Olympics: USA 2-1 Japan – US Women Take Gold As 80,000 People Stay To Boo Sepp Blatter in Unison (Photos & Highlights)

Chris Wright

10th, August 2012

10 Comments

By Chris Wright

Carli Lloyd scored twice in front of a record 80,203 crowd at Wembley as the USA women’s side won their fourth (and third consecutive) Olympic gold by beating Japan 2-1 in the final. Of the last four Olympic tournaments, only Norway back at Sydney 2000 have disrupted the American dominance.

Japan hit the US woodwork twice, their own once and had a clear penalty wafted away as a frantic second half saw them create and spurn chance after chance, until Yuki Ogimi tapped home from about 30cm out to give her side a lifeline. Reigning Young Asian Player of the Year, 17-year old Mana Iwabuchi almost pulled Japan level in the dying moments, but her curling effort was spectacularly palmed away by a flying Hope Solo – who later deliberately removed her gloves to get the Nike swoosh in all the team celebration photos. Yuck.

Anyway, what followed was just about the most ridiculously long medal ceremony you’ll ever bear witness to, as the US, Japan and third-place Canada all lined up to receive their requisite trinkets – made bearable by the fact that 80,000 people stayed inside Wembley just to boo Sepp Blatter for the entire duration (skip to 3:10m)…

Huzzah!

Photos…

Highlights…

Photos: PA/Video via @James_Dart

Posted in Olympic Football, Photos, Videos

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10 Comments

  1. HotSpur922 says:

    I couldn’t watch the game so I didn’t see the epicness ensue but did they all really boo septic bladder?

    LOLz either way

  2. Toz says:

    Is it just me or does every team have a Megan Rapinoe inspired peroxide-pixie cut lass?

  3. lisa says:

    it was an epic game! all medal winning teams in this competition left themselves on the pitches of britain….was really proud of them all. anyone who could watch the semis, the bronze, and the gold medal matches and not be impressed by the sheer determination and skill of these ladies are truly blinkered. mens football could learn a thing or ten from these ladies.

  4. Jake says:

    To bad the Americans cheated their way into the final for and undeserved gold.

  5. lethal says:

    @lisa you hit the nail on the head. The women’s football has been brilliant. Glad to see the US ladies take it home again. We put our hat in it’s place, then avenged our WC Final loss.

  6. Chris says:

    Happy to say I was there – suspect it was mostly us Brits who booed – probably a good 40,000 at least. I know we were booing and a US couple a few rows in front of us were looking around wondering what it was all about. Fantastic game btw.

  7. Steve says:

    @Jake

    The Yanks didn’t cheat. The ref just decided to put her head fully up her ass in the game against my Canada.

  8. Del says:

    I didn’t see the final but I saw Japan 2-1 France in the semi-final and those Japanese ladies really impressed me. Their teamwork and workrate was phenomenal, they can go back to their country wil their heads held high.

  9. […] quotes from Sepp after being asked by the Guardian why he thought the 80,000-capacity Wembley crowd almost universally booed him during the womens’ football medal ceremony at the London Olympics last […]

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