Alex Morgan is congratulated after scoring the opening goal for the U.S. against Colombia. (Photo : Reuters)
World no. 2 USA turned back a tough challenge by world no. 1 Germany to win their FIFA Women's World Cup semifinal affair, 2-0, on crucial penalty kicks from both sides.
Midfielder Carli Lloyd completed her own spot-kick after German striker Célia Šašić missed hers to lift Team USA 1-0 in the 69th-minute mark after over an hour of intense defense.
Substitute defender Kelley O'Hara scored the insurance goal to send the Americans to the tournament's final on Sunday, July 5 at the BC Place.
During the post-match interview, Jill Ellis quipped that they won the game because of their ability to block out the media's influence, as reported by The Guardian. "We had every belief we could win this game and that's part of the spirit of the American player," she added.
Ellis used the 4-4-2 formation the whole World Cup, but she suddenly decided to change it into 4-2-3-1 for this game possibly to control the midfield and execute better defense against Silvia Neid's offensive patterns.
The match featured the tourney's strongest attacking team versus the best defensive unit, in which the latter prevailed. Die Nationalelf had scored 20 goals so far in the competitions prior to the team's meeting while USWNT had not allowed a single goal since Australia scored on them during their tournament opener.
There was a hint of controversy as defender Annike Krahn's foul on forward Alex Morgan was seen taking place outside the box after replays, as per Bleacher Report. But Romanian referee Teodora Albon still gave the penalty kick to Lloyd.
"Of course, I'm very sad that this penalty decided the match," Neid said. "What am I going to do though? A referee's decision is something we have to live with."
Team USA will now wait for the winner of the other semifinal match between defending champion Japan and England. If the Nadeshiko advances, then it would be a rematch of the 2011 Women's World Cup final in Frankfurt.
