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Thursday, September 28
Norway scores in overtime to win
Associated Press
SYDNEY, Australia -- As the U.S. women's soccer team
assembled behind the silver medal podium, Mia Hamm left her place
in line to talk to her teammates. Some were smiling, some were
crying, some looked dazed.
"She said, 'Hold your head high -- and be proud.' And we were,"
defender Brandi Chastain said. "I think you could see that in
everybody's eyes. We're very, very proud of what we accomplished.
And I hope everybody who watches the game understands it wasn't
easy."
And it wasn't the finish the team or its fans wanted.
In the 12th minute of sudden death overtime, substitute Dagny
Mellgren scored to give Norway a 3-2 victory Thursday against the
Americans and an Olympic gold medal. It also gave it the right to
claim a spot next to the United States as the top team of the past
decade in major international women's soccer.
"Maybe we are the best team in the world now," Norway
coach Per-Matthias Hagmo said. "We have beaten the United States four
times this year, China three times."
With the victory, Norway adds the 2000 Olympic title to its 1995
World Cup championship. The United States can claim the 1991 and
last year's thrilling World Cup triumph in front of U.S. fans at
the Rose Bowl plus the gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
The victory also means Norway is still the only nation with an
all-time winning record (15-13-2) against the United States. The
Norwegians are also the only team to defeat the Americans in a World
Cup or Olympic tournament, the other victory coming in the 1995
World Cup semifinals.
"Norway did what they had to do," coach April Heinrichs said.
"They kept their game plan very simple and they never gave up."
The game was by far the best of the Olympic tournament. The U.S.
team took an early lead, lost it just before halftime, then fell
behind in the second half before forcing overtime with Tiffeny
Milbrett's goal seconds before the end of regulation.
"When the U.S. team scored very early I thought 'No, not again.
Why should they win again and again and again?' " said Gro
Espeseth, who scored Norway's first goal. "It was terrible when
Tiffy scored the goal when they were a few seconds from the end.
But we came back. Dagna scored a wonderful goal and it was a magic
moment."
Although these Olympics weren't a cumulative last-hurrah for the
stars of the U.S. team, it's likely that the lineup will change
substantially before the next major tournament, the 2003 World Cup.
Carla Overbeck is the only player definitely retiring from
international play this year, but it's inevitable that younger
players will start to challenge longtime veterans such as Kristine
Lilly, Julie Foudy, Joy Fawcett, Chastain and Hamm.
The loss is a tough one for Heinrichs, who has been under
pressure to match predecessor Tony DiCicco's success. Heinrichs'
aggressive style and unusual tactics have drawn critics, but her
team won every tournament it entered this year before the Olympics.
"They won the silver medal but their game was golden tonight,"
Heinrichs said. "I'm incredibly proud of each one and incredibly
proud of their achievements. ... We couldn't have started better
and it was a coach's dream to push the ball around the way we did
and have as much possession as we did."
The winning goal came when Mellgren took a deflection off
defender Fawcett's head as they played a long ball from Hege Riise.
The ball hit Mellgren's shoulder and landed at her feet before she
pushed it to the left of goalkeeper Siri Mullinix from 7 yards.
Foudy appealed to referee for a hand ball, but referee Sonia
Denoncourt replied: "Don't do this to me, Jules."
Norway nearly had it won in regulation, but Milbrett's second
goal with seconds left in second-half injury time tied the game.
Milbrett outleaped defender Goeril Kringen to knock home Hamm's
long cross from the right wing. There was literally no time left --
when the ball was returned to the center circle for the kickoff,
Denoncourt signaled the end of the second half.
An interesting moment occurred with the score tied 1-1 in the
60th minute, when Lilly's drive was headed off the line at the post
in a great defensive play by Kringen. A year ago, in the World Cup
final at the Rose Bowl, it was Lilly's header on the line in
overtime that prevented a China victory and sent the game to
penalty kicks.
Hamm did almost all the work, and Milbrett scored the goal as
the Americans took a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute. Hamm took
Foudy's pass and fought off Kringen in the left side of the box,
drew the goalkeeper out and passed to Milbrett, who one-touched the
ball into the open net from 8 yards.
The Americans put on a clinic of smooth passing to dominate
possession in the first half, while Norway unsuccessfully tried to
work the long ball. But the Norwegians kept at it -- scoring all
three goals using the set pieces and long balls at which they
excel.
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