Co-hosts Australia have reached the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The hosts defeated the French side in Brisbane after a goalless 120 minutes in the quarter-finals on Saturday in an unheard of 11-man thriller, climbing into the top four for the first time in their history.
The captain of the French national team, Hervé Renard, changed goalkeepers before the penalty shoot-out, adding to the tension that was not lacking: the duel was decided in the tenth round, during which four saves, three goals and a. Replay the penalty kick.
After a thrilling penalty shootout, the host nation reached the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup
By the way, this was the longest penalty shootout in the history of the World Cup, since the men’s tournaments did not reach the tenth round either.
In the semi-finals, the Australians will face England or Colombia on Wednesday in Sydney, while Spain and Sweden will face off in Auckland on Tuesday.
It had already been decided that there would certainly be a new world champion for women’s football, since all previous winners had already bid farewell to the tournament.
Quarter-final result:
Australia-France 0-0, 11s: 7-6
England and Colombia 2-1
Played on Friday:
Sweden-Japan 2-1 (1-0)
Spain – Netherlands 2-1 (0-0, 1-1, 1-1) – after extra time
Semi-final programme:
Tuesday: Spain – Sweden, Auckland 10.00
Wednesday: Australia – England / Columbia, Sydney at 12 noon