The FIFA Women's World Cup Germany 2011 has reached it's final four after a weekend of shocking finishes, and a USA miracle.
Yesterday, the French and Englsh, titans of the men's game and longtime rivals, met for the first time in a knockout phase of the WWC and they did not dissappoint, as they went to penalties following a 1-1 draw. In the shootout, the Brits missed their last two kicks and the French won 4-3.
About the time the Franch and Englsh were finishing their epic match, the biggest shocker of the tournament was just beginning. The 2-time defending champion Germans, playing on home soil, were expected to win easily against the Japanese. They didn't. The match went into extra time scoreless,then the Japanese struck for the only goal of the match and a 1-0 shocker.
Today, the second set of quarterfinals began with an uneventful 3-1 victory for Sweden over the socceroos of Australia. Then, the titans of the women's game, the USA and Brazil, began to meet. In the first minute, Brazil's Daiaine deflected a cross into her own net, to put the USA ahead 1-0. That lead stood until the 66th minute, when Rachel Buehler was red-carded and the Brazilians were awarded a PK. Hope Solo made the save, BUT WAIT...she was called for encroachment on an absolutely brutal call, and Marta converted the re-kick to tie the score 1-1.
The Brazilians then took the lead, when Marta scored in extra time while one of her teammates was offside, but, just when it looked like the USA was toast, Abby Wambach rescued the USA with a header in the 122nd minute, which is a WWC record. That meant the match ended in a 2-2 draw, and PKs would be needed to determine who would advance. The USA won the PK shootout by a 5-4 score, and they will play the French in the semifinals, while Japan will play Sweden.
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