USWNT v. Norway - 2000 Sydney Olympics Final Gold Medal Match - Link In Vid/Below/At USWNT Classics

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In an epic Women's Soccer Final Match at the Sydney Olympics (played on September 28th, 2000 at the Sydney Football Stadium in front of a crowd of roughly 22,848 fans), the USWNT fell to archrival Norway 2-3 in extra time. The defending Women's World Cup Champions and Atlanta 1996 Gold Medal winners tied the game at 2-2 in stoppage time of regulation on a Mia Hamm cross to a 5' 1" Tiffeny Milbrett, who headed the ball into the bottom left corner of the far post but unfortunately, the Americans were unable to defend their title as a controversial call of a Norwegian goal off of what appeared to be a Dagny Mellgren handball sunk the USWNT in extra time.

WoSo FIFA sanctioned tournaments still used "Golden Goal" as the rule for deciding the winner in overtime instead of the now, two fifteen minute extra periods. Additionally, the Sydney Olympics still saw only eight women's teams featured in the tournament with no Quarterfinal stage but merely three group stage games, two semifinals, the third-place Bronze Medal Match and the Gold Medal Match to decide the first-place winners and second place Silver runners-up.

The match contains a halftime discussion with former Captain and then Head Coach, April Heinrichs, a partial medal ceremony and three post-games interviews, one on-field with Brandi Chastain and Tiffeny Milbrett and two off-field, one with Julie Foudy, Carla Overbeck and Cindy Parlow and one with Julie Foudy, Brandi Chastain and Tiffeny Milbrett, where the players discuss the heartbreaking loss, the end of an era with multiple player retirements and the launch of the new Women’s Professional Soccer League, The WUSA, in 2001.

Scoring Summary:

USWNT:
Milbrett 5', 90+'

Norway:
Espeseth 44'
Gulbrandsen 78'
Mellgren 102'

OF NOTE: There were a few commercial breaks during the match which is why you might see time lapses.