“We came up against a Goliath of a goalie. What a game,” Renard said.
Australia won a penalty shootout 7-6 against Renard's team after their quarterfinal ended 0-0 in regulation and extra time on Saturday.
Arnold was “the winning factor,” the French coach acknowledged, “both in normal time but also in extra time and then during the shootout.”
Indeed. Arnold was instrumental in Australia advancing to the semifinals for the first time and ending the so-called curse of the host nation.
Cortnee Vine, playing in her first World Cup and going on late as a substitute, was the 10th in a line of 11 penalty-takers picked for Australia. She strode to the spot, aiming to finish off where two of her teammates couldn't, and calmly converted to give the Matildas a famous victory.
The Australians became the only hosts other than the United States to win a quarterfinal in nine Women’s World Cups.
Alessia Russo fired England into the semifinals of the Women's World Cup in a 2-1 win against Colombia on Saturday.
The Arsenal striker's second-half goal completed a come-from-behind win for the Lionesses after Leicy Santos had given the Colombians a first-half lead.
Lauren Hemp equalized before halftime and Russo struck the winner in the 63rd minute as England advanced to the semifinals for the third straight time. They will face co-host Australia for a spot in the final.
Sarina Wiegman is also a step closer to her second consecutive Women's World Cup final after her Netherlands team was runner-up to the United States in 2019.
England lost in the semifinals in 2015 and 2019, going out to Japan and the United States, respectively.
Wiegman led the Lionesses to victory in the European Championship last year, having won that competition with the Netherlands
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