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Brutal doesn’t even begin to describe it. The USMNT dismantled a flailing New Zealander side in their 4-1 victory, picking holes in their porous defense and embarrassing them for 90 minutes. Panicked in their opener against France, the USMNT looked confident and assured as they picked up their first points of the Olympics.
Finally motivated after their uninspiring loss to France, the States leaned into their attacking core to succeed in Marseille. If there was any time for a masterclass or a miracle, Saturday had to be the day. They needed a win against New Zealand to have a realistic chance of advancing to the knockout stage. New Zealand posed quite a challenge. They won their first game in a physical, gritty battle against Guinea, and they’d been praised for their tough low block.
Regardless, the Americans got off to a fiery start. They attacked the wings through overlapping fullbacks and incisive wingers, combining to wreak havoc near the byline. Right after kickoff, Djordjé Mihailović and Duncan McGuire combined on the wing, nearly resulting in a chance for Gianluca Busio. Although Busio couldn’t get his shot off in time, John Tolkin fired an outside-the-box shot, prompting an excellent save from the New Zealand keeper. This American team looked nothing like the helpless team that France dominated.
USMNT wins lead early over New Zealand
Minutes later, right-back Nathan Harriel was fouled in the box, and the US won a penalty within the first seven minutes of the game. Mihailovic, who nearly scored in their loss to France on Thursday, easily sent keeper Alex Paulsen the wrong way. His penalty skipped into the bottom right corner, putting the USMNT up a goal over New Zealand.
Only minutes later, Zimmerman would double the Americans’ lead, the fitting finish to a beautiful Mihailović set piece. Harriel nearly got on the end of Mihailović’s inswinging free-kick. Although Paulsen made an excellent save, Zimmerman neatly converted…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/olympics/brilliant-usmnt-slots-four-past-weak-new-zealand/
Author : Deolu Akingbade
Publish date : 2024-07-27 19:55:55
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