LYON: Sophia Smith scored the winning goal in extra time as the United States beat Germany 1-0 on Tuesday to advance to the Olympic women’s football final.
Smith settled a close-fought but poor semifinal in Lyon by firing past Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger to finally break the deadlock five minutes into extra time.
The USA, record four-time gold medallists, will go to Paris for the final on Saturday against either World Cup holders Spain or Brazil, who play their last-four tie later.
Germany, who won gold in 2016, can still claim the consolation of bronze as they stay in Lyon for the third-place play-off on Friday against the loser of the second semifinal.
The Germans had been the more accomplished side in normal time although quality was desperately lacking in the final third from both teams on a stiflingly hot day.
Emma Hayes’s USA, meanwhile, played at a level far removed from their clinical display in beating Germany 4-1 in the group stage in Marseille.
However, once again the quality of their attack made the difference.
In Saturday’s quarter-final win over Japan, it was right-winger Trinity Rodman who scored the only goal of the game in extra time.
This time it was Smith who was the match-winner, firing past Berger after being picked out by a Mallory Swanson through ball.
It was a third goal at the tournament for the Colorado-born forward who will turn 24 on the day of the final — her other two strikes came against Germany in the group stage.
Contrast that cutting edge with Germany, who were dealt a serious double blow ahead of the game when ill captain Alexandra Popp and the injured Lea Schueller, the two most prolific and experienced goal-scorers in their squad, were ruled out.
The Americans had chances in the 90 minutes, including from a late Lindsey Horan header that was kept out by Berger.
Swanson even had the ball in the net, although she was well offside and the flag was raised early.
But they found a way through in extra time, and Smith was then only denied a second goal by a good Berger save.
There was drama right at the death, with USA goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher saving at close range to deny Laura Freigang an equalizer before Smith almost got a second on the break.
The USA won the last of their four women’s football gold medals at London 2012. They claimed bronze three years ago in Tokyo and were also silver medallists in 2000.
Germany, whose coach Horst Hrubesch was in charge of the men’s team that won silver in Rio in 2016, will now hope to leave with Olympic bronze for the fourth time.

LYON, France: Jean-Philippe Mateta scored twice and Michael Olize added a third as France came from behind to beat Egypt 3-1 after extra time on Monday and set up an Olympic men’s football final showdown with Spain.

Thierry Henry’s France looked to be heading for defeat in the semifinal in Lyon after Mahmoud Saber put Egypt ahead just after the hour mark.

But Mateta, the Crystal Palace striker, levelled from Olize’s assist with seven minutes of the 90 remaining.

Egypt were reduced to 10 men at the start of extra time when center-back Omar Fayed was sent off, and the hosts made their numerical superiority count as Mateta headed in.

Olize then sealed the win on 108 minutes and France, looking for their second Olympic men’s football gold medal and first since 1984, now face Spain in the final at the Parc des Princes in Paris on Friday.

Spain, gold medallists in 1992 and silver medallists three years ago in Tokyo, qualified earlier Monday after coming from behind to beat Morocco 2-1 in Marseille.

Egypt and Morocco will meet in Nantes on Thursday in an all-North African play-off for bronze.

France often looked disjointed without suspended midfield duo Manu Kone and Enzo Millot, with the latter banned after his red card at the end of the fiery quarter-final win over Argentina.

However, they had the majority of the chances and defender Loic Bade hit the post late in the first half with a header from a corner.

Egypt soaked up pressure at the start of the second half before scoring in the 62nd minute.

Saber’s first effort was blocked but when the ball came back to him he engineered space before slamming a shot past France goalkeeper Guillaume Restes.

The hosts almost equalized immediately as a Mateta header was tipped over by goalkeeper Hamza Alaa.

They then struck the woodwork twice in a matter of seconds, captain Alexandre Lacazette heading off a post and Bade nodding the follow-up against the bar.

The equalizer arrived in the 83rd minute, with Olize the creator as he cut through the middle on a driving run before playing in Mateta to finish.

France hoped to find a winner before extra time, but a penalty appeal after Fayed blocked a Bade header with his hand was dismissed following a long VAR review.

They went into the extra half-hour on a sultry evening and Egypt were quickly reduced to 10 men when Fayed, already booked for arguing against the penalty call, saw yellow again for chopping down Desire Doue.

France went ahead when a corner was played short to Olize, and his ball to the far post was headed back across goal by Kiliann Sildillia for Mateta to head in his fourth goal of the tournament.

Olize fired in the third early in the second half of extra time after a clearance struck Doue and fell into his path.