U.S. defeats Germany 2-0 to reach World Cup final
The quest continues.
The U.S. women’s national soccer team clinched a spot in the final of the 2015 Women’s World Cup with a 2-0 win over Germany in a thrilling semifinal Tuesday in Montreal. After a scoreless opening half that included a bloody clash of heads and end-to-end action, the U.S. scored both goals in the last half hour of regulation play. The win sends the U.S. back to the World Cup final for the second straight time. In 2011, the U.S. were defeated by Japan in the final on penalties.
“It’s a dream come true,’’ U.S. midfielder Carli Lloyd told FOX on the field after the final whistle, when asked about returning to the final. “This is what we train for. This is the blood, sweat, the tears, everything. I know this was a great game, a great win, but my eyes are all on the final right now.’’
With the matchup between the world’s top ranked teams — Germany ranked No. 1 and the U.S. was No. 2 in the most recent FIFA rankings — scoreless deep into the second half, Lloyd staked the U.S. to a 1-0 lead over Germany when she converted a penalty kick in the 69th minute. The referee awarded the penalty after U.S. forward Alex Morgan was brought down by defender Annike Krahn. The infraction appeared to occur just outside the penalty area, but referee Teodora Albon awarded a penalty.
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Lloyd’s goal came approximately 10 minutes after Germany forward Celia Sasic missed a penalty kick attempt. After U.S. defender Julie Johnston pulled down Germany’s Alexandra Popp in the penalty area, Sasic pushed her attempt from the spot wide left.
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Sasic converted a game-tying penalty kick in regulation as well as another during the shootout against France in Germany’s quarterfinal win. Not only was the U.S. fortunate that she missed, but they were seemingly let off easy by Albon. The official elected to give Johnston a yellow card rather than a red for denying Sasic an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.
In the 84th minute, Lloyd assisted the second goal for the U.S. with a cross turned into the net by teammate Kelley O’Hara. The flying finish sealed the 2-0 win.
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“We will enjoy this tonight, and then our focus will turn to our next opponent. I’m very proud of the players, and they stepped up tonight,’’ U.S. coach Jill Ellis said after the win, via FIFA. “This team has embraced the accountability of defending in every line. We have gritty players at the back, and sophisticated players at the back and our defensive record is a credit to the team. We played with two 6’s so we could release Carli (Lloyd) and it worked.’’
The U.S. will face the winner of the semifinal between Japan and England in the final on Sunday, July 5.
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