Portland Thorns FC goalkeeper Nadine Angerer helped Germany claim the top spot in Group B with a comfortable 4-0 win over Thailand in the final group stage match for the top-ranked team in the world on Tuesday. Germany held just a 1-0 lead at the break, but added three more goals in the second half to win the group based on a +14 goal differential.
Angerer, starting her third consecutive match, recorded her second clean sheet of the tournament and her ninth clean sheet in a FIFA Women's World Cup. Germany outscored its opponents 15-1 during the group stage and has now reached the knockout stage for a seventh consecutive World Cup. The only other team that could compete that feat at the 2015 tournament would be the United States.
Germany will play either the third-place finisher in Group A, C or D on Saturday, June 20, at Lansdowne Stadium in Ottawa, Canada at 1 p.m. (PT) on FOX Sports 1. Group A is very much up for grabs as Canada is in first place with four points, China and the Netherlands are on three points and New Zealand has one point. In Group C, Japan has claimed the top spot, while Cameroon and Switzerland each have three points with one game remaining. And of course group D, the "Group of Death", could provide a strong opponent with much to be decided on the final day of group play between the U.S., Nigeria, Sweden and Australia.
