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USA shuts down Germany's vaunted attack, escapes with 2-0 win
By Sean Wagner-McGough | Staff Writer
June 30, 2015 8:55 pm ET

Final score -- USA: 2, Germany: 0

A place in the World Cup final was at stake when the best two teams in the world met on Tuesday night. And for the first 45 minutes, the pace was unrelenting and frantic as both the US and Germany rushed up and down the pitch. But after a scoreless first half, the game was settled in the cruelest of ways in the final 45 minutes. The outcome ended up coming down to two penalty kicks and two decisions by the referee. All four -- the two penalties and the two decisions -- went in favor of the US.

And the US managed to topple Germany, 2-0. Now, the US is onto the World Cup final. On Sunday, the US will face either Japan -- which beat the US in the 2011 World Cup final -- or England.

Though the US was clearly the better side in the first 45 minutes of the game, it was unable to put one past goalkeeper Nadine Angerer, who denied a Julie Johnston header and an Alex Morgan breakthrough in the first half. And, despite taking it to Germany, the US was locked in a scoreless draw at halftime.

Then, came the first decision by the referee. In the 59th minute, US centerback Julie Johnston struggled with a bouncing ball in the box. A German player looked to capitalize on the mistake. Before she could, Johnston yanked her down from behind. The penalty call was an easy one, but instead of giving Johnston a red card, the referee opted for a yellow card.

Then, Celia Sasic shanked the penalty kick wide of the goal. Sasic, like the referee, gave the US -- and Johnston -- a huge break.

About 10 minutes later, the US was awarded a penalty kick after Alex Morgan was knocked to the ground at the edge of the box. While Morgan was undoubtedly fouled, she appeared to have been jarred outside the box. Still, the referee signaled toward the penalty spot.

Carli Lloyd slotted the penalty past Angerer, giving the US a 1-0 lead in the 69th minute.

While those two decisions and those two penalties played a significant role in the final outcome, the US outplayed Germany for the full 90 minutes of the game and deserved to advance to the final. Not only did the US' offense take on the appearance of a menacing attack, but the US' defense -- the main reason why the US advanced to the semifinals -- also managed to shut down a German attack that had scored 20 goals in five games. Against the US, Germany had one shot on goal.

And the US' defense was finally given some breathing room in the final minutes of the game when the US put away the dagger. In the 84th minute, Lloyd gathered the ball in the box. She beat her defender and dribbled toward the endline. At the last second, she sent a ball across the frame of the goal, where Kelley O'Hara met the cross with a volley that gave the US a 2-0 -- and an unsurpassable -- lead.

Like the US players, head coach Jill Ellis also deserves credit for her willingness to change formations. Switching from the 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3, the US was suddenly creative and an offensive force. And you have to figure she sticks with the formation on Sunday, when the US has a chance to win the whole thing.

The good news for the US is that, for the first time all tournament, it looked like the best team in the world. And, now, the USWNT will only have to put together a similar performance in just one more game.

*****

90' + 3' -- Three minutes added on.

Solo captures a cross. 90 seconds remain.

90' -- Germany can't break the US' backline.

87' -- Germany's attack ends with a shot well over the bar.

84' -- Goal. Kelley O'Hara. What a great play by Lloyd to create the chance and O'Hara finishes the cross with a volley.

81' -- Germany shoots from far out and it goes over. Will have a hard time beating Solo from there.

79' -- Wambach coming in for Rapinoe. Looks like Lloyd will go to the outside.

78' -- Looks like Wambach is coming in soon. I don't get it.

77' -- Germany shoots at the top of the box. Goes well wide.

75' -- US uses its first sub. Kelley O'Hara comes in for Tobin Heath.

74' -- Solo comes out to grab a cross by Germany.

73' -- Free kick is served in, but it goes out for a goalkick.

72' -- Tobin Heath jumps on the back of a German player and Germany gets a free kick in a dangerous position.

69' -- Carli Lloyd takes it. Blasts it home. Goal. USA leads.

67' -- Morgan gets taken down at the edge of the box. Yellow card. Penalty kick for the US. Looked to be maybe just outside the box, but can't deny that Morgan was fouled when she was in a position to maybe score.

66' -- Morgan cuts in the box, but her shot/cross goes just wide.

65' -- Holiday sends it in, but Germany clears.

64' -- The US' cross attempts are denied, but it gets a corner. Holiday will ta

63' -- Germany gets a shot off near the top of the box, but it goes wide. Germany pressing the US.

62' -- Krieger's cross is grabbed by Angerer.

60' -- Sasic will take for Germany. Sasic misses. It's wide. Game remains scoreless.

59' -- The referee has given a penalty to Germany. Against Julie Johnston. Yellow card.

58' -- After the US took it to Germany in the first half, the play has evened out here in the second.

56' -- Morgan tries to chase down a through ball, but after some bumping, she's called for a foul.

55' -- Krieger's cross goes right to Angerer.

54' -- The US had something going, but Rapinoe couldn't get off a pass near the edge of the box.

53' -- Germany has a chance in front of goal, but Solo hits it wide. The header might've been going wide anyways, but Solo didn't take a chance. Germany shoots over the goal on the corner kick.

52' -- Nobody can connect on the corner, and then a second cross goes over the bar. Goalkick.

51' -- Heath gets too fancy and loses control. Corner for Germany.

50' -- Morgan Brian finds Alex Morgan, but Alex Morgan's cross goes directly to Angerer.

48' -- Holiday takes a free kick at midfield, but Germany heads it away.

47' -- Seventh corner coming up for the US. Rapinoe will take it. She whips it in. Lloyd heads it near the penalty spot, but it goes just wide.

46' -- And we're underway. Morgan chases down a long ball but Germany clears out of bounds.

Halftime -- Thanks to the new formation, that was the best first half the US has put together. But the US hasn't been able to put away two golden chances. Ask France how that worked out in the quarterfinal.

45' + 4 -- Four minutes added on.

Johnston volleys away a cross. Sauerbrunn then steals. Rapinoe gets taken down by a wild tackle by Popp. No yellow card, which is surprising given how late that slide tackle was.

Rapinoe is taken down again. No card, again. This time that's a good call on the no yellow.

Holiday takes the free kick. German heads it out for a corner.

Rapinoe will take. Last minute of stoppage time here. Rapinoe's corner is headed out for a throw.

Rapinoe's cross goes over. She's played great, however.

45' -- Heath is down as she slams into the boards near the endline. She's helped up by a German player and appears to be OK.

43' -- Morgan breaks in, but she's at a really really bad angle and her shot misses.

41' -- Lloyd slips and loses the ball, and Germany launches another long shot. This one also misses.

40' -- Germany's shot from distance goes wide. Solo was there if it had been on goal.

38' -- Yellow card for Sauerbrunn on a dangerous slide tackle near midfield.

37' -- Angerer punches it away. The US' shot from just feet away from the goal is blocked out of bounds. Another corner.

Holiday takes this one. And Germany finally clears.

36' -- Corner for the US, its 3rd of the game. Rapinoe takes it. US nearly gets to it, but Germany clears it over the line for another corner.

35' -- Heath's cross is cleared by Germany.

34' -- Rapinoe is grabbed as she races up the field, and Germany gets a yellow card.

33' -- Game resumes. Both teams with just 10 on the field. And then both players run back on the field.

32' -- Morgan Brian is walking off the field. Popp is bleeding from the head.

30' -- If Brian needs to step out, what does the US do in terms of formation?

29' -- Cross is headed away by the US. Two players are down. Morgan Brian down for the US. Banged heads with a German player, Alexandra Popp. This looks serious -- for both players.

28' -- Germany gets a free kick near the top corner of the penalty box. Three-person wall for the US. Looks like Germany will probably cross from this angle.

26' -- Angerer snags a US cross. Another good attack by the US.

25' -- Morgan doing a good job of coming back to the ball and holding possession.

23' -- Huge block by the US near the top of the box. Then the US gets a free kick and will clear away.

22' -- Another deep throw for the US as Krieger's cross was blocked away. US calls for a handball in the box on the resulting play, but it's not given. Looked like a good call by the ref.

21' -- US wins a corner. Nice job by Holiday to force that turnover.

On the corner, Rapinoe takes it and nearly finds Johnston again, but this time Germany clears it.

20' -- US with a deep throw in near the corner flag.

19' -- Chants of "USA" throughout the stadium.

18' -- Shots are 3-1 in favor of the US, which is also winning possession.

16' -- US stops a German counter attack. Then gives it right back. Morgan Brian clears.

14' -- US blocks a shot near the top of the box, and Solo collects.

Great movement by the US gets Morgan in free but she's denied by Angerer. Wow -- that's two great saves by Angerer. And what a great pass by Heath to set up Morgan.

13' -- Lloyd tries to chase down a ball near the endline, but she's called for a foul.

11' -- Good work by Rapinoe to recover after a turnover. Both teams are pressuring like crazy. So many turnovers.

10' -- Rapinoe cuts in toward goal, but her shot is hit right at Angerer. Good connection by Morgan and Lloyd prior to the shot. Germany counters, and Tobin Heath takes a smart foul. No yellow card, though Heath gets a talk from the ref.

9' -- Germany can't control the corner and the US wins a corner.

8' -- At the other end, Solo taps a shot over the crossbar. Corner for Germany. The pace is frantic.

7' -- Rapinoe takes the corner. Johnston was there at the near post, but her header is just barely saved by Angerer. Wow. After the US regains possession, a cross goes out of play for a goalkick.

6' -- Good steal by Rapinoe. Then Morgan gets taken down near midfield. Seems like the US is going to play this into the box, but it goes short instead. US wins a corner eventually.

5' -- Both teams are in attack mode, going up and down after turnovers.

4' -- Germany's three on three is stopped by Johnston. Who else? Now, here comes Rapinoe and the US. Rapinoe's cross is cleared away.

3' -- Now Germany has a corner. The header on the corner goes over the net. Good start by Germany. US pinned back. Absolutely no one tracked the runner on that corner.

2' -- Another turnover by Germany that is followed by a sloppy turnover by the US, though. And Germany attacks. Germany nearly wins a corner.

1' -- Game is underway. Good pressure by the US forces a turnover. US takes control of the ball before Lloyd turns it over near midfield.

The game looked like it was fixed. Reasons.
1. Germany's lackluster perfomance.
2. The penalty against U.S.A is a red card offense but referee showed the player yellow.
3. The penalty against Germany was not a penalty rather a free kick. The foul was committed outside the box and German players did not protest the decision not even the player that was booked and the goal keeper .
4. Refusal of the Germany's bead coach to make a sub, she brought in an injured player in 79 or was it 80th minute. Still have 2 subs on the bench even when the team was trailing and some players looked like there were tired.

Anyways nothing concerns me but i was very disappointed.

Cc: lalasticlala