USA v Chile

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USA v Chile

Endler Outstanding As USA Advance

by Jeremy Ruane

Chilean goalkeeper Christiane Endler produced an outstanding individual performance as she single-handedly restricted Team USA to a 3-0 victory in their FIFA Women's World Cup Finals encounter at the Parc des Princes in Paris, watched by the biggest crowd of the tournament to date - 45,594 fans - on June 16.

Endler's heroics weren't the only individual highlight. USA captain Carli Lloyd made history by becoming the first player to score in six successive FIFA Women's World Cup Finals fixtures, and very nearly became the first player to score two hat-tricks at the quadrennial gathering of women's football's finest.

The reigning world champions were into second gear straight from the kick-off, with Morgan Brian volleying a twelve-yarder over the bar just two minutes into the contest.

Lloyd then shot straight at Endler before striking the post in the fourth minute, as Chile somehow survived an attack which saw Endler prevent an own goal then thwart one of the most decorated players in the game's history either side of the post's intervention.

Lloyd finally got her reward in the eleventh minute. Abby Dahlkemper played the ball forward, only for Su Helen Galaz to head clear. The ball dropped perfectly for Lloyd to lash an unerring left-foot volley from the edge of the area into the far corner of the net - 1-0.

And they kept on coming. Ali Krieger raced down the right and whipped in a cross which Lloyd was poised to convert until Camila Saez rose to head clear. The resulting Christen Press corner was met by Lloyd, whose header was blocked by Endler.

A Press cross was thwarted from reaching Julie Ertz by Javiera Toro's timely intervention soon afterwards, but when the ball next hit the net, it was Chile who were celebrating, only for their celebrations to be cut short by the offside flag - Carla Guerrero's untimely intervention was the reason Saez's free-kick was ruled out.

The American response was to double their advantage, although they shouldn't have done so in the 26th minute. A corner was awarded instead of a goal kick, and Tierna Davidson's delivery was headed home at the near post by Ertz - Endler got her hands to it, but couldn't prevent the ball from ripping into the top corner of the net.

Chile were struggling to get out of their half at times, so intense was the Women's World Cup holders' pressure, and much USA possession was earned in Chile's half of the pitch. Davidson set up Press in the 34th minute, with her shot taking a deflection off a defender, diverting it just beyond the incoming figure of Lloyd.

She had just one kick to wait before scoring her second goal of the game, the USA's third. Davidson's corner found Lloyd flying in to meet it six yards out from goal, the USA's captain soaring above a defender to power her header into the bottom far corner of the net.

The second half was when Endler really came to the fore, her first intervention coming in the 48th minute as she tipped a shot from Press over the bar. From the resulting corner, Brian, Lindsay Horan and half-time substitute Jessica McDonald combined to present Mallory Pugh with a chance which was deflected past the post.

Ten minutes into the second half, German referee Riem Hussein played a great advantage as Lloyd

was fouled when playing the ball forward. Brian and Press linked up to benefit Horan, whose shot was blocked in fine style by the legs of Endler.

Lloyd sent a header flashing past the far post from Davidson's resulting corner, while Endler brilliantly denied Press' hip-turn volley in the 58th minute, flying to her right to match the quality of the shot with her fine save.

The 'keeper then punched out Press' corner, but was beaten in the 62nd minute by McDonald. Lloyd's rampaging run past three players culminated in her picking out the half-time substitute on the left, from where she cut inside and curled a shot around two defenders and beyond the flailing fingertips of Endler, only to see the ball crash against the far post and rebound to safety.

Endler produced a stunning save in the 66th minute. Pugh's cross was flicked on by McDonald to Press, but once more the striker was left frustrated by the goalkeeper's exploits, Chile's number one diving to her right to pull off another one-handed save.

The crossbar came to Chile's rescue in the 72nd minute, and prevented Lloyd from claiming her hat-trick. McDonald's throw-in was flicked on by substitute Allie Long to her captain, whose header arced over Endler, only to rebound to safety off the woodwork.

Lloyd's brilliant flick-on of Becky Sauerbrunn's ball forward set up Press, but you-know-who was not going to be beaten during this half of football - another save with her legs left the American striker wondering if she'd offended Lady Luck in some ways.

With ten minutes remaining, the Video Assistant Referee determined that Chilean substitute Yessenia Huenteo had brought down Long - later to narrowly avoid being sent off for two bookable offences - on the edge of the penalty area. Cue a spot-kick, with Lloyd lining up her hat-trick as a result.

Endler never got near the kick, but Lloyd was left kicking herself in frustration as, from twelve yards, she missed the target completely - she is human, folks, although her deeds on a football field sometimes leave you wondering if that's the case!

3-0 it remained to the USA, whose starting line-up and substitutions in this match ensured all twenty outfield players in Jill Ellis' squad had enjoyed game-time at France 2019, the only country to have achieved the feat during the first two rounds of fixtures in the group phase of the competition.

The penalty was their last chance to build on their first half advantage, a win which assured the title-holders of their progress into the knockout phase of the competition, with their clash with Sweden in four days to determine the finishing order in the group.

Chile face Thailand in the other match, knowing that a decent-sized win gives them a chance to join the USA and Sweden in the last sixteen as one of the best four third-placed teams.

USA: Naeher; Krieger, Dahlkemper (Sonnett, 82), Sauerbrunn, Davidson; Brian, Ertz (McDonald, 46), Horan (booked, 23) (Long, 59 (booked, 88)); Pugh, Lloyd, Press

Chile: Endler; Galaz (booked, 90), Guerrero, Saez, Toro; Soto (Lopez, 46), Araya, Lara (booked, 76) (Pardo, 89); Zamora, Urrutia (Huenteo, 68 (booked, 80)), Balmaceda

Referee: Riem Hussein (Germany)

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