The United States women’s football team, now managed by former Chelsea boss Emma Hayes, kicked off their Olympic campaign with a dominant 3-0 victory against Zambia in Nice.
United States 3-0 Zambia
Scorers:
Trinity Rodman (17′)
Mallory Swanson (24′, 25′)
Match Summary:
Early Pressure: The United States started strong, with Trinity Rodman hitting the crossbar early on before giving her team the lead in the 17th minute.
Quickfire Double: Mallory Swanson doubled the lead in the 24th minute and scored again just a minute later to make it 3-0.
Zambia’s Red Card: Zambia’s hopes were further diminished when Pauline Zulu received a red card, reducing her team to 10 players for the remainder of the match.
Second Half Control: Despite their numerical advantage, the United States were unable to add to their tally in the second half.
This match marked Emma Hayes’ first competitive outing as the head coach of the U.S. women’s team after leaving Chelsea at the end of last season. Hayes had a successful 12-year tenure at Chelsea, winning the Women’s Super League title seven times, including in each of the last five seasons.