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Rapinoe fires USA into World Cup semi-final

She's been in the eye of the media storm but the USA captain Megan Rapinoe brushed off all off-fi...



Rapinoe fires USA into World C...
Soccer

Rapinoe fires USA into World Cup semi-final

She's been in the eye of the media storm but the USA captain Megan Rapinoe brushed off all off-field distractions as expected.

The winger was the decisive factor for her team as they beat hosts France to reach the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup semi-finals.

She opened the scoring for the reigning champions after just five minutes in tonight's quarter-final.

Decisive

The 33-year-old whipped a free-kick into the box from the left flank that made it all the way into the back of net.

 

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#USA's captain fantastic Megan Rapinoe has come up trumps for the holders tonight as they knocked out hosts France #FIFAWWC #FRAUSA

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The California native struck again on 65 minutes. Rapinoe side-footed in the USA's second from inside the box to make it 2-0.

But France rallied to set up a tense finish. French centre-back Wendie Renard pulled one back with a header.

And they had a penalty shout late on when Amel Majri cross made clear contact with Kelley O'Hara's arm.

However, referee Kateryna Monzul did not award a penalty and USA hung on to reach the last-four. It means USA continue their record of reaching at least the semi-finals at every World Cup so far.

They will now face England in the semis next Tuesday. Phil Neville's Lionesses side beat Norway 3-0 on Thursday night to advance.

Meanwhile, Rapinoe's decisive show comes in a week when she reiterated her stance that she would not visit the White House if the USWNT won the World Cup.

US President Donald Trump had responded critically but Rapinoe doubled down on her stance in the pre-match press conference.

"I don’t think that I would want to go, and I would encourage my teammates to think hard about lending that platform or having that co-opted by an administration that doesn’t feel the same way and doesn’t fight for the same things that we fight for," she said.

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France Megan Rapinoe Off The Ball USA Women's World Cup