Germany vs. France: Score, Twitter Reaction from 2015 Women's Soccer World Cup

Germany advanced to the 2015 Women's World Cup semifinals Friday by edging France in penalty kicks (5-4) after the match remained tied 1-1 through 120 minutes. 

The win sends the Nationalelf on to face the winner of the match between the United States and China later on Friday. The Germans have been among the most impressive squads throughout the tournament and are now just two wins from the title.

A meeting this early in the knockout stages was a tough draw for both sides. Germany came into the tournament as the top-ranked side in the world, and France was third, with only the Americans separating the pair.

Les Bleues manager Philippe Bergeroo understood the tricky nature of the fixture but felt his team was ready for the challenge.

Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

"Already we are playing against a team that is classed first in FIFA. So we are the outsiders compared to that team," Bergeroo said, per Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press (via Yahoo Sports). "But we have a lot of ambition for that game."

France showed that ambition by emerging as the far more dangerous side in the early going.

France winger Elodie Thomis was able to break free down the right wing less than a minute into the match. Her cross found an open Louisa Necib inside the box, but the midfielder's effort to place the ball into the bottom corner flew just wide.

The French side continued to control the run of play for the first 15 minutes, while Germany seemed more concerned about setting the physical tone. It allowed Les Bleues to generate several free kicks deep in opposing territory, but they weren't able to take advantage.

Paul Carr of ESPN highlighted the early pressure from France:

Germany eventually settled in, and the match then developed into a highly entertaining, back-and-forth encounter. Both sides created chances, though France still generated more of the promising looks at goal.

Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated noted the high level of play:

Necib had another chance to give France the lead just inside the 40th minute. Once again, she unleashed a heavy shot after finding some free space in the box. Her attempt was on frame this time, but German goalkeeper Nadine Angerer did well to parry the effort.

All told, Les Bleues headed into the halftime break with a 14-6 edge in shots, but the scoreline remained 0-0.

All aspects of the first half impressed The Playoff Guru:

"

This is 1 of best soccer matches I've ever seen. Attacking, no diving, hard-playing but not dirty. Well done, ladies of Germany and France.

— The Playoff Guru (@ThePlayoffGuru) June 26, 2015"

Chris McLaughlin of BBC Sport opined about France's failure to capitalize:

The intense action continued into the second half.

Celia Sasic created a great chance for the Nationalelf less than five minutes after the intermission. She sent a laser toward goal, but Sarah Bouhaddi came up with a diving stop for France.

Bouhaddi was called into action again shortly before the hour mark. Germany's Dzsenifer Marozsan delivered a well-placed free kick from just outside the box, and it would have curled into the corner if the French keeper didn't get across to make the save.

Anthony DiCicco praised the netminder for the save:

France grabbed the lead just minutes later. The third time was a charm for Necib, who picked up a failed clearance from the German back line. Her effort from just outside the 18 took a partial deflection and sailed into the net.

BBC Sport spotlighted the tally:

Jeff Kassouf of NBC Sports pointed out it was a long time coming for France:

Germany got a bit of good fortune of its own to level the score in the 84th minute. The referee called a handball as an attempted cross struck the upper arm of a French defender. It was a borderline call, especially after a handball decision went against France earlier in the match.

Nevertheless, Sasic stepped to the spot and delivered a perfect penalty low into the left corner to level the score. That strike pushed her to the top of the tournament's scoring list, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Maximiliano Bretos of ESPN commented on the crucial play:

"

Brutal hand ball by #FRA in a big spot.

— Maximiliano Bretos (@mbretosESPN) June 26, 2015"

Neither side could find a winner late in regulation, thus sending the match to extra time.

While the tempo remained good, there were only limited scoring opportunities during the extra 30 minutes. Both squads seemed low on energy, and nobody wanted to make the one mistake that would cost her side the match.

France's Gaetane Thiney had the best opportunity for either team as she timed a run perfectly to the back post but couldn't redirect the cross into the net.

With no heroes in extra time, the match moved to penalty kicks.

The first nine shooters connected from the spot. Then, as Claire Lavogez tried to send the shootout to extra kickers, Angerer came up with the winning stop to put Germany through to the next round. It was a thrilling conclusion to an outstanding match.

The FIFA Women's World Cup Twitter account confirmed the result:

Ives Galarcep of Soccer By Ives lauded the German penalty-takers:

If the United States advances from the day's second quarterfinal, it would set up a meeting between the two teams ranked 1-2 in the world. But instead of playing for the trophy, they would just be battling for a chance to play in the final.

The extra 30 minutes isn't ideal for Germany. The resulting fatigue could very well become a factor during the remaining rounds. Of course, the players will gladly take that over heading home early.

France pushed Germany to the limit Friday, but the world's top-ranked team lives to fight another day.