Spain defeated the United States 2-0 on Saturday in a showdown between the two top-ranked teams in international women’s soccer at Audi Field in Washington, DC.
No. 1-ranked Spain quickly took over the USWNT, scoring two goals in the first 14 minutes of the match and leading the rest of the match.
In the third minute, Spaniard Patri Guijarro fired a brilliant shot from outside the box to beat goalkeeper Claudia Dickey and give La Roja a 1-0 lead:
Just 11 minutes later, Spain struck again when Eva Navarro delivered a perfect cross from Salma Paralluelo:
With that, the Americans found themselves in an unusual position, trailing by two goals.
Steve Goff of Yahoo Sports and Keeper Notes discussed how rare it has been in recent years for the United States to trail by more than one goal, especially under head coach Emma Hayes:
It momentarily looked like the USA had cut their deficit in half in the 53rd minute, but Sophia Wilson was ruled offside during the VAR review:
The United States continued to do the same in the minutes that followed, and a golden opportunity was earned when Mallory Swanson was dragged down in the box.
However, 19-year-old Lily Yohannes’ penalty was blocked by Spanish goalkeeper Adriana Nanclares, allowing Spain to maintain their 2-0 advantage:
A red card for Spain’s Athenea del Castillo in the first minute of stoppage time gave the United States some hope, but Spain held on and kept a clean sheet.
While Spain won the possession battle with 54 percent to the United States’ 46 percent, the Americans’ strong play in the second half allowed them to finish with 12 shots and nine shots on goal, compared to Spain’s six and three.
Saturday’s loss continued the USWNT’s trend of inconsistent play dating back to April.
In their last six matches, the Americans have won three and lost three with losses to Spain, Brazil and Japan.
Meanwhile, Spain’s only defeat in their last 21 matches came against England in April.
Although Saturday’s result was disappointing for the Americans, they will have an opportunity to bounce back quickly when they face Spain again in another friendly match Tuesday night in Chester, Pennsylvania.
Gn sports
