The USA is headed to the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup finals.
Tuesday evening in Montreal, the U.S. Women’s national team upset world ranked number one Germany in a thrilling 2-0 victory. Carli Lloyd scored the first goal, which later proved to be the game-winner, after she converted a penalty kick in the 69th minute. Super substitute Kelley O’Hara scored the second goal of the night in the 84th minute to finally put the game out of reach.
Lloyd earned the Woman of the Match award Tuesday after an inspired 90 minute performance. This made it her third WOTM award of the tournament. O’Hara’s goal was also the first international goal of her career with the USWNT.
From right off the, bat both teams came out with a high-pressure offense and both sides had chances early on in the match. In the 7th minute, Megan Rapinoe delivered a corner kick that German goalkeeper and 2013 FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year Nadine Angerer easily snatched out the air and away from the U.S. attack.
A minute later, the Germans found themselves on the edge of the U.S. defensive third when Alexandra Popp fired a shot near post where star goalkeeper Hope Solo was able to redirect up and over the net.
The best chance for the United States in the first half came in the 15th minute when forward Alex Morgan was able to split two German defenders and set herself up for a one-on-one with Angerer. Unfortunately for Morgan, her shot on Angerer deflected off the goalkeeper’s foot and out of her path.
In the second half, the USA faced it’s first scare when defender Julie Johnston was called for a foul on Popp inside the box. German striker Celia Sasic stepped up to take the penalty kick for her country. While Sasic succeeded in sending Solo the wrong way, her shot went just wide of the left post and out of play; much to the delight and rejoicing of U.S. fans everywhere. This was the first missed penalty kick attempt for the German’s in 18 chances.
Minutes later, in the 69th minute, Morgan was fouled at the other end of the field and earned a penalty kick for her side. This time, Lloyd calmly and confidently put the ball in the back of the net. The midfielder, fired up by her goal, then had the assist on the second goal after an aggressive drive to the endline where she connected with O’Hara on a cross inside the six-yard box.
Despite the security and confidence the German side have enjoyed from their goalkeeper, the U.S. offense stepped up their “A game” just in time. In the games leading up to this point, the Americans have suffered from an offensive drought of sorts, but today they made and put away a few of their chances.
The U.S. defense once again shut out their opponent and extended their now 513 minute shutout streak. Knowing the consistency of their defense, it’s no surprise that Solo remained untested for the entirety of the match. Tuesday night’s victory over the Germans marked Solo’s 10th clean sheet in a World Cup competition—a USA and FIFA Women’s World Cup record.
So what’s next for the U.S. team? The World Cup Finals in Vancouver, British Columbia. Their opponent will be determined after Wednesday night’s other semi-final at 7:00 PM ET as England looks to upset reigning World Cup Champions Japan.
While Japan has avoided the majority of attention in the tournament so far, there is no question that they are still a force to be reckoned with. Their technical ability is off the charts at every single position and they are putting away their chances in games. England will have a real battle in their final four match up, but this is a World Cup semifinal, and anything can happen.
What U.S. fan doesn’t want to see Japan vs. USA in an epic rematch of the 2011 Women’s World Cup final? This tournament is living up to its name and in just a handful of days, the 2015 World Champions will be crowed.