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Legendary player Megan Rapinoe and hip hop legend Snoop Dog were in the house to take in the football festivities in Paris Saturday, bringing a celebrity feel to the Olympic quarterfinals.
But the headliner for the USWNT turned out to be Trinity Rodman. After a contested match that went into extra time, Rodman scored a stupendous game-winner in the 104th minute to push the Americans past Japan, 1-0, and into the semifinals of the Paris Games.
Across the 90-minute period of regulation, much of the match was played in the center of the park, a highly challenged midfield battle. U.S. manager Emma Hayes didn't opt to make a single substitution during that period, as she put faith in her starting XI to secure a result.
Japan's resiliency kept them quiet until Rodman broke the deadlock. The Washington Spirit attacker - easily the USWNT's most creative forward on the day - was fed by Crystal Dunn and after some brilliant footwork, the magic happened. Rodman cut back onto her left foot and ripped a curling effort, with the ball flying over the palm of Japan goalkeeper Ayaka Amashita and into the corner of the net.
“Ultimately in games like this," said Rodman's teammate, Mallory Swanson, "sometimes it just takes a little bit of magic, and little bit of individual brilliance, and that’s what Trin did."
The lone score of the day, it came after a less-than-pretty match by the USWNT, but they ultimately got the job done and are now onto the semifinals of the competition. The U.S. will play Germany, which defeated Canada Saturday in penalties, in the semifinals Tuesday at noon ET. The USWNT beat the Germans 4-1 last week in the Olympic group stage.
Hayes won't be thrilled with the overall play, but she'll be proud of the fight and certainly celebrate the result.
GOAL rates the USWNT's players from Parc Des Princes.
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