Inside a packed and sweltering Parc des Princes, the U.S. Women’s National Team defeated 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup host France and advanced into the tournament semifinals with a 2-1 victory in front of 45,595 fans.
Megan Rapinoe scored both goals for the Americans, one in each half, as the USA withstood a late France surge to keep their World Cup title hopes on track. The crowd was one of the most electric in Women’s World Cup history with the American fans coming out in droves to help push the USA to victory.
France came into the game talented and playing well. They also came in with a history of coming up short in major international competitions. The U.S. women came in as the defending world champions, and the #1 world ranking.
The Americans shocked France with a goal in the fifth minute of play. From the set piece, Rapinoe whipped in a low cross on frame that ripped through traffic, through the legs of France captain Amandine Henry and past a screened goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi for a fifth minute lead. It was the third time in its last three games the U.S. took the lead inside the opening 10 minutes.
With the win the U.S. Women became the only nation to advance to the semifinals of all eight Word Cups that have been contested. Rapinoe’s two goals gave her five during the World Cup, tying her for most in the tournament with Alex Morgan.
The U.S. will next take on an impressive England team that defeated Norway 3-0 in the opening game of the quarterfinal round on Thursday. Kickoff for the USA-England semifinal at Stade de Lyon is set for 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 2, and the game will be broadcast on FOX and Telemundo.
U.S. head coach Jill Ellis went with the same starting XI that defeated Spain 2-1 in the Round of 16 with the continuity paying off in midfield as Rose Lavelle(and later Lindsey Horan), Julie Ertz and Samantha Mewis put in an epic shift while consistently helping stymie the France attack before it could get in dangerous areas.
France had 20 shots but put just five on goal while the USA put eight of it’s 10 shots on frame. Rapinoe scored both goals in the USA’s 2-0 win over Sweden, marking the first time in Women’s Word Cup history a player has scored four consecutive goals. She has five in the tournament.
After leading 1-0 at halftime, Rapinoe made it 2-0 in the 65th minute when she ran onto a ball crossed on the ground by Tobin Heath, and slammed it home. Ten minutes later Heath appeared to have scored the clincher, but it was disallowed by a dubious offside call on Crystal Dunn.
France pressed its attack while the USA defended and the clocked rolled into the final 15 minutes. Pressing for a goal, they got it in 81st minute off a free kick that landed on the head of the always dangerous Wendie Renard in the middle of the box and the 6-foot-1 towering defender finished well to pull the home side to within one.
However, the equalizer never came for France and the host were out early once again. The USWNT is now two wins away from winning their Fourth World Cup championship. The other semifinal will feature the quarterfinals winners between Italy vs. Netherlands and Germany vs. Sweden.
Next on the Schedule: The USA faces 2019 SheBelieves Cup winners England in the semifinals on Tuesday, July 2 at 3 p.m. ET at Stade de Lyon in Lyon.
Broadcast information: FOX, Telemundo
Broadcast information: FOX, Telemundo
Goal Scoring Rundown:
– Megan Rapinoe, 5th minute: Off a long throw-in down the left wing, Alex Morgan got a step on France right back Griedge Mbock Bathy, who pulled the fleet footed U.S. attacker down near the left sideline, earning a yellow card. From the ensuing free kick, Rapinoe sent a low ball into the danger area, past the crashing Julie Ertz, through the legs of France captain Amandine Henry and past a screened Bouhaddi. The ball skipped unimpeded through goal mouth traffic into the back of the next to give the USA the lead. USA 1, FRA 0
– Megan Rapinoe, 5th minute: Off a long throw-in down the left wing, Alex Morgan got a step on France right back Griedge Mbock Bathy, who pulled the fleet footed U.S. attacker down near the left sideline, earning a yellow card. From the ensuing free kick, Rapinoe sent a low ball into the danger area, past the crashing Julie Ertz, through the legs of France captain Amandine Henry and past a screened Bouhaddi. The ball skipped unimpeded through goal mouth traffic into the back of the next to give the USA the lead. USA 1, FRA 0
USA – Megan Rapinoe (Tobin Heath), 65th minute: The U.S. hit the French on the break with a fantastic passing sequence that Morgan initiated by sending Heath free down the right sideline. With a defender closing in, Heath cut the ball back toward the top of the six and it rolled to an unmarked Rapinoe who one-timed it into the lower left corner to double the lead. USA 2, FRA 0
FRA – Wendie Renard (Gaëtane Thiney), 81st minute: France won a free kick that Thiney lofted into the center of the box where it was met by Renard, who sliced in between two defenders and only needed to direct her header on goal to bulge the back of the net. USA 2, FRA 1 FINAL
Additional Notes:
- The USA is an unbeaten 4-0-0 vs. France in world championship competitions, including a win in the 2011 Women’s World cup semifinals and a pair of victories in Olympic competition.
- The USA is 18-3-3 all-time against France, but the last 10 games following the meeting at the 2012 Olympics have produced a 5-3-2 record for the USA as France has risen into the world’s elite. The USA has now played France five times in France, compiling a 3-2-0 record.
- The U.S. is unbeaten in its last 15 Women’s World Cup matches (12W-3D), winning the last ten in a row. They are now only the second team to win 10 consecutive WWC matches, matching Norway’s run from 95 to 99.
- After the win vs. France, the USWNT is now 38-4-6 all-time in World Cup play, outscoring opponents 134-37 in 48 games. The 38 wins, 48 games-played and 134 goals scored are all FIFA Women’s World Cup records.
- With France’s defeat, the United States remains the only nation to make it past the quarterfinal stage as host of the World Cup, winning the competition in 1999 and finishing third in 2003.
- The opening goal was the USA’s fourth goal in the opening 15 minutes of this WWC. France, with three, was the only other country with more than one goal in the opening 15 minutes of matches.
- Megan Rapinoe has been directly involved in 14 goals in her 16 appearances at the Women’s World Cup (eight goals, six assists). Since the start of the 2011 tournament, only Carli Lloyd (13) has had a hand in nearly as many WWC goals for the USWNT.
- The USWNT has not lost a game in which Rapinoe has scored since a 3-2 loss to Brazil in 2014, 15 games (13W-2D).
- The quarterfinal match against France was U.S. head coach Jill Ellis’ 125th in charge of the USA, giving her the record of most games coached in U.S. history, breaking a tie with April Heinrichs (124).
- The victory was also the 100th of Ellis’ career at the helm of the U.S. WNT. Only the late Tony DiCicco (105) has more.
– U.S. Women’s National Team Match Report –
Match: U.S. Women’s National Team vs. France
Date: June 28, 2019
Competition: 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup; Quarterfinals
Venue: Parc des Princes; Paris, France
Kickoff: 3 p.m. ET (9 p.m. local)
Attendance: 45,595
Weather: 85 degrees, sunny
Date: June 28, 2019
Competition: 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup; Quarterfinals
Venue: Parc des Princes; Paris, France
Kickoff: 3 p.m. ET (9 p.m. local)
Attendance: 45,595
Weather: 85 degrees, sunny
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 1 1 2
FRA 0 1 1
USA 1 1 2
FRA 0 1 1
USA – Megan Rapinoe 5th minute
USA – Megan Rapinoe (Tobin Heath) 65
FRA – Wendie Renard (Gaëtane Thiney) 81
USA – Megan Rapinoe (Tobin Heath) 65
FRA – Wendie Renard (Gaëtane Thiney) 81
Lineups:
USA: 1-Alyssa Naeher; 5-Kelley O’Hara, 7-Abby Dahlkemper, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 19-Crystal Dunn; 8-Julie Ertz, 3-Samantha Mewis (10-Carli Lloyd, 82), 16-Rose Lavelle (9-Lindsey Horan, 63); 17-Tobin Heath, 13-Alex Morgan (capt.), 15-Megan Rapinoe (23-Christen Press, 87)
Substitutes not used: 2-Mallory Pugh, 6-Morgan Brian, 11-Ali Krieger, 12-Tierna Davidson, 14-Emily Sonnett, 18-Ashlyn Harris, 20-Allie Long, 21-Adrianna Franch, 22-Jessica McDonald
Head Coach: Jill Ellis
USA: 1-Alyssa Naeher; 5-Kelley O’Hara, 7-Abby Dahlkemper, 4-Becky Sauerbrunn, 19-Crystal Dunn; 8-Julie Ertz, 3-Samantha Mewis (10-Carli Lloyd, 82), 16-Rose Lavelle (9-Lindsey Horan, 63); 17-Tobin Heath, 13-Alex Morgan (capt.), 15-Megan Rapinoe (23-Christen Press, 87)
Substitutes not used: 2-Mallory Pugh, 6-Morgan Brian, 11-Ali Krieger, 12-Tierna Davidson, 14-Emily Sonnett, 18-Ashlyn Harris, 20-Allie Long, 21-Adrianna Franch, 22-Jessica McDonald
Head Coach: Jill Ellis
FRA: 16-Sarah Bouhaddi; 4-Marion Torrent, 19-Griedge Mbock Bathy, 3-Wendie Renard, 10-Amel Majri; 6-Amandine Henry, 17-Gaëtane Thiney, 15-Elise Bussaglia; 11-Kadidiatou Diani, 13-Valerie Gauvin (20-Delphine Cascarino, 76), 9-Eugenie Le Sommer (18-Viviane Asseyi, 82)
Substitutes not used: 1-Solene Durand, 21-Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, 2-Eve Perisset, 5-Aissatou Tounkara, 7-Sakina Karchaoui, 8-Grace Geyoro, 12-Emelyne Laurent, 14-Charlotte Bilbault, 22-Julie Debever, 23-Maeva Clemaron
Head Coach: Corinne Diacre
Substitutes not used: 1-Solene Durand, 21-Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, 2-Eve Perisset, 5-Aissatou Tounkara, 7-Sakina Karchaoui, 8-Grace Geyoro, 12-Emelyne Laurent, 14-Charlotte Bilbault, 22-Julie Debever, 23-Maeva Clemaron
Head Coach: Corinne Diacre
Stats Summary: USA / FRA
Shots: 10 / 20
Shots on goal: 8 / 5
Saves: 4 / 6
Corner Kicks: 3 / 7
Fouls: 11 / 8
Offside: 3 / 6
Shots: 10 / 20
Shots on goal: 8 / 5
Saves: 4 / 6
Corner Kicks: 3 / 7
Fouls: 11 / 8
Offside: 3 / 6
Misconduct Summary:
FRA – Griedge Mbock Bathy (caution) 4th minute
FRA – Elise Bussaglia (caution) 94
FRA – Griedge Mbock Bathy (caution) 4th minute
FRA – Elise Bussaglia (caution) 94
Officials:
Referee: Kateryna Monzul (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Maryna Striletska (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Oleksandra Ardasheva (UKR)
Fourth Official: Kate Jacewicz (AUS)
Referee: Kateryna Monzul (UKR)
Assistant Referee 1: Maryna Striletska (UKR)
Assistant Referee 2: Oleksandra Ardasheva (UKR)
Fourth Official: Kate Jacewicz (AUS)
Budweiser Woman of the Match: Megan Rapinoe
– ussoccer.com –