A bruised eye? No biggie.
Abby Wambach showed instant spark and set the tone for the United States with her goal against North Korea in final group play. She was consistently first to the ball and several steps quicker than her opponents despite just days ago getting a fist in her eye from Lady Andrade in a match against Colombia.
"Truthfully, I haven't thought about it. I don't care," Wambach said after the United States' 1-0 win over North Korea in the legendary Old Trafford, home to Manchester United. Wambach, however, did say that she agrees with Andrade's two-game suspension.
"She is the one that knows the truth of the matter, and if you see the footage, it is what it is. I am just glad FIFA and the (International) Olympic Committee took action based on what I felt happened, and we have moved on."
So, Wambach appears to have brushed off the sucker-punch as if it were just dirt on her shoulder. And her game proved that a little black eye isn’t slowing her down as she did what she does best . . . and no, I am not referring to heading one home. In typical Wambach fashion, she made magic happen up top, not once but several times. The most memorable? Her bicycle kick that sent a ball into the back of the net. Too bad it was called back.
"I am not going to toot my own horn, but I am a little bummed they called that bicycle kick back," Wambach laughed with the press.
But no worries. Roughly 25 minutes into the first half, the star striker found open space behind two defenders as teammate Alex Morgan slid a pass through to her for an easy tap-in. With this goal, Wambach officially became the first woman to score on the hallowed pitch of Old Trafford since 1989.
"It's the most historic stadium in the world and to get that goal was just great, and it was amazing Alex gave me that opportunity because I think she deserved it, too," Wambach said. Wambach joined hands and formed a line with her teammates after her goal to put on a rather comical celebration dance to the nearly 30,000 fans in attendance.
"This is what the game is about; it’s about fun, about laughing and enjoying it out there; how often do you get to play in Old Trafford and score a goal?" she said. "We would have liked a few more goals, though."
A forward wanting to score? Strange. But going to goal wasn't the objective for this match, she explains.
"It wasn't our most attacking style game, but that was our attack, literally and figuratively. It was a resting game for most of us, which is good going into quarterfinals because we need those fresh legs."
It's clear the healthy Wambach has her (black) eye on the quarterfinals, which begin Friday at Newcastle. The United States is three for three, the first time the team has swept group opponents in the Olympic Games.
