USA set up mouthwatering showdown with England
PARIS: Megan Rapinoe admitted it had been an unforgettable night after her brace took the United States through to the semi-finals of the women’s World Cup on Friday, the holders beating France 2-1 in Paris to puncture the hopes of the host nation.
Megan’s free-kick five minutes into this quarter-final evaded a sea of bodies in the box on its way into the net to stun the home crowd at the Parc des Princes.
The USA then soaked up pressure before delivering the knockout blow midway through the second half when Megan turned in Tobin Heath’s centre, although Wendie Renard pulled a goal back for France to set up a tense finish.
Jill Ellis’ team held on and go through to a semi-final against England in Lyon on Tuesday as they seek to retain their crown and win a fourth World Cup in eight editions.
“We didn’t have the best night on the ball but the focus defensively, and the willingness and the discipline to do what we did tonight is tremendous,” said the 33-year-old Megan.
“We were ruthless with our chances, so moving on to the next round, that’s really all that matters. It’s a game that we’ll never forget here in Paris.”
The pink-haired Megan has been crucial on the field in this tournament, while dominating headlines off it thanks to her spat with US president Donald Trump over her refusal to attend any post-tournament reception at the White House.
She is now the joint top scorer at the tournament with five goals.
Meanwhile, France will leave their own tournament with more than a few regrets.
Coach Corinne Diacre had been set the target of going all the way to the final on home soil, yet that always looked a tall order from the moment the draw was made last December and they were set on a quarter-final collision course with the best team in the world.
“It’s a failure in a footballing sense, we can’t hide from that. We are far from fulfilling our objective,” said Corinne.
“I hope we at least won people’s hearts tonight and since the start of the tournament.”