Canada, a relentless team with an aging star, a sturdy defense and a talented young core, won its first gold medal in women’s soccer on Friday by defeating Sweden in a penalty shootout, 3-2, after a 1-1 tie in Yokohama.
Julia Grosso clinched Canada’s victory by converting her team’s sixth attempt in a shootout that featured more misses (seven) than makes (five). When her shot went in off Sweden goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl, her teammates raced forward off the midfield line where they had been watching and buried her in a pile of red at the top of the penalty area.