Enlarge image
US superstar Megan Rapinoe was unable to lead her team to the Olympic final
Photo: Fernando Vergara / dpa
The soccer world champions from the USA failed in the semifinals of the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The star ensemble around Megan Rapinoe lost to Canada 0: 1 (0: 0) and will only play for the bronze medal on Friday.
Jessie Flemming scored the goal of the day with a penalty in the 75th minute of the game.
In the second semifinals, the Olympic runner-up Sweden and Australia face each other.
The game with a few high points was evenly balanced over long periods.
After the penalty goal a quarter of an hour before the end, the highly traded US team could no longer counter.
The regular goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, heroine who was still celebrated in the quarter-final thriller against the Netherlands (4: 2 iE), was no longer on the pitch.
She had to be replaced after only 30 minutes injured.
Substitute Adrianna Franch guessed the right corner from Flemming's penalty, but couldn't get the shot.
Canada had to wait 20 years for a win against the USA
The four-time tournament winner missed the Olympic final for the second time in a row.
Before the tournament, discussions had risen about whether the nominated team was too old.
Superstar Megan Rapinoe, for example, is now 36 years old, and Carli Lloyd is even 39. Both came on after an hour of playing against Canada.
Alex Morgan, the youngest striker in the squad at 32, played from the start.
The USA had already surprisingly lost the opening game 3-0 (0-1) against Sweden.
The debate about the age of the team could get louder now.
For Canada it was the first victory against the USA in 20 years, the Olympic third in 2016 and 2012 will now play for gold for the first time.
After gold in Rio in 2016, the German selection missed qualifying for Tokyo through the quarter-finals at the 2019 World Cup.
svs / sid
