Liza Offreda and Katherine Ward scored goals good enough to grace any final, while Felicia Schroeder grabbed a brace as the US struck gold in the Deaflympics women’s soccer final at Taipei Municipal Stadium yesterday.
The US grabbed a 4-0 victory over Germany that was lit up after a drab first half by the skillful finishes applied by Offreda and Ward.
In the first half, neither team managed to take a grip on the match. Schroeder and Kelly O’Steen were controlling the midfield area, but the US were failing to create chances for Shaquana McDonough, playing up front after her stellar defensive efforts against Britain in the semi-final.
PHOTO: LIN CHENG-KUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
In the 23rd minute, McDonough almost broke the deadlock when her shot had to be tipped onto the bar by German goalkeeper Nicole Loeck.
Then, in the 31st minute, Germany had a chance to create some pressure on the US goal when Laura Moller was fouled by Megan Johnston on the edge of the area, but Stefanie Ziegler wasted the free-kick, hitting over the German attackers’ heads and wide past the far post.
At halftime the US coach changed the pattern of the match, pushing Katie Romano forward to partner McDonough in attack and gambling on playing with three at the back, with O’Steen sitting deep in midfield to protect the defense.
The gamble paid off, with the US dominating possession and territory and in the 61st minute they went ahead.
Schroeder played a ball out to the right that McDonough left for Offreda, who saw the onrushing Loeck and chipped the ball over the advancing keeper’s reach and into the far corner of the net.
It was a fantastic strike in a match that was now being played in the German half, and 13 minutes later the US doubled their lead.
The German defense failed to clear the ball from a corner and it pinged around the area before Schroeder managed to poke it into the bottom corner.
In the 81st minute there was another piece of magic when Ward collected the ball 25m from goal, spotted that Loeck was off her line by a few meters and teed up a volley that lobbed the keeper, dipping just under the crossbar to make it 3-0.
Five minutes later, Schroeder grabbed her second and the US’ fourth when she headed Offreda’s corner from the left into the bottom corner of the German net, completing a great win and ensuring the US would take home the gold medal.
Earlier yesterday at Yingfeng Sports Field in the men’s soccer tournament, Germany claimed the bronze medal as goals from Benjamin Christ (2), Florian Becker and substitute Robin Bayer gave them a 4-0 victory over France.
In yesterday’s other soccer games, Iran grabbed fifth place after a 7-2 victory over Argentina in a game in which all the goals were scored in the second half.
Ireland finished seventh by beating the US 3-0 and former champions Great Britain finished ninth after defeating Spain 3-0.
Denmark took 11th place with a 3-2 win over Japan, while South Korea finished 13th after defeating South Africa by the same score.
Badminton world No. 3 Anders Antonsen clinched his first Indonesia Open title yesterday after beating Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen, while South Korea’s An Se-young won her second championship in Jakarta. The 28-year-old Dane sank world No. 7 Chou at the Indonesian capital’s Istora Senayan arena, winning 22-20, 21-14 in a 60-minute match to secure the prestigious Super 1000 event. Antonsen came out on top in a tightly contested first game before cruising to victory in the second. In a more closely fought women’s singles final, South Korean ace and world No. 1 An fought back from one game down to beat China’s
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
‘STILL’: In front of a packed New Jersey arena attended by Donald Trump and Mike Tyson, UFC 316 delivered high drama as Merab Dvalishvili retained his title Georgia’s Merab Dvalishvili scored a second-round submission win over Sean O’Malley to retain his bantamweight title at Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 316 on Saturday, with Kayla Harrison also winning by submission in the co-main event, tapping out Juliana Pena to claim the women’s bantamweight crown. In front of a packed crowd at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, which included US President Donald Trump and retired heavyweight great Mike Tyson, Dvalishvili, a 34-year-old from the country of Georgia, won the belt in a convincing, although not aesthetically pleasing, unanimous decision. Dvalishvili (19-4) sat on top of the cage and shouted
Manchester City on Monday completed the signing of left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a reported ￡31 million (US$41.8 million). The 24-year-old Algeria international has signed a five-year contract and will be available for the FIFA Club World Cup, which begins later this week. Ait-Nouri is expected to be just one of a trio of new City faces for that tournament with deals close to completion for AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and Olympique Lyonnais playmaker Rayan Cherki. After missing out on a major trophy in the recently completed season for the first time since 2016-2017, City are hoping
RSS