Women's World Cup 2015: Germany meet US in heavyweight semi-final

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A day ahead of England’s World Cup semi-final against the reigning champions Japan, the first of the two finalists will be decided in Montreal this evening in a heavyweight clash between the world’s top two nations.

The match at the Olympic Stadium will be a repeat of the 2003 semi-final in America, Germany beating the United States on that occasion and now taking on their biggest rivals six months after deposing them as the world’s top-ranked team – a position the Americans had held for seven years.

Both sides, as expected, have reached the last four, though Germany were fortunate not to lose their quarter-final to France before winning on penalties, while the US stumbled through the early part of their campaign before hitting form in a 1-0 quarter-final win against China that was more convincing then the scoreline suggests.

The US have reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in every one of its seven editions, going on to win in 1991 and again eight years later in the most famous of the competition’s finals. In front of a still-record 90,185 crowd at the Pasadena Rose Bowl they beat China on penalties.

Germany were 2003 and 2007 winners but failed to make it a hat-trick at home in 2011, when they suffered a shock quarter-final defeat to Japan – who went on to lift the trophy by beating the US on penalties in the final.

However, despite those Japanese triumphs and whichever side triumphs in Edmonton tomorrow, the winners of tonight’s game will be favourites to take 5 July’s final and become record title holders.