The United States advanced to the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup final with a 2-0 victory over the No. 1 ranked team in the world Germany on Tuesday at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium.
The Americans will face the winner of tomorrow's match between England and Japan in the World Cup Final which will take place at Vancouver’s BC Place on Sunday. The USWNT have now reached four World Cup finals and last reached the championship game at the 2011 tournament in Germany when they fell to Japan in a dramatic penalty kick shootout.
Carli Lloyd continued to state her case for the tournament’s Golden Ball with her third goal at this World Cup in the 69th minute. Kelley O’Hara added a second in the 84th minute to secure the win for the USWNT.
Jill Ellis’ group went on the front foot early as their proactive lineup caused trouble for a talented German squad. Although the Americans started well, the Germans nearly took the lead in the second half when normally reliable U.S. defender Julie Johnston fouled Germany’s Alexandra Popp in the box, giving the two-time World Cup champions a penalty in the 63rd minute. Luck was on the Americans’ side however, as striker—and tournament leading goal scorer— Célia Šašić’s effort drifted wide left.
Buoyed by Germany’s miss, the Americans soon earned a penalty of their own when Alex Morgan was controversially awarded a spot kick for a collision with a German defender. Unlike her German counterpart, Lloyd buried her effort to give the USWNT the lead.
O’Hara put the game out of reach for the Germans with less than 10 minutes left when she placed a Lloyd cross into the back of the German net with a flying right-footed finish. The goal was the Georgia native’s first career goal for the USWNT.
