The rematch everyone was waiting for won't come this time, but an intriguing match between the defending Women's World Cup champion US and European titlist Germany has emerged for Sunday's semifinals.
The US and Germany are the only two teams with perfect records through four matches, and the Germans are the highest scoring team with 20 goals and just three against.
Germany star Birgit Prinz is responsible for a tournament-leading six of those goals, and she was disappointed with just two scores in the 7-1 quarterfinal drubbing of Russia on Thursday.
PHOTO: AFP
"I didn't feel happy with my first half. I didn't do what was expected of me on the left side as I was marked very tight and consequently couldn't contribute to my team," Prinz said. "Second half was better but I missed too many chances."
The US, which nipped rival Norway 1-0, has scored 12 goals and given up just one.
In the 1999 quarterfinals, the Americans rallied to beat Germany 3-2 and then went on to lift their second Women's World Cup title.
"[The Americans] are performing as well as in 1999 and they are the top favorite to win the tournament," Germany coach Tina Theune-Meyer added. "We have to play physically very robust against them.
"Maybe we'll have the same interesting game that we had before," she added.
In the other semifinal, Canada will play Sweden. The Canadians upset 1999 runner-up China 1-0 Thursday, robbing fans of a Chinese rematch against the US.
Four years ago, the Americans beat China on penalty kicks in the final. China was hoping to get revenge this year as host of the tournament, but FIFA took the event out of the country earlier this year because of the SARS virus. The Chinese will host the next World Cup finals in 2007.
"It is obvious that China cannot overcome the deep or concentrated defenses through the past several matches. I will be responsible for this," China coach Ma Liangxing said of the loss to Canada.
China star Sun Wen, who led the 1999 tournament with seven goals and has 106 in her career, scored just once in her four matches and will retire at the end of the year.
The surprising Canadians, whose only loss in the tournament came in its opening match against Germany 4-1, will have a tough time against Sweden.
"Sweden plays a style that is much similar to our style," Canada coach Even Pellerud. "But I must say that I have seen Sweden in many games now. They have a tremendous team, and I've said for a long time that Sweden is one of the teams that could win this tournament.
"They have really impressed coming back from their loss against USA in their first game, and they look stronger and stronger and stronger," said Pellerud, who led his native Norway to the 1995 title.
Sweden, which has won three straight, could get a rematch against the US in the final. The Americans officially opened the tournament with a 3-1 win over the Swedes in Group A.
If both lose, the rematch will fall to Group C teams Germany and Canada.
The final is scheduled for Oct. 12 at 1700 GMT in Carson, California. The third place match will be a day earlier at 1930 GMT at the same venue.
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