In an epic battle of the titans between the top two teams in the women's game on the world's biggest stage, No. 1 Germany battled the No. 2 United States for the right to go to the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Final. And in the end it was the U.S. who prevailed scoring a pair of second-half goals in a see-saw affair to grab a 2-0 win and earn a spot in a second-straight FIFA Women's World Cup Final.
The match saw teammates in Portland pitted against one another as U.S. forward Alex Morgan and midfielder Tobin Heath helped drive a dynamic U.S. attack in the first half against one of the top goalkeepers in the world, Germany's Nadine Angerer. Early in the first half all three players featured in a play that saw Heath thread a sublime through ball for Morgan in the box. The ball sprung Morgan free as she found herself one-on-one with her teammate in Portland, but Angerer came up with a clutch save to deny Morgan in the 14th minute. (FULL HIGHLIGHT)
Not long before that Angerer was called into action in the 7th minute as she made an insane kick save to block Julie Johnston's header off a Megan Rapinoe corner kick. (FULL HIGHLIGHT)
The match was a phyiscal one that saw several cards handed out, including one that resulted in penalty kick for Germany after Johnston pulled a player down in the box in the 59th minute. The tournament's leading goal scorer, Celia Sasic, who had converted multiple penalties in the tournament before stepped to the spot and hit her shot wide of the left post.
Ten minutes later, the U.S. got its chance from the penalty spot as Morgan was knocked down in the box in the 69th minute. For the second time in the tournament, midfielder Carli Lloyd stepped to the spot and rifled a shot into the right corner as Angerer dove the opposite way to put the U.S. in front 1-0. The U.S. would double its lead and secure its spot in the final in the 84th minute as second-half substitute Kelley O'Hara got on the end of a Lloyd's cross and finished from close range.
With the win, the U.S. heads to Vancouver and BC Place and will take on either England or Japan in the FIFA Women's World Cup Final on Sunday, July 5, at 4 p.m. (Pacific) on FOX. Germany will play in the third-place match on Saturday, July 4, at 1 p.m. (Pacific) on FOX.
