Paris Olympics: Sophia Smith sends USWNT into gold-medal final with clutch extra-time goal

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LYON, France — Sophia Smith rescued the U.S. women’s national team from a second straight Olympic soccer slog here on Tuesday, and sent the USWNT to its first gold-medal match since 2012.

In another arduous knockout match, after another scoreless 90 minutes, another superstar attacker broke open a locked game in extra time.

Three days earlier, it was Trinity Rodman. Here at the Groupama Stadium, in a semifinal against Germany, it was Smith. She sped and scrapped past a German defender in the 95th minute, and scored the only goal of a 1-0 victory.

Nine days earlier, the USWNT had raced past this same German side. They bolted into the knockout rounds, looking like a team transformed. Their dreary quarterfinal against Japan, though, reminded all involved that knockout soccer is a different animal; and that this semifinal might also be a tactical, physical battle.

And for the better part of 90 minutes, it turned into exactly that. Germany wasn’t quite as conservative as Japan had been. But, after a few bright moments in the opening 15 minutes — Rodman created the best chance of the first half for Rose Lavelle — this group-stage rematch reverted into a lull.

There were slight swings, modest surges. There were dangerous set pieces at both ends. But every save that Alyssa Naeher and Ann-Katrin Berger, the two goalkeepers, had to make was routine.

Defensively, the U.S. was sound. Naomi Girma, in yet another big game at yet another major tournament, was imperious. She stone-walled German attackers one-on-one; she read and intercepted through-balls; she cut out crosses.

The Germans charged into the second half, and suddenly looked like the better team. But they couldn’t find a way past Girma, the best player on the field by far.

The game, one year to the day since the USWNT lost a heartbreaker to Sweden at the Women’s World Cup, began to feel a lot like that infamous night in Melbourne, Australia. The Americans were eager; they were up for a challenge; but they struggled to create many (or any) high-quality chances.

Tired legs — the product of five games in 13 days and little lineup rotation — over-hit passes in the final third.

The game became stretched, but exhausted players couldn’t exploit increasingly open spaces.

A few went down, clutching for cramping muscles.

And a second consecutive knockout slog — for both teams — headed to extra time at 0-0, and looked destined for penalties.

But that’s where this story diverged from last summer’s. When asked Saturday whether the Sweden game — in which Smith missed a critical penalty — was on her mind as a similar conclusion loomed, Smith said: “We’re moved on from the World Cup.”

Then she proved it.

The decisive three-pass move started from Girma, and it was excellent. Sam Coffey nestled into a pocket in her midfield pivot position, received the ball on the turn, and played a pass into the feet of Mallory Swanson, who’d popped into another pocket of space further up the field. Swanson’s through-ball was read by German fullback Feli Rauch. But Smith, who had been alarmingly quiet in the second half, chased it down, and guided the ball into the far corner of the net.

And the U.S., flaunting its individual firepower, held on for another gutsy victory.

In Saturday’s final, it will get either Brazil or the reigning world champions, Spain.