Marta's late heroics lead Brazil to ninth Copa America Femenina title
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Six-time world player of the year Marta came off the bench to score twice, including an equalizer in stoppage time, as Brazil came from behind three times before winning the penalty shootout 5-4 against Colombia on Saturday to secure their ninth Copa America Femenina title.
The 39-year-old Marta entered the match in the 82nd minute scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time to level for Brazil at 3-3, before scoring again in extra time to have the Brazilians in front for the first time in the match.
Leicy Santos scored in the 115th to bring Colombia back level at 4-4 as the match went to a penalty shootout.
Goalkeeper Lorena Da Silva then saved two penalty kicks in the shootout to clinch Brazil's fifth title in a row at the continental championships, and beat Colombia for the fourth time in the past five finals.
Marta, who has played in six World Cups and six Olympics, has 122 goals in 206 games with Brazil.
Angelina Alonso in the 45th and Amanda Gutierres in the 80th also scored for the Brazil team that won the silver medal at the Paris Olympics losing to the United States in the final.
Gutierres scored her sixth goal of the tournament to finish as the top scorer alongside Paraguay's Claudia Martinez.
Linda Caicedo in the 25th, Mayra Ramirez in the 88th and Santos scored for Colombia. The Colombians also had an own goal by Brazil defender Tarciane in the 69th as it took the lead three times before being pegged back in an extraordinary final.
The Brazilian women have won eight of the nine editions of the Copa America and are considered the best team in South America. Their best finish at the World Cup was runner-up in 2007 and they have reached the Olympic final three times.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
40 minutes ago
- Associated Press
NFL longevity demands wisdom as much as determination and talent. These seasoned guys can explain
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Harrison Smith, just like anyone approaching middle age, has learned to accept the realities of getting older. The joints, for one, don't quite move as effortlessly as they once did. So that's where the 14th-year free safety for the Minnesota Vikings has aimed his recent training regimens, customizing resistance exercises to simulate the stress that NFL games can place on critical areas of the body. Reaching at full extension to make a tackle at full speed puts the arm muscles and tendons in a vulnerable position. The more fluidly the elbow can bend, the better. 'All the strength work in the world isn't really going to translate to real strength on the field if your joints don't have the range they once did, especially range under load,' Smith said. 'I've come up with different ways to work out that aren't necessarily just the traditional banging weights around. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but if you don't have your range ready, it's kind of almost counterproductive.' In a sport with notoriously short careers, as salary cap constraints perpetually conspire with constant injury risk and overall physical decline, the fountain of youth can seem like a unicorn. Smith's approach provides some valuable clues for finding the most vital source: wisdom. 'When you meet Harrison Smith, right away you understand why he might be the type of person to defy odds, and he's done nothing short of convincing us that over these few years,' Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said. The sturdy 30 From a famous quarterback like Aaron Rodgers dropping back in the pocket to a steady six-time Pro Bowl pick like Smith patrolling the secondary, the young man's league still has some space for gray hair. But sticking around takes more than just determination and talent. 'I feel great, actually. I don't feel like a 37-year-old. Not sure what they're supposed to feel like, but I feel a little younger,' San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams said at the beginning of training camp. 'As we get older, things start to change. I think you've got to pay a little bit more attention to what you put in your body, how you treat your body. Moreso than just being a football player, it's just a natural maturation of a human being. When you get older you can't do the same things you did when you were 22.' According to an Associated Press review of the 90-man rosters across the league last week, there are 30 players currently with an NFL club who were born in the 1980s. That's barely 1%. Not only has Generation X been long gone from the game, once Tom Brady retired in 2023, but Millennials are already in the minority. Rodgers, of course, is the oldest active player at 41, followed by New York Jets kicker Nick Folk (40) and Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco (40). The sturdy 30 includes six long snappers, two punters and two kickers, plus nine quarterbacks — the positions that usually produce the longest-lasting players. 'You have to evolve every single year,' Kansas City Chiefs tight Travis Kelce said. Smith is the lone defensive back. Kelce is the only offensive skill-position player who's not a quarterback. Williams and Arizona Cardinals left tackle Kelvin Beachum, now a backup, are the offensive linemen. Demario Davis of the New Orleans Saints and Nick Bellore of the Washington Commanders, who plays almost exclusively on special teams, are the linebackers. Then there's a well-decorated group of five defensive linemen: Calais Campbell (Arizona Cardinals), Cameron Heyward (Pittsburgh Steelers), John Jenkins (Baltimore Ravens), Cameron Jordan (New Orleans Saints) and Von Miller (Washington Commanders). 'I still feel great. I feel like I can go out there and dominate,' said Campbell, who returned this year to his original team, the Cardinals. 'I wish I had a magic formula. I think I've just been blessed. God's given me a lot of blessings to play this game I love.' Grinding it out The list has been trimmed, naturally, from last season. Nine players — tight end Marcedes Lewis, kickers Matt Prater, Justin Tucker and Greg Zuerlein, long snappers Jake McQuaide and Matt Overton, safety Kareem Jackson, defensive end Jerry Hughes and defensive tackle Linval Joseph — who logged time on the field in 2024 have not signed with a team this year. Their peers still grinding through summer practices fully realize they'll be permanently on the sideline sooner than later. 'I start a lot earlier doing my training. Just listen to my body when I need to take a rest,' Heyward said. 'But it's more just trying to get stronger as soon as possible after the season. Less time to recover, but recovering through the process.' Mastering the art of recovery, forever a moving target, is a primary focus. Moving around on Mondays after games can be a chore, but figuring out how to maximize those summer strength and conditioning sessions for a mid-30s player is also a challenge. Smith, a soft-spoken leader who'd much rather have a deep locker-room conversation about life in professional football than give the defense a rah-rah pregame speech, fields more questions from young players about recovery than any other topic. 'Sometimes you just grind it out and you don't feel good, and that's how it is,' said Smith, who also mixes in pickup basketball with his offseason work in his hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee. Pride and perspective are part of the NFL roadmap for longevity, too. Heyward's oldest son, 9-year-old Callen, has spent a few nights with him in his dorm room. 'There's a hunger there that I know I'm in a rare group that gets to see year 15, but it's something I constantly think about,' Heyward said. 'There's things I want to check off before I hang them up, and I haven't reached those goals yet.' ___ AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow and AP Sports Writers David Brandt, Will Graves, Brett Martel, Noah Trister and David Skretta contributed. ___ AP NFL:
San Francisco Chronicle
5 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Carroll and Gurriel drive in 2 runs each, Diamondbacks beat Padres 6-2
PHOENIX (AP) — Corbin Carroll and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. each drove in two runs, Brandon Pfaadt pitched into the sixth inning, and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the San Diego Padres 6-2 on Monday night. Tyler Locklear and Alek Thomas each hit a solo homer for Arizona. Pfaadt (11-7) gave up two runs in 5 2/3 innings and was replaced in the sixth by Andrew Hoffmann with runners at first and third and two out. Hoffman got Ryan O'Hearn to fly out to end the threat and pitched a 1-2-3 seventh before Kyle Backhus got the final six outs for his first career save. Gurriel singled off Padres starter JP Sears (7-10) to drive in Ketel Marte and give Arizona a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Carroll hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded that drove in Blaze Alexander — who walked to lead off the inning — and made it 2-0. Arizona has won three in a row after it lost nine of 10. Manny Machado doubled with two out and scored when Jackson Merrill followed with another double in the third. Gavin Sheets drew a two-out walk, moved to second when Ramón Laureano singled and scored on a single by Jake Cronenworth to make it 5-2. Jorge Barrosa doubled to lead off the fourth inning, moved to third when Ketel Marte singled and scored on a double by Carroll. Gurriel singled to drive in Carroll and give the Diamonbacks a 5-1 lead. Key stat Thomas went 2 for 4 and is hitting .371 (13 for 35) with a double, three homers, five RBIs and two walks in 11 games since the All-Star break. Up next Padres RHP Yu Darvish (1-3, 6.46 ERA) goes against Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (6-3, 3.20) on Tuesday. ___
San Francisco Chronicle
6 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Guardians reliever Nic Enright, battling lymphoma, earns emotional first save
NEW YORK (AP) — The first career save for Nic Enright was a particularly meaningful one. Enright, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in late 2022 and is scheduled to complete his treatments later this year, allowed an unearned run in the 10th inning Monday night to close out the Cleveland Guardians' 7-6 win over the New York Mets. 'He was almost crying on the field just now,' Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. 'If you read his story, it's pretty inspirational.' Cleveland selected Enright in the 20th round of the 2019 amateur draft out of Virginia Tech. He received his diagnosis Dec. 22, 2022 — 15 days after the Miami Marlins took him in the Rule 5 draft. After four rounds of immunotherapy in early 2023, Enright made nine minor league rehab appearances for the Marlins before being designated for assignment and returning to the Guardians in late May. He missed most of last season due to a right shoulder strain, but went 2-1 with a 1.06 ERA in 16 appearances with Triple-A Columbus. The right-hander has one more round of cancer treatment scheduled for November. 'I made the decision when I was diagnosed in 2022 with Hodgkin lymphoma that I wasn't going to let that define my life and dictate how I was going to go about my life,' Enright said. 'It's something where, for anyone else who is going through anything similar, (it shows) I haven't just holed up in my house and felt sorry for myself this whole time.' Enright made his major league debut May 25 and has a 2.01 ERA in 19 appearances for the Guardians, whose bullpen is in flux with All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase on paid leave as part of a sports gambling investigation. Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith pitched the eighth and ninth innings Monday before Enright entered with a two-run lead. He gave up a two-out RBI single to Brett Baty before retiring Luis Torrens on a fly out to the warning track in right. 'I definitely held my breath as I saw Nolan (Jones) kind of keep running,' Enright said. 'But I had faith. As he kind of got closer to the wall, I realized it was losing steam.' Enright was showered with beer by teammates in the locker room. 'I was so happy, oh, I was going nuts in here,' Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi said with a smile. 'I was going absolutely berserk. He came in running up the stairs, smile on his face.' Enright thanked his wife, his parents and the rest of his family for their support throughout an interview at his locker. He got the ball from the final out and plans to set aside his uniform and hat as well as a lineup card. 'Really, really cool,' Enright said. 'These last couple of years, especially, I've gone through a lot of adversity and just everything that's gone on. And so for me, it's being able to reflect on those in these moments. I think that helps being able to slow the game down. Because it hasn't exactly been a red-carpet rollout for my career trajectory.' ___
