The final showdown for gold stands between Brazil and USA in Paris.

Familiar foes meet once again at an Olympics final, but who will have the final laugh?

Courtesy: Getty images.

Brazil squeezed out of the group stages as one of the best two teams finishing third in their group standing, and they have just booked their ticket to the final. Standing in their way is four-time Olympic champions and familiar opponents, the USWNT.

This means the final on Saturday will be a repeat of the 2004 and 2008 finals, both of which were won by the Americans. The legendary Marta will play her final game in a Brazilian shirt that evening, looking to end a historic international career with a gold medal around her neck. Here is how the battle might play out given what we have seen so far.

USWNT attacking line is clutch

Two late goals in extra time is the narrative of how the USWNT got through the knock out stages so far. To the rescue has been Sophia Smith against Germany, and Trinity Rodman against a frustrating Japan after playing goal-less for 90 minutes. The duo in addition to Mallory Swanson, have scored three goals each in the tournament so far, with each picking up at least an assist.

The USWNT front-line has clicked regardless of opposition and which moment in the game they are in, they have capitalized on the key moments. Germany rolled out a 4-4-2 against the U.S., a formation they have stuck with all tournament so far.

Looking to beat that, USWNT head coach Emma Hayes opted to do the same with Rose Lavelle pulling out to the left as Smith and Swanson combined as the central pair. Crystal Dunn would start the attack and help the U.S load up front with almost five options to choose from.

Yet, the central midfield work by Sam Coffey and Lindsey Horan was not clicking for the majority of the game. Imbalanced and not on the same page, the two struggled to get one up against the aggressive German set-up. However, the injuries of Lea Schüller and Alex Popp forced the European side to move things around, that in some ways allowed the U.S to go unpunished in the middle.

Lynn Williams has come off the bench in all her minutes this tournament, and her versatility has been showcased over and over again. Maybe the unsung hero in some of the last few games, but Williams has shown to “understand the assignment” with every shift she’s put in so far.

Courtesy: Getty Images

Goals win games, and the attackers are usually responsible for finding the net. This is great news for the USA whose all three attackers have the highest shots on target in the tournament so far, putting on display a front-line that trusts it’s ability to shoot, and have allowed it’s creative input to come out.

Afterall, even with a midfield that struggled and a frontline that did not get the service it desires, it was the quality of pace and clinical nature by Smith that takes her team to the final. Ironically, Smith celebrates her 24th on Saturday, a birthday goal would certainly be special.

Naomi Girma is massive

"The best defender I've ever seen. Ever. I've never seen a player as good as her in the back." Hayes told reporters post-game on Tuesday. That is a fair and valid comment to say given the performances (s) Girma has had this tournament.

The American defender was there to clear every ball Germany put in the box. Wether that was a cross coming in from either flank, or a central pass, Girma was ready to intercept and steer away danger. Aware of her surrounding and where the opposition is, Girma uses both feet and her head to get her body in the way, and that has been monumental.

Courtesy: Getty Images.

Germany grew frustrated finding Girma at the end of every ball in the box, but her non stop hustle meant whichever option they seeked, Girma was still there. More impressive than anything, is how disciplined the San Diego defender is, almost never getting stuck in a bad challenge or giving her opponents a reason to content a call.

Girma’s partnership with Emily Fox in the back has made the duo hard to breakdown and breakup. The U.S. have only conceded two goals up until this point, both coming in the group stages. It’s been an Alyssa Naeher masterclass behind the solid backline. Present, clean, and dominant is what Girma has been at the Olympics for the USWNT.

Brazil has squad depth

Head Coach Arthur Elias has had to work around injuries, using the alternate list and switching things up from the first game of the tournament. Coming in to the semi-final battle against Spain, Brazil was without key names like Tamires and Rafaelle Souza due to injury as well as Marta who was serving a two game suspension following a straight red card in the finale group stage game.

Elias surprised some against Japan when he rolled out six changes in the starting XI compared to the previous line-up that took on Nigeria in the opening game. And whilst the majority of changes that have happened up to this stage of tournament have been due to injuries, Brazil have used that time to gel together and build unexplored partnerships.

Yasmim and Ana Vitória in particular have been impressive with their contribution on the fast break. Yamsim scored her first assist of the tournament in Brazil’s second goal against Spain in the semi-finals and went on to play the entire game.

Lauren started both games against Spain in the back, but showed her improved awareness of the Spaniards crosses on Tuesday, which was a crucial element in Brazil defensive job. Though concerns at the start of the month that the team had not glued together, Brazil have made the most out of playing under uncomfortable circumstances.

There is a generation shift happening in the Brazilian squad, and transition aches were bound to happen at some point. The level of heart the team showed in their 4-2 semi-final victory spoke volume about this set of players and the excitement they can bring on a good day. Three years away from hosting a World Cup, this is exactly what Brazil needed to do, especially after a disappointing 2023 World Cup. Under the leadership of Marta, she has brought up these youngsters now fighting to get a gold medal around her neck

Deadly counter-attacks.

They way to beat Spain has been to catch them on the counter-attack, but that is much easier said than done. The World Champions don’t often loose possession, Cata Coll has been fairly consistent, and the backline has improved at tracking back, yet, they have been leaky. Brazil approached the semi-final in the perfect manner.

Two of the four goals Brazil scored on Tuesday were the result of quick counter-attacking football. In fact, had Brazil been more clinical, the scoreline would have looked much more devastating that what it ended up being. Elias’s side had plenty of joy making runs between Spain’s centre-backs who struggled to close Brazil down. Additionally, Olga Carmona struggled with all defensive duties in the back.

Gabi Portilho completely unmarked in front of Carmona in build of Brazil’s second goal.

Though Brazil’s attacking frontline looks different to what it did 12 months ago at the World Cup, it is not short of aggressive runners who can strike with calmness. Heading into the final, Brazil has had six different goal scorers this tournament, with Gabi Portilho the only player responsible for two.

The 3-4-3 Brazil rolled out punished a Spain side that was disorganized in the back, and it was fully deserved. Plenty of what went wrong for the South American nation in the group stages was tweaked and improved on during Tuesday’s showdown.

It will deliver.

It is hard to predict a women’s Olympic football bingo card, and therefore difficult to pinpoint a clear winner for Saturday’s showdown. How will the USWNT manage load and tired legs will be a part of the answer, but so will the number of injuries surrounding the Brazilian camp on match-day.

It is clear however, that the final will be an exciting match-up to end what has been an entertaining women’s football tournament. Will football want to write the fairy-tail ending for Marta, or will it look dignify the start of Emma Hayes’ international football era in dominance?