Solo warms up at an Olympic Qualifier. Photo by Victor Araiza
On Sunday the Inaugural SheBelieves Cup continued, showcasing international talents from England, Germany, France and the USA. With a record crowd of over 25, 000 people in Nissan Stadium, the double header started with the US taking on France.
The first half was dominated by France, who led a series of runs against a frazzled US defense. The repeated attacks kept US goal keeper Hope Solo busy early in the game. One of the most impressive saves of the night coming off a rebound that Lloyd failed to clear in the 15th minute. Luckily for the US, whatever was narrowly missed by Solo, the crossbar and post were able to keep from the back of the net. French goalie Sarah Bouhaddi came up huge for France throughout the match. Coming off of a shoulder surgery in August, she led a tough French backline that repeatedly shut down runs from the Americans.
The second half saw a momentum shift with the US going on the attack while the French started to look fatigued. However, it wasn’t until stoppage time that the US was able to break the deadlock. With a well-timed ball from Pugh, Morgan sent one past the hard working Bouhaddi in the 91st minute for the victory. A tough loss for France, a brilliant finish by the US.
The second match of the night was another thriller with England scoring early and remaining strong until late in the game. Germany came back to tie it, and then overtook England off a penalty kick in the 82nd minute to seal their victory. Both Germany and the United States find themselves at the top of the tournament table with six points each. The final round of matches will see these top seeds face off to determine who will be the first country to bring home the title in the Inaugural SheBelieves Cup.
The last set of double headers will be played in Boca Raton Wednesday March 9th. First England and France battle it out for third, and then the USA takes on Germany. The US game will be streamed live on ESPN3 at 4:45pm PT.
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