Women's World Cup; Germany and the USA in the Semifinals

In the quarterfinals of the 2015 Women's World Cup being held in Canada, Germany and the USA advanced to the semifinals by defeating their opponents. The battle between the two powerful European teams, Germany and France, ended in a 1-1 draw after extra time. In the penalty shootout, Germany triumphed with a score of 5-4. Previously, Germany had eliminated Sweden from the tournament. Sylvia Neid, the head coach of Germany, stated after her team's advancement: 'The opponent's speedy players and their skill in ball retention made the game difficult for us. However, we changed our playing style in the second half. This victory gave us confidence.' Philippe Bergeroo, the head coach of France, also commented in the press conference: 'We kept pace with the opponent but lost the game. I only blame ourselves for missing many opportunities.' The French coach expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of Clara Lavogez, the team's striker who missed the last penalty, while also acknowledging the significant role of 36-year-old Nadine Angerer, the goalkeeper and captain of the German national team, in this result. The USA managed to defeat China by one goal to become Germany's opponent in the semifinals. This match presents an ideal opportunity for Abby Wambach of the USA, who could reach the record of 15 goals scored by Marta Vieira da Silva from Brazil with one more goal. Wambach has scored 14 goals in four World Cup tournaments. In the continuation of the quarterfinal matches, the surprise team Australia competes against Japan, the defending champion, and England faces the host team Canada. England achieved a significant feat against the strong Norwegian team, coming back from a goal down in the first hour of play to score twice through Stephanie Houghton and Lucy Bronze in regular time. In the history of the Women's World Cup, the USA leads with two championships, one runner-up, and three third-place finishes, while Germany has won twice and been a runner-up once. Norway and Japan also have championship titles. The strong Brazilian team, with one runner-up and one third-place finish, had great motivation to break the spell in this tournament but was eliminated after a 1-0 defeat against Australia. The top of the scoring table is held by two German strikers. Celia Sasic from Frankfurt has scored six goals so far, while Anja Mittag has five. Both achieved a hat-trick against Ivory Coast. In the scoring table, the name of Angie Ponce from Ecuador is also recorded with two own goals. This team, with three losses from three games and conceding 17 goals, has been recognized as the weakest team in the seventh edition of the Women's World Cup.