At the beginning of the Olympics few expected Emma Hayes to take the USA all the way to the final in Paris, months after starting her job as the coach of a struggling women’s national team – but she has made an immediate impact.
My former manager at Chelsea will take on Brazil – and one of my all-time heroes, Marta – in Saturday’s gold-medal match. I am privileged that I will witness in person Hayes’s quest to become an Olympic champion. Some doubted what she could achieve in such a short time but when I booked my seat months ago, in the back of my mind I thought Hayes and the USA would be in the final. I suspected they would come up against Spain, only for Brazil to dispatch the world champions comprehensively in the semi-finals, showing how dangerous the South Americans are.
