When the whistle blew after five minutes of added time in Paris, the host nation slumped down in defeat while the Americans celebrated an 8th straight World Cup semifinal. USA had beaten France, 2-1, in what had been an exciting game but not the prettiest for either side. Two more Megan Rapinoe goals not only caused USA to win but also entered her in the Golden Boot race alongside Australia’s Sam Kerr, England’s Ellen White and her teammate, Alex Morgan. They all have five. Rapinoe has now scored all of the knockout stage goals for USA with four as USA has won both games 2-1.
Meanwhile, a third-minute Jill Scott goal one day earlier set the stage for a game England easily won, 3-0. Norway has had a tough competition this year. Facing an England squad with Lucy Bronze, Jill Scott, and Ellen White didn’t help, as all three of them found the net against a Norway defense that has struggled immensely. Ellen White’s goal has her tied in the previously-mentioned Golden Boot, and Lucy Bronze continues to do it all for a talented England squad.
With those games both Norway and France have been eliminated, and USA and England are one step closer to winning the World Cup and will play against each other in the World Cup Semi-final. The other Semi-final matchup will be determined after the Italy – Netherlands game at 9:00 AM Eastern Time and Germany – Sweden at 12:30 PM Eastern Time.