The USA are
set to play in their fourth Women’s World Cup final after beating
two-time winners Germany at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.
Germany striker Celia Sasic missed a penalty on 58 minutes, but USA captain Carli Lloyd kept her head to score from the spot 10 minutes later.
Substitute Kelley O’Hara booked the USA’s place in the final six minutes from time with a close-range volley.
The winners will play England or Japan in Vancouver at 00:00 BST on Monday.
It was a hard-fought semi-final encounter played out in front of a partisan crowd of more than 50,000, but English-born coach Jill Ellis’s USA side took their chances to end Germany’s World Cup dreams.
Olympic champion’s USA came into the match boasting the meanest defence of the tournament; in five games only Australia had beaten goalkeeper Hope Solo and that was in their opening match.
Germany, in contrast, came into the game as the highest scorers, but Solo’s goal withstood Silvia Neid’s European champions – even when they were handed a penalty shortly after the start of the second half.
The tournament’s leading scorer Sasic looked on course to add to her tally of six goals after Julie Johnston pulled down Alexandra Popp in the box just as the forward bore down on Solo’s goal early in the second period
Germany striker Celia Sasic missed a penalty on 58 minutes, but USA captain Carli Lloyd kept her head to score from the spot 10 minutes later.
Substitute Kelley O’Hara booked the USA’s place in the final six minutes from time with a close-range volley.
The winners will play England or Japan in Vancouver at 00:00 BST on Monday.
It was a hard-fought semi-final encounter played out in front of a partisan crowd of more than 50,000, but English-born coach Jill Ellis’s USA side took their chances to end Germany’s World Cup dreams.
Olympic champion’s USA came into the match boasting the meanest defence of the tournament; in five games only Australia had beaten goalkeeper Hope Solo and that was in their opening match.
Germany, in contrast, came into the game as the highest scorers, but Solo’s goal withstood Silvia Neid’s European champions – even when they were handed a penalty shortly after the start of the second half.
The tournament’s leading scorer Sasic looked on course to add to her tally of six goals after Julie Johnston pulled down Alexandra Popp in the box just as the forward bore down on Solo’s goal early in the second period
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