Emma Hayes’ USA side ruthlessly beat Zambia 3-0 in their Olympics opener – which saw teenager Pauline Zulu in tears following her red card.
The Zambia defender was sent off after denying the Americans a goal-scoring opportunity, originally getting a yellow card just before the break.
The referee was sent to the monitor to check whether the foul was inside the box or not after Sophia Smith was hauled down.
While the incident was deemed to be outside the box, Zulu’s yellow card was upgraded to a red, resulting in her crying as she made her way off the pitch, where she was consoled by her teammates.
This came after just 34 minutes while Zambia were already 3-0 down by that point with former Chelsea boss Hayes watching on from the sideline.
Hayes took charge of the USWNT over the summer upon leaving Chelsea after 12 years in charge.
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The United States are one of the favourites to scoop the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
And they had made light work of Zambia at La Beaujoire Stadium in Nantes, scoring three times in 25 first half minutes.
Trinity Rodman – daughter of NBA legend Dennis – opened the scoring after 17 minutes.
And an incredible two-minute double from Mallory Swanson put them in commanding charge.
But despite dominating throughout the match, they could not build on their early lead.
Zambia managed to hold on to keep the scoreline at 3-0, with goal difference a potentially key factor this tournament.
But this is a fine start to the Olympics for Hayes, whose unbeaten record as USWNT boss extended to five, with four wins and one draw.
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News Summary:
- Zambian teenager left in tears following straight red card as Emma Hayes’ USA run riot in Olympics opener
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