The women's football tournament ended with Canada beating Sweden on penalties in a dramatic final – but which individuals shone across the two weeks?

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  GK | Stephanie Labbe | Canada

  Stephanie Labbe's Olympic Games were a highlight reel of the highest quality.

  After suffering a painful rib injury in the first game against Japan, she wiped the tears off her face, got up and saved a penalty from Mina Tanaka. She had to sit out the second fixture as a result, but after returning in the third and final group game, she was at her very best again, with two penalty saves in the quarter-final shootout win over Brazil and another pair in the final against Sweden.

  No goalkeeper made more saves and Labbe also has the best save percentage of any goalkeeper who played more than one game in the tournament. There were a lot of sensational showings from shot-stoppers in this tournament, but none better than those from Canada's No.1. 

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  RB | Ashley Lawrence | Canada

  Cool as ice. That's the best way to describe Ashley Lawrence's Olympic tournament. The composure with which she played in one of the meanest defences at the Games, both in standing up to attackers and in playing out from the back, was absolutely superb.

  The 26-year-old, who can also play in midfield, was the most outstanding right-back in Japan, winning more tackles than any other player.

  But Lawrence has also thrived in her attacking game too, proving a menace out wide when Canada have got forward. She completed 10 dribbles, a total topped by just three players, and provided a brilliant assist for Adrianna Leon in the 1-1 draw with Great Britain in the group stages.

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  CB | Ellie Carpenter | Australia

  Ellie Carpenter is usually a right-back – and one of the most exciting right-backs in the world, at that. However, for Australia this summer, she was deployed as a right-sided centre-back in a back three, and she was absolutely exceptional.

  When not standing up tall against some of the best players in the world, or producing brilliant last ditch tackles with the benefit of her lightning pace, Carpenter was able to charge forward and add some impetus to the Matildas on the attack, even if her role might have been seen as more defensive.

  The 21-year-old's tournament ended on a sour note, with a red card in the dying seconds of Australia's semi-final defeat to Sweden, but it can take nothing away from a wonderful two weeks from one of the world's best young talents.

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  CB | Vanessa Gilles | Canada

  There was just over an hour on the clock when Vanessa Gilles produced one of the contenders for tackle of the tournament.

  It was goalless in Canada's quarter-final against Brazil and Duda had just played a perfectly-weighted pass through for Ludmila, one of the fastest players in the world. But Gilles had stayed with her player, positioned herself well and timed her intervention brilliantly to deny the Atletico Madrid forward.

  That quality was on show from Gilles all summer. No one made more clearances than the centre-back – not by a long way either, with her 23 clear anyone else with 48. She even scored the winning penalty in Canada's shootout win against Brazil. Few players contributed as highly to their gold medal-winning summer.

Tags: Futebol
Category: News