The US Women's National Team moved one step closer to capturing the championship trophy at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup with a 5-3 penalty kick shootout victory over Brazil Sunday in the quarterfinals at Rudolph Harbig Stadium in Dresden, Germany.
The match began with a total surprise as Brazil, seen as a heavy favorite to win the tournament, scored the US' first goal 1:17 into the game when Daiane fired the ball into her own net and, with that, scored the team's second-fastest goal to start a WWC game.
In the 65th minute, the US was reduced to 10 players after referee Jacqui Melksham, part of a majority Australian officiating crew, ejected Rachel Buehler from the game after it was deemed she played too physical around Brazil's Marta, though replays of the incident showed the reverse to be true.
Marta, FIFA's reigning five-time Women's World Player of the Year, would convert a penalty kick goal three minutes later to tie the score and eventually send the game into extra time.
With seconds to go in the second 15-minute overtime period and the US on the verge of being eliminated at the earliest ever point in the event's history, Megan Rapinoe's pass connected with the head of Abby Wambach, then the back of the Brazilian goal in the 122nd minute to send the game into a shootout.
Both teams tied the first two rounds of the shootout as Shannon Boxx and Carli Lloyd for the US and Cristiane and Marta for Brazil made goals.
Wambach made her scoring opportunity in the third round, but Daiane, in hopes of making fans forget her earlier faux pas on the pitch, missed her shot, giving the US a 3-2 lead.
Rapinoe (US) and Franciello (Brazil) made their respective goals, bumping the US lead to 4-3, but Ali Krieger needed only to convert her attempt to vault the US into the next round Wednesday when they face France.
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