The United States women’s soccer team is moving on to the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics after they defeated Japan 1-0 in extra time on Saturday.
Trinity Rodman scored the game’s only goal in stoppage time in the first extra period.
The United States came into the game having outscored their opponents 9-2 and had yet to lose any of their group stage matches. Japan played strong defense despite the Americans’ strong possession numbers, and both sides were scoreless heading into extra time.
Mallory Swanson, who leads the women’s squad with three goals in these Olympic Games, had the best opportunities to score in the second half for the U.S. but couldn’t find the back of the net.
The United States were not their usual crisp selves, as they had frequent errant passes and missed chances.
The U.S. and Japan have a history of playing each other on the big stages. Japan beat the United States in the 2011 Women’s World Cup final. The following year, the United States defeated Japan in the 2012 Olympic final for gold.
The United States also beat Japan in the 2015 World Cup, when Carli Lloyd scored three goals in the first 16 minutes of the match.
For Japan, their Olympic tournament is over. Similar to the 2020 Tokyo Games, they lost to Sweden in the quarterfinals.
America moves one step closer to getting a medal. They won bronze at the Tokyo Games after losing to Canada in the semifinals.
The United States will play the winner of Germany and Canada in the semifinals. The U.S. defeated Germany 4-1 in the group stage.
The semifinal match will be August 6, at 12 p.m. ET.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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