the USWNT at the Games. Swanson has been a delight out on the left, combining brilliantly with Sophia Smith to ensure their movement causes the opposition right-back a real headache. When she does drift centrally, her goal-scoring instincts become evident, allowing her to score three times in just three games.