Technically brilliant. Football of the highest quality. This really was as good as it gets! The USA came from behind to down Germany 2-1 in a magnificent FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup semi-final at QE2 Park on 13 November, to set up a mouth-watering final against North Korea at North Harbour Stadium in three days' time. Much like those privileged enough to witness the clash of Brazil and Ghana at NZ'99, not one of the 8014 fans left their seats before the final whistle of the best display of football you'll see in New Zealand this decade. They knew they were being treated to something extra special as they looked on enthralled, and rightly stayed on after the match to give both teams the standing ovation their efforts so richly deserved. The Germans got off to the perfect start, opening the scoring in the sixth minute. Dzsenifer Marozsan's flighted free-kick in from the right wasn't cleared, allowing Alexandra Popp to unleash a shot on the turn from six yards. Taylor Vancil blocked this effort with her legs, allowing her defenders to regather at the expense of a corner. Marozsan's delivery found Popp powering through the heart of the goalmouth, and there was no way she was going to miss a heading opportunity from four yards - the ball crashed into the back of the net! Ten minutes later, they should have doubled their advantage. Cloee Colohan gave Vancil a back-pass which was nigh on impossible to control, and the USA's `keeper did well simply to avoid conceding a corner. Instead, she should have conceded a goal, because her clearance landed straight at the feet of the incoming Tabea Kemme, ten yards out and with a gaping goal at her mercy. She's clearly been watching too much rugby while in New Zealand, because her effort sailed high, wide and far from handsomely over the bar. After this scare, the USA began to take control of the game, their patient possession play allowing them to perform calmly and without the element of panic the concession of an early goal often brings about in teams of lesser standing. In the 21st minute, only a fine reaction save by Anna Sarholz prevented Julia Roberts from levelling the scores with a beautifully flighted free-kick from just outside the penalty area which arced over the defensive wall. Marie-Louise Bagehorn scrambled the rebound to safety, but it was Sarholz who again kept the Germans' noses in front on the half-hour, as she produced arguably the save of the tournament to deny a teasing curling thirty yarder from Crystal Dunn, which had “top far corner” written all over it. Long-range efforts from Kristie Mewis and Roberts warmed Sarholz's gloves in the next ten minutes, while in between times, Courtney Verloo blazed a ten-yarder over the bar after Olivia Klei's teasing cross picked out her run through the inside-right channel. Five minutes before the interval, the USA sprayed the ball around at will, as Germany sat back and let their rivals press on. They nearly paid the price on this occasion, however, as Mewis battered a bullet from the edge of the penalty area which hammered against the base of Sarholz's left-hand post. Valeria Kleiner cleared the rebound before Verloo had the chance to rifle the USA level, but the striker was in on the left flank five minutes later, after linking with Dunn and Klei. Verloo's cross picked out Sam Mewis, whose header arced over Sarholz and crashed against the bar - the `keeper thought it had gone over. Once again, Germany scrambled the danger to safety, but this was a real let-off. They responded immediately after the half-time whistle by taking hold of the game in much the same manner they had begun the first spell. Kleiner's crunching tackle stopped Verloo in full flight in the 48th minute, and Germany's captain instantly sparked a counter-attack by picking out Marozsan with a raking fifty-yard pass which fizzed a foot at most above ground level, and was delivered inch-perfect to feet. You can count on the fingers of one hand the number of players in New Zealand who could achieve that example of technical excellence in a run-of-the-mill match situation, never mind in the middle of a World Cup semi-final! Marozsan turned , upon spotting Turid Knaak's darting run inside off the right flank, picked her out with a peach of a measured cross-field ball, the flank player evading a challenge before unleashing a fierce drive which Vancil parried and quickly gathered. Three minutes later, it was Marozsan's turn to unleash a raking fifty yard pass, Kemme this time her target. The striker slipped, fortuitously as it turned out, for ranging up behind her was Popp. The sight of the German flyer latching onto the ball had the Americans back-pedalling furiously, but far too late to deny Popp from blasting a twenty-five yarder on the run at the target. Vancil flung herself to her right and smothered the shot expertly. The USA's goalkeeper was on hand again in the 54th minute to foil another Popp effort, grabbing her header after Marozsan had picked her out with a free-kick taken from wide out on the left flank.

Germany's fire-and-brimstone start was gradually quelled, however, and the USA again assumed the ascendancy, with Roberts and Kristie Mewis gaining the upper hand in midfield, while Dunn, Brooks and Rachel Quon - she has grown with each game during the tournament - were the rocks on which German raids often foundered. That the USA had gained the upper hand was confirmed by their equaliser in the 64th minute. And it was a terrific move which brought about the goal their performance fully deserved. Dunn got the better of Marozsan inside her own half and promptly raced past three opponents before linking with Brooks. The ball was then expertly zipped around the park, with Roberts, Kristie Mewis, Quon, Verloo and Erika Tymrak all involved before the last-mentioned rampaged down the right. The substitute, who had only joined the fray four minutes prior, promptly powered past two challenges at pace before curling a tantalising cross right into the goalmouth. The flight of the ball completely deceived Sarholz, leaving DiMartino to tap home on the far post - 1-1. The Germans didn't like this development one iota, and not long afterwards, Marozsan and Brooks tangled in an off-the-ball incident just outside the USA's penalty area. The defender collected a booking for her retaliatory actions, as tempers started to get a little frayed. They got even more so in the 71st minute, when Roberts took out Popp with a scything challenge after the ball had gone. She was fortunate not to join Brooks in Korean referee Cha Sung Mi's notebook - the tackle certainly merited something a little more tangible than a talking-to. Germany were right back in the contest by this   stage, and had the Americans on the ropes. But time and time again, Dunn and Quon got in a vital tackle or an important interception at the appropriate moment to keep the European champions at bay. All except for one occasion, eleven minutes from time, when fullback Leonie Maier teamed up with Knaak to finally get around the feisty Dunn and whip in a cross to the near post, the incoming Popp the intended recipient. But terrific communication in the heat of battle between Colohan and Vancil saw the defender duck under the ball as she shaped to head clear, allowing the goalkeeper to gather bravely at the feet of Popp as the winger looked to fire Germany back in front. They never got another opportunity. In the blink of an eye, the ball was sailing downfield, at least until it got to Verloo. The striker's neat control allowed her to swivel and unleash a vicious dipping thirty yarder on the turn which arced agonisingly onto the roof of the net. The resulting goal-kick barely got to half-way when the Americans regained possession, the ball swiftly being transferred to Brooks just inside the German half. From thirty-five yards she unleashed a thunderbolt which crashed off the right-hand side of the crossbar down into the path of the incoming Roberts. With the startled Sarholz quickly regathering her wits and swiftly confronting the midfielder, Germany's goalkeeper found herself beaten all ends up when Roberts unselfishly opted to pass rather than beat the `keeper one-on-one. The beneficiary was Verloo, who battered the ball home to give the USA a 2-1 lead with nine minutes remaining. Hell hath no fury like a German team behind on the scoreboard in a World Cup semi-final, and this one was no different. Indeed, they had been exactly the same on North Harbour Stadium's outer oval in February, when the USA came from behind to down Germany 3-2 in the final of the Future Stars tournament, a match every bit as good in quality as this one. On that occasion, the Germans were also undone by a goal nine minutes before full-time, and it was the case this time also, although they threw everything but the kitchen sink at the USA to prevent history from repeating. Try as they might, however, the European champions just couldn't find a way through. Roberts stopped the in-full-flight figure of substitute Svenja Huth with a sensational tackle on the edge of the penalty area two minutes from time - the timing of the tackle was split-second perfect. Then in stoppage time, Huth teamed up with fellow replacement, Ivana Rudelic, and Kleiner, whose angled ball allowed Marozsan to try a bicycle kick from the edge of the penalty area. Her shot flew past the post, and with it went Germany's hopes of dragging this thrilling contest into extra time. Instead, their conquerors in February, whose victory then earned them pre-tournament favouritism for these Finals, repeated the dose in November, leaving the Germans to contemplate a third place play-off against England at North Harbour Stadium on Sunday, while wondering what might have been as the USA tackle North Korea with the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup at stake. Germany:     Sarholz; Maier, Wesely, Kleiner, Simon; Knaak, Mester, Bagehorn (Rudelic, 82), Popp; Marozsan, Kemme (Huth, 84) USA:          Vancil; Quon, Colohan, Dunn; Brooks (booked, 69); S. Mewis, K. Mewis, Roberts, Klei (Tymrak, 60); DiMartino (Johnson, 90), Verloo Referee:     Cha Sung Mi (Korea Republic)