US women earn bronze medal with 4-3 win over Australia

KASHIMA, Japan (AP) — Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd each scored a brace of goals and the United States won the bronze medal successful women’s shot astatine the Tokyo Olympics with a 4-3 triumph implicit Australia connected Thursday.

It was arguably the champion the Americans had looked during the people of a rocky tourney that opened with an uncharacteristic 3-0 nonaccomplishment to Sweden. Rapinoe acceptable the code aboriginal with a extremity scored straight from a country kick.

The nonaccomplishment spoiled the Australians’ first-ever travel to the medal circular astatine the Olympics. No Australian shot team, men oregon women, has ever won a medal.

The Matildas were the underdogs against the United States, the top-ranked squad successful the satellite and the defending World Cup champions who came to Japan hoping for a 5th golden medal. But the Americans struggled astatine times during the tournament, including a 1-0 nonaccomplishment to Canada successful the semifinals. The Canadians hadn’t defeated their North American counterparts since 2001.

The U.S. squad that came retired against Australia looked wholly different.

Rapinoe scored from a country footwear successful the eighth infinitesimal to springiness the Americans an aboriginal lead. It was the 2nd clip Rapinoe has scored an Olimpico, arsenic goals from corners are known: She besides had 1 successful the semifinals of the 2012 Olympics against Canada.

Sam Kerr pulled the Australians adjacent with a extremity successful the 17th infinitesimal that got past U.S. goalkeeper Adrianna Franch.

Franch got her archetypal commencement successful a large tourney successful spot of Alyssa Naeher, who injured her close genu successful the U.S. team’s semifinal nonaccomplishment to Canada.

Just 27, Kerr became the all-time starring scorer for the Australians with 48 goals. She led each scorers remaining successful the tourney with six goals.

Rapinoe’s 2nd extremity came connected a stunning volley successful the 21st, and it became evident that the Australians were missing defender Ellie Carpenter, who was handed a reddish paper precocious successful the Matildas’ 1-0 semifinal nonaccomplishment to Sweden.

Lloyd made it 3-1 successful first-half stoppage clip erstwhile her left-footed changeable got past Australia goalkeeper Teagan Micah. She added different connected a interruption successful the 51st minute, giving her a U.S. grounds 10 vocation Olympic goals.

Lloyd made her 312th quality for the nationalist squad successful the match, passing Christie Rampone for 2nd connected the all-time list. Kristine Lilly leads the vocation appearances database with 354.

Lloyd is 39 and apt playing successful her past large tournament. When she was replaced successful the 81st minute, teammates ran implicit to connection handshakes and high-fives, and the seat gave her a lasting ovation.

Caitlin Foord kept the Australians successful the crippled with a extremity successful the 54th infinitesimal earlier Emily Gielnik scored to constrictive it further successful the 90th, but yet the Matildas couldn’t marque up the difference.

Alex Morgan got wounded successful stoppage clip and had to beryllium helped disconnected the field. It appeared that she injured her near limb but determination was nary contiguous connection connected her condition.

The Australians had already met the United States astatine the Tokyo Olympics, holding the Americans to a scoreless gully successful the last crippled of the radical stage. Australia was besides the lone squad successful the radical to people connected the Swedes, who are headed for the golden medal lucifer Friday against Canada.

The U.S. team’s tournament-opening nonaccomplishment to Sweden snapped a 44-match unbeaten streak. After a rebound triumph implicit New Zealand came the scoreless gully with Australia. In the quarterfinals, the U.S. got past the Netherlands connected a punishment shootout.

But they were thwarted successful a quest to go the archetypal squad to triumph an Olympics aft a World Cup rubric by their Canadian rivals. Jessie Fleming scored connected a punishment footwear successful the 74th infinitesimal for the game’s lone goal.

The United States has reached the golden medal lucifer astatine the Olympics 5 times. The Americans person 4 golden medals, much than immoderate different squad since women’s shot became an Olympic athletics successful 1996.

But it is the 2nd Olympics they person failed to scope the golden medal match. They were beaten by Sweden successful the quarterfinals 5 years agone successful Brazil.