Women's Olympic Football: Team of the Tournament
Germany’s 2-1 win over Sweden in the final of the Women’s Olympic tournament gave the games the ending it deserved.
It has been an excellent tournament. There have been some fantastic stories across the 12 teams, such as the unexpected run of Canada, which beat Germany for the first time in its history.
Other notable stories included USA’s elimination on penalties and Brazil changing perspectives of the home fans, which led to some turning their backs on the team's male counterparts and showing love for Marta & Co.
Germany won its first gold, Sweden’s silver was its first Olympic medal in women's soccer and Canada surprised everyone to win its second consecutive bronze.
Women’s football has never looked stronger, with the conversation turning to tactics instead of errors. There is hope that this showing convinces the IOC to expand to 16 teams for Tokyo. It would be a massive step in the right direction.
"Now that women's soccer in #Rio2016 is over, I say:
— Caitlin Murray (@caitlinmurr) August 20, 2016"
-Expand the women to 16 teams too.
-Sort out the GB mess and get English players there.
To cap off Bleacher Report’s coverage of the women’s Olympic tournament, here is our Team of the Tournament. Let us know what you think in the comments.
GK: Hedvig Lindahl
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The 2016 Rio Olympic Games was a tournament of two halves for Sweden. After conceding five against Brazil, the team completely switched things up.
In the quarters and semi-finals, Sweden needed its goalkeeper to be at her very best.
Lindahl answered their prayers.
She had remarkable saves during both games and was crucial during the shoot-outs. Without the Chelsea Ladies' shot-stopper, Sweden would never have reached the final.
"Ahhh that could have been us 🙈!! Fair play to sweden absolutly representing europe!! Congrats @hedvig_lindahl HUGE saves 👊🏻 #Rio2016Final
— Carly Telford (@carlytelford1) August 16, 2016"
At the end of the day, it’s just me against the penalty-taker," she told FIFA.com. "If you can ignore the noise around you, or at least not let it bother you, then penalties can end up being a lot of fun.”
She might not have found it as much fun if she was on the losing side.
LB: Ashley Lawrence
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Canada was one of the greatest stories in this tournament. John Herdman's team has vastly improved since its home World Cup, and Ashley Lawrence looks like another great prospect.
Although she came into the tournament as a midfielder, Lawrence did a fantastic job at left-back alongside Kadeisha Buchanan.
“I’m satisfied with how I’ve performed. I’ve been playing at full-back, which is a new position for me,” she told FIFA.com. “I’ve just been trying to do my best, and to help out going forward as well as at the back. I’m happy with how things are going.”
"John Herdman's faith in youth paying off on that #CAN opening goal. 21-year-old Ashley Lawrence squaring for 17-year-old Deanne Rose.
— Kieran Theivam (@KiersTheivam) August 19, 2016"
She has looked like she would be comfortable all across the back line, but her strength comes from her attacking play. The 21-year-old advanced down the left-flank to set up Deanne Rose in the Bronze medal match.
It will be interesting to see where Herdman sees her future over the next few years.
CB: Kadeisha Buchanan
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If we forget the badly timed tackle on Alexandra Popp in the semi-final, Kadeisha Buchanan enjoyed a wonderful tournament.
Growing on her displays for the Canucks in the World Cup last summer, she has continued to impress.
"Ashley Lawrence, Kadeisha Buchanan in tears. Two #CANWNT standouts over the past 18 months. Hard to see.
— Laura Armstrong (@lauraarmy) August 16, 2016"
She is quick along the ground, strong and a good reader of the game. She still has a lot of raw elements, but with Lawrence beside her, the future is very bright in the Canada back-line.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
CB: Nilla Fischer
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Like Lindahl, the Wolfsburg defender will want to forget the first half of the tournament.
Fischer did score against Zimbabwe, but she was embarrassed against Brazil. However, against the USA she helped the Swedish defence improve massively.
"Many admirable veterans on this #SWE side but the angry glare & burly tackling of Nilla Fischer epitomize them. Portugal '16, or Greece '04?
— Charles Boehm (@cboehm) August 16, 2016"
Fischer kept the US front line quiet. Against Brazil, although the team had 33 shots, it was limited to mostly shots from distance.
RB: Leonie Maier
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A good defender on her day, the main aspect of Maier's game is her desire to burst down the flank.
Her attacking instincts were a feature of Germany's play throughout the gold medal journey. Anja Mittag really should have scored in the final after Maier's shot was saved.
"Intimated similar a game or two ago but if I'm having an All Star team for whatever, I'm putting Maier at RB. 👍 #RioKicks
— Jen O'Neill (@SheKicksdotnet) August 19, 2016"
Still only 23 years old, she has a huge future ahead of her and will form the base of this Germany defence going into the next few tournaments.
CM: Formiga
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The Brazilian midfielder has just competed in her sixth Olympic games. The 38-year-old has played in every competition since it began in 1996, and she doesn't seem to have aged a day.
"@Cynegeticus Formiga has been the class act of the tournament from what I've seen. Shame she doesnt have a few more years left.
— Christopher Atkins (@ChrisAtkins_) August 19, 2016"
She is still competitive, still a force and is the driving inspiration behind the Brazil midfield. It's going to be strange to see the South Americans play without her.
CM: Melanie Behringer
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After losing Simone Laudehr to injury in the very first game and the German attack failing to find its shooting boots in the early stages, Silvia Neid was looking for a hero.
Along comes forward Melanie Behringer. The 30-year-old finished as the tournament's top scorer with five goals. A thunderbolt against China perhaps the stand out effort.
"Pretty incredible that Melanie Behringer ended up as the top scorer at these Olympics.
— Cristian Nyari (@Cnyari) August 19, 2016"
"I've never scored this regularly at a tournament before: a goal a game," she admitted to FIFA.com. "It's a nice feeling for me. But ultimately the only thing that counts is that we win as a team. If I can contribute to that, then great. In the end it doesn't matter who scores."
The Bayern Munich midfielder scored important penalties when her country needed her, and her influence was key all the way through the tournament.
She may not have earned her way on the scoresheet in the final, but as she said, the gold is what mattered most.
CM: Lisa Dahlkvist
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Some other players may have deserved a spot here due to their performances throughout the tournament—thinking of Sara Dabritz, Jessie Fleming and Caitlin Foord—but Dahlkvist deserves this spot.
After helping her country earn a place in the penalty shoot-outs against the USA and Brazil, it was left to the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder to step up both times and score the penalty that sealed the wins.
"There's not a single greater penalty taker in woso than Lisa Dahlkvist. She eats pressure for breakfast #Swe
— Katja (@applessquabble) August 16, 2016"
That takes ice in your veins, and Dahlkvist was as cool as a cucumber.
LW: Marta
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As Brazil's best player, perhaps the best player to ever grace the women's game, Marta didn't let the home crowd down.
Her influence was there to be seen in all of Brazil's performances. She scored against Sweden, set up goals against China and dazzled and delighted the fans.
"An emotional Marta appeals to Brazilians not to desert the women's football team. "We need you." https://t.co/09omlYFWgd
— Andrew Downie (@adowniebrazil) August 20, 2016"
She showed her true character after missing a penalty against Australia, but then she took the responsibility again against Sweden. She didn't miss that time, but a place in the final wasn't meant to be.
She deserves a major title at some point. This would have been an amazing time to do it, but Marta has inspired a new generation and shown the world, at 30 years old, she still has what it takes.
RW: Janine Beckie
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After 20 seconds of the Olympic tournament, if you hadn't heard of Janine Beckie before, she made sure you had.
Opening the scoring against Australia in a new record time, she announced herself and her country to the Olympics.
"Well, that record was short lived, good stuff @neymarjr 👌🏼😜 #Olympics https://t.co/PEaM5OmqS0
— Janine Beckie (@janinebeckie4) August 18, 2016"
Not just a finisher, her lovely bit of skill against France set up Sophie Schmidt for the only goal of the quarter-final game.
Two strikes against Zimbabwe took her tally to three. She wouldn't score again, but she did enough to show that she is one of the next big things to get excited about in the women's game.
CF: Christine Sinclair
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What would an Olympic football tournament be without Christine Sinclair? She embodies everything that you want from this competition. A desire to win, the heartbreak of defeat and the never-give-up attitude that these games are all about.
“This one means a lot to me,” Sinclair told FIFA.com after her goal sealed a 2-1 win and a second consecutive bronze medal. “It’s been a hard year for me. My dad passed away a couple of months ago, so I’ve just given everything for this team. I’m just so proud of this team.”
“There were days where I didn’t think I’d get through it,” Sinclair continued. “All of the players and staff got me through it and they got me here. I was not leaving Brazil without a medal.”
"Christine Sinclair just might play forever, and #canWNT fans should welcome it. My latest for MLSsoccer: https://t.co/bZjJVlHhfj
— Daniel Squizzato (@DanielSquizzato) August 20, 2016"
That was her 11th goal in all her Olympic appearances. At 33 years old, we may not see her in Tokyo, but never rule anything out when it comes to Christine Sinclair.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
