Japan stunned world champions Germany 1-0 to advance to the semi-finals of the FIFA Women's World Cup Finals in Germany on July 9 after 120 minutes of exhilarating action in a quarter-final of the highest technical quality at the Volkswagen Arena in Wolfsburg. In front of a sell-out crowd of 26,067 fans, two extremely well-matched teams produced a well-contested first forty-five minutes, in which Japan went close to open the scoring with a second minute near post corner routine involving Homare Sawa darting in to meet Aya Miyama's delivery. Her headed effort flashed wide. Germany responded in kind two minutes later, via a Saskia Bartusiak corner. Kim Kulig rose to head the ball narrowly over,  but as she came back to earth, a Japanese defender jumping with her landed fully on the outstretched leg of the midfielder - if it's not cruciate ligament damage at best, she's very lucky. Kulig was replaced by Bianca Schmidt, with Linda Bresonik slotting into the defensive midfield role as if she had played in it all her life. It was she who ignited a neat ninth minute move which also featured Simone Laudehr and Kirsten Garefrekes, who latched onto Bresonik's incisive through ball and got to the byline. The acting captain's cross sought out Inka Grings on the far post, but Yukari Kinga was perfectly placed to thwart her, as was Saki Kumagai three minutes later, the defender heading away a Melanie Behringer free-kick as she raced back towards her own goal. German pressure continued through Celia Okoyino Da Mbabi in the fourteenth minute. Picked out by Garefrekes' angled cross, the attacking midfielder's attempt to open the scoring was thwarted by a one-handed save from Ayumi Kaihori. Both goals survived scares on the quarter-hour, with Grings catching Azusa Iwashimizu in possession, and swiftly linking with Okoyino Da Mbabi and Laudehr. The latter was thwarted by Sawa's super tracking run, which sparked a Nadeshiko counter-attack culminating in Nadine Angerer being forced to save Mizuho Sakaguchi's crisply struck twenty-five yarder. After Okoyino Da Mbabi had spurned a good chance when curling a shot across the face of goal in the twentieth minute, the Germans pressed again three minutes later via Behringer's free-kick, which picked out Garefrekes. Miyama cleared the threat from beneath her own crossbar. Nadeshiko were beginning to employ their passing game to good effect, and just shy of the half-hour mark, Miyama played in a free-kick to Shinobu Ohno, whose cross was blocked by Kulig's replacement, Bianca Schmidt. Seconds later, Azusa Iwashimizu had a shot blocked by Saskia Bartusiak, with the rebound falling for Yuki Nagasato. She sliced her shot wildly wide. Unlike Behringer at the other end of the park on the half-hour. She let rip a 25-yard firecracker which ripped a foot past Kaihori's right-hand post, seconds before the 'keeper saved at the feet of Okoyino Da Mbabi, the young player's first touch having failed her on receipt of a lovely pass from Laudehr. Iwashimizu and Saki Kumagai thwarted the efforts of Okoyino Da Mbabi and Inka Grings five minutes later, while the latter blazed over in first half stoppage time after Laudehr and Okoyino Da Mbabi had combined. The last act of a riveting first half saw Bartusiak's driving run from deep culminate in a through ball for Grings which saw the striker knocked out of her stride by Kumagai. Mexican referee Quetzalli Alvarado, who generally had a good game, got this call well wrong - play on was the ruling, even though it was a clear case of obstruction. The second spell was every bit as enthralling, as the game really opened up - without question it's the best game of the eleven this writer has witnessed at the Finals thus far, particularly in terms of its technical quality. After Grings had headed over a Garefrekes cross two minutes into the half, a Behringer free-kick to Laudehr on the far post saw her 55th minute header hooked off the line by Kinga, who headed another Behringer free-kick to safety two minutes later, this set-piece awarded for a handball offence by Sawa which was missed by the referee but picked up by her assistant. Japan responded with a super move in the 62nd minute. Sawa - she was superb - and Miyama, who wasn't far behind her captain, were each involved on three separate occasions in a vibrant interchange of passes which also featured Ohno and Kozue Ando, amongst others, and culminated in Miyama curling a twenty-yarder onto the roof of Angerer's net. Ohno and Ando were like terriers, never giving Germany's defence a moment's peace, and nearly profited in the 63rd minute when Bartusiak came close to under-hitting a back-pass to Angerer - the goalkeeper had to be alert to avert the danger. Fifteen minutes from time, substitute Lena Goessling - a surprise replacement for Bresonik - blocked a Mizuho Sakaguchi drive, which prompted a furious spell of German pressure as team and fans alike sought a late winner. But Japan stood firm, Sawa stopping Laudehr in her tracks in the 77th minute. Garefrekes stepped in, surged into the box and angled a cross into the stride of Behringer, who sent the ball soaring into the stratosphere. More outstanding defending from Iwashimizu frustrated Grings soon after, to which Japan responded with some attacking thrusts of their

own. Sakaguchi and Kinga combined on the right to play in Ando, but Angerer was out swiftly to save at her feet ten minutes from time. Seconds later, substitute Mana Iwabuchi combined with Ando, half-time replacement Karina Maruyama and Miyama in an enterprising move around the edge of Germany's penalty area which resulted in the last-mentioned sending a twenty-yarder sizzling over the bar. Extra time was looming large, and this game merited it - who could not want an extra thirty minutes of football of this quality? But before it was confirmed, both teams went close to settling the contest in ninety minutes. Laudehr and Garefrekes played in Grings seven minutes from time, only for Kumagai to step in and thwart her in the penalty area. And in stoppage time, a Goessling ball into the box for Garefrekes saw her shot on the turn fizz narrowly past the post. In between these efforts, Japan produced a superb counter-attack. Kaihori to Kinga, forward to Iwabuchi, whose splendid one-touch lay-off invited Maruyama to spray the ball wide to Miyama, whose inviting cross to the far post arced just beyond the incoming Ando. To extra time, with Germany enjoying the first chance of the additional thirty minutes while Sawa was getting treatment for the female equivalent of a kick in the nether regions - accidental, but clearly painful nonetheless. Behringer and Goessling worked a one-two on the left which saw the former play the ball into Okoyino Da Mbabi. Her shot on the turn crept past the post in the 94th minute, while Grings blazed across the face of goal seven minutes later after pouncing on a stray Sakaguchi pass. Nadeshiko swept downfield in superb fashion soon after, with Kinga, Sakaguchi, Iwabuchi and Maruyama combining to set up Ando for a shot. Germany would have been in trouble had she not miss-timed the effort. The world champions were in trouble in 105th minute, as they failed to clear a Miyama free-kick. Kinga spurned a glorious chance to open the scoring, to which Germany responded through Behringer, who intercepted a Kaihori clearance to set up Okoyino Da Mbabi on the stroke of half-time in extra time. Iwashimizu's superb covering tackle deflected the shot back into the hands of the grateful goalkeeper. Kaihori was called upon again two minutes into the second half of extra time, saving at the feet of substitute Alexandra Popp after a Kumagai pass to Iwabuchi was intercepted by Bartusiak, who swiftly brought Okoyino Da Mbabi into play. Her low cross provided the threat, but Kaihori averted it. She cleared the ball downfield, and it found its way to Iwabuchi, who ran across field before slipping a pass to Sawa. Her first-time ball through the inside right channel was perfectly weighted, and sat up delightfully for Maruyama to take on in her stride. From an acute angle, with Bartusiak sliding in and Angerer covering the near post, she somehow threaded a shot across both players and into the net by the far post - Japan were in front. The German fans were stunned into silence - the world champions falling behind simply wasn't in the script. But behind they were, and they had just twelve minutes to retrieve the situation. They threw everything but the kitchen sink at the team which overcame the Football Ferns in their first match of the tournament in the time which remained. Behringer saw a twenty yard screamer punched over the bar by Kaihori, who also tipped over an Okoyino Da Mbabi header after a Laudehr cross was allowed to bounce. Popp met a Behringer cross with a bullet header which fizzed past the post, while Garefrekes also went close in the remaining moments. But time eventually ran out for the Germans, and with it went their reign as world champions, a title they won in 2003 and retained four years later. Laudehr cut a forlorn figure on the pitch long after the final whistle. The golden girl of the 2007 Women's World Cup Final was devastated, and she wasn't alone. Their despair contrasted starkly with the unconfined delight of Japan, particularly Maruyama, whose goal has thrust Nadeshiko into the last four, where they will play either Australia or Sweden. Meanwhile, either Brazil or the USA will join the Germans in bowing out at the quarter-finals - whoever would have thought that likely at the start of the event? But it had to be something special to end what has been an outstanding reign, and it was a magnificent Japanese effort, in the game of the Finals so far, which has dethroned the 2003 and 2007 Women's World Cup winners. It's a loss which could also see Germany miss out on the Olympic Women's Football Tournament - only the top two European teams at these Finals will join Great Britain as Europe's representatives at London 2012. Again, a seemingly inconceivable situation a matter of a few weeks ago. But now a distinct possibility. Germany:     Angerer; Bresonik (Goessling, 64), Krahn, Bartusiak, Peter (booked, 105); Garefrekes, Laudehr, Kulig (Schmidt, 8), Da Mbabi, Behringer; Grings (Popp, 102) Japan:          Kaihori; Kinga, Iwashimizu (booked 58), Kumagai (booked, 114), Sameshima; Ando, Sawa (booked, 87), Sakaguchi (booked, 72), Miyama; Ohno (Iwabuchi, 65) (Utsugi, 116), Nagasoto (Maruyama, 46) Referee:     Quetzalli Alvarado (Mexico)