Olympics Recap: All Five OL Reign Players Headed to Quarterfinals

After the final matchday of the 2020 Olympic group stage, OL Reign players Rose Lavelle, Megan Rapinoe, Quinn, Angeline and Nicole Momiki and their countries will be moving on to the quarterfinals of the 2020 Olympic Games.  

United States vs. Australia 

The United States had an underwhelming performance in their final match of the group stage, playing to a 0-0 draw against Australia. Both Rose Lavelle and Megan Rapinoe were included in the starting eleven for the match. 

The Australian side dominated possession of the ball from the beginning, keeping 62% possession throughout the entire match. But the U.S. had some chances. In the 33rd minute, Megan Rapinoe played back to Kelly O’Hara who whipped a ball across into the box to a running Alex Morgan who headed the ball into the back of the net, but the goal was disallowed after an extensive video review as she was narrowly offside. 

Although Australia had majority of the possession, neither team were able to score. The 0-0 draw secured a second-place finish for the U.S. in Group G, meaning the team will advance to the quarterfinals where they will square off with the Netherlands. 

Canada vs. Great Britain 

Quinn earned a start in Canada’s hard-fought match against Great Britain that ended in a 1-1 draw. The first half was deadlocked 0-0, as the teams were relatively evenly matched. While each team had a couple of attempts on goal, neither side got on the board. 

At the start of the second half, Canada came out strong, challenging the Great Britain team and forcing mistakes. In the 54th minute, Canada scored the first goal of the game. Ashely Lawrence crossed the ball to Adriana Leon, who found the back of the net. 

Canada attempted to hold on to the lead until the 85th minute when Great Britain equalized. Caroline Weir took a shot that was deflected into the back of the Canadian net. With this draw, Canada finished in second place of Group E and will be advancing to the quarterfinal, where they will face off against Brazil. 

Chile vs. Japan 

The host country Japan secured their first win of the Olympics against Chile, thanks to a Mina Tanaka goal. OL Reign forward Nicole Momiki was available as a sub for Japan but did not make an appearance. 

Though Japan had 61% of possession throughout the match, Chile did well to shut down Japan’s attempts on goal for the majority of the match. The first half was a back-and-forth battle that ended in a 0-0 draw at halftime.  

The start of the second half looked similar to the first, but Japan finally found a breakthrough goal in the 77th minute when Tanaka found the bottom left corner of the goal from inside the box. Chile was desperate to find an equalizer, but Japan was able to hold onto their 1-0 until the final whistle. This win secured Japan a spot in the quarterfinals, where they will take on Sweden. 

Brazil vs. Zambia 

Angelina made her first Olympic start for Brazil in the team’s 1-0 win over Zambia that earned the team a spot in the quarterfinals. 

The match got off to an eventful start for Brazil and Zambia, with each team having an attempt on the goal in the first five minutes of the match. In the 10th minute of the match, the game escalated when Ludmila was fouled by Lushomo Mweemba just outside the box. After video review, Mweemba was issued a red card for her challenge and Zambia was down to ten players for the remainder of the match. To make matter worse for Zambia, goalkeeper Hazel Nali was injured in the play and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher. She was replaced by Ngambo Musole. 

Andressa took the free kick, masterfully landing her left footed shot into the right corner of the goal to give Brazil the early lead. The rest of the first half was evenly matched, neither team finding the back of the net before the half time whistle. 

In the second half, Brazil continued to hang onto their lead and Zambia did well to defend Brazil’s attempts despite being down a player. With a 1-0 advantage and an impressive 73% of possession, Brazil booked their ticket to the quarterfinals where they will face off against Canada. 

Updated Group Standings 

All teams have played three games. Chile, Zambia, China and New Zealand have been eliminated from the tournament.  

Group E 

1. Great Britain (7 points, +3 goal differential) 

2. Canada (5 points, 1 goal differential) 

3. Japan (4 points, 0 goal differential) 

4. Chile (0 points, -4 goal differential) 

Group F 

1. Netherlands (7 points, +13 goal differential) 

2. Brazil (7 points, +6 goal differential) 

3. Zambia (1 points, -8 goal differential) 

4. China (1 points, -11 goal differential)  

Group G 

1. Sweden (9 points, +7 goal differential) 

2. USA (4 points, +2 goal differential) 

3. Australia (4 points, -1 goal differential) 

4. New Zealand (0 points, -8 goal differential)  

Up Next 

Quarterfinals – July 30 

1:00 a.m. PT – Canada (Quinn) vs. Brazil (Angelina) 

2:00 a.m. PT – Great Britain vs. Australia 

3:00 a.m. PT – Sweden vs. Japan (Momiki) 

4:00 a.m. PT – Netherlands vs. United States (Lavelle, Rapinoe)