US Women’s team seal Tokyo Olympics progress after goalless draw
United States Women’s National Team forward Alex Morgan had a goal disallowed by VAR as Vlatko Andonovski’s side drew 0-0 with Australia in their final game of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics group stage.
The result means that the USWNT qualifies in second position while Australia wait for later results to see if they will qualify as best third-placed team.
The USWNT continued their average form in this tournament with the Matildas dominating possession early on. In the opening 15 minutes, Tony Gustavsson’s side had 62% possession.
Mary Fowler, a late substitute in the starting lineup for Caitlin Foord and making her Olympic debut, had an excellent opportunity to put Australia ahead on 20 minutes but her header ricocheted off the crossbar.
It appeared that Morgan had put the USWNT ahead on 33 minutes when she headed Kelley O’Hara’s corner into the net but a VAR review showed that her elbow was just offside and the goal was disallowed.
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Australia’s dominance in possession continued in the second half but they were unable to make it count.
Christen Press had a perfect opportunity on 56 minutes to put the USWNT ahead after a through ball put her behind Ellie Carpenter but a heavy touch saw the ball get away from her.
In a low-key game with few chances, neither side could find a breakthrough in the closing stages with a stalemate a fair result between two sides far from their best.