England vs. Japan: Winners and Losers from Women's World Cup 2015 Semi-Final

Heartbreak struck England in the FIFA Women's World Cup semifinals Wednesday night as Laura Bassett scored a 92nd-minute own goal to send Japan into the final with a 2-1 victory in Edmonton.

Japan had taken the lead through Aya Miyama's penalty in the 33rd minute, but England pulled level just seven minutes later as Fara Williams converted another penalty. The two penalty decisions were contentious, with referee Anna-Marie Keighley appearing to award both incorrectly.

England created the better chances for most of the second half but failed to finish, setting up the late heartbreak. With the win, Japan advanced to face the United States in Sunday's final—a rematch of the 2011 showpiece.

Here are our choices for the winners and losers from Wednesday's match.

Winners: Aya Miyama and Japan

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Aya Miyama scored the game's first goal in the 33rd minute, calming depositing her low penalty into the bottom corner past Karen Bardsley. The goal was an appropriate reward for Miyama, who has been her side's best attacking player throughout the tournament.

The 30-year-old midfielder now has two goals—both penalties—and two assists in the tournament, but those totals don't really tell the whole story. Throughout Japan's stay in Canada, Miyama has been integral to all of her team's best attacks. Whether it's picking a dangerous pass, moving intelligently off the ball or converting crucial penalties, Miyama has been vital for the defending champions.

With one game left to go, she is surely in the running to be named the tournament's top player, especially if Japan retains the title.

Japan, meanwhile, advanced despite not playing exceptionally well against England. The Europeans, in fact, were the better and more dangerous side for much of the second half but failed to finish one of their many chances.

But that hardly matters at this point. This deep in the tournament, the only thing that matters is progress. Japan remains alive and is now only one win away from a second consecutive world title.

A repeat performance against the United States in the final likely won't earn Japan the trophy, but head coach Norio Sasaki will now have three days to address any issues ahead of the showpiece match.

Loser: Referee Anna-Marie Keighley

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Referee Anna-Marie Keighley made two high-profile mistakes in the first half of the game. Fortunately, both teams benefitted from one error each, which in effect cancelled them out.

In the 31st minute, England's Claire Rafferty fouled Saori Ariyoshi as the Japanese defender surged forward into the attack. But although replays confirmed the infraction occurred outside the box, Keighley awarded Japan a penalty, which Aya Miyama converted.

Eight minutes later, England won a penalty of its own as Steph Houghton went to ground in the box under a challenge by Yuki Ogimi. Replays strongly suggested Houghton had simulated, or least exaggerated, the contact, but Keighley awarded the penalty.

Keighley missed both calls, and at the highest level, that shouldn't happen. Fortunately, the result was not affected. But unfortunately for FIFA, this was the second night in a row that something like this happened.

Before the next World Cup, FIFA must take all steps necessary to ensure the quality of officiating improves. The stakes are simply too high to have so many errors in such important matches.

Winner and Loser: Mark Sampson

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England coach Mark Sampson deserves immense credit for guiding England to this point. Before the tournament, the Lionesses had never won a World Cup knockout match and were considered firm outsiders. But after starting slowly, England improved game by game and very nearly reached the final.

If not for one of the most heartbreaking endings imaginable, the Lionesses might be heading for Vancouver right now to take on the United States in the final. Wednesday's match was that close, and England was good enough to advance.

In addition, Sampson deserves praise for the way he handled his post-match media duties following Laura Bassett's stunning own goal. On live television, the England manager delivered a stirring tribute to his wounded center-back:

"

Look, Laura Bassett's name is on that scoresheet but she's epitomized this England team this tournament. She's been courageous, strong, and kept this group together. She didn't deserve that, but she'll be looked upon as a hero, an absolute hero. That's what people will remember, the Laura Bassett who headed and blocked and tackled and kept this team together.

"

Sampson's words were sincere and moving. One could almost feel the raw emotion beaming through the airwaves across thousands of miles, and what's more, one could almost believe him. But while it would be nice to believe that Bassett will be remembered for keeping England together throughout the tournament, that unfortunately won't be the case. Still, Sampson did what a good coach does in that situation and focused only on the good.

And yet, the 32-year-old also has to take a bit of blame. In the 86th minute, with full time looming, Sampson withdrew central midfielder Fara Williams for Karen Carney and changed the shape of his team as he searched for a winner in regular time. 

At the time, former England international Stan Collymore expressed concern, noting on Twitter that Williams was "the glue that knits (England) together." Sure enough, with Williams no longer holding down her central role, Japan quickly mounted a dangerous attack that turned into the winning goal.

It might be harsh to criticize Sampson here, admittedly. Bassett's own goal was a fluke and England was the better team for most of the second half. In addition, making assessments of a coach's performance is unfairly easy with the benefit of hindsight.

But with only four minutes left until extra time, why not keep Williams in the game until then? Unless she was injured, it probably made more sense to see out regular time and take a chance in the 30 extra minutes.

"Going 4-1-4-1 to 4-3-3 gave Japan just that sniff in attack," B/R contributor Rob Blanchette tweeted. "Should've shut game down in last few mins and prepped for extra time."

In matches as tight as this semifinal, the slightest decisions can sometimes affect the outcome. England was unlucky Wednesday night, but in hindsight Sampson's late tinkering now appears to have been ill-advised.

Winner: England

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Make no mistake: This defeat will hurt. Of all the ways to lose a game, a 92nd-minute own goal ranks among the worst and most devastating. That England played well overall will only make the pain more acute.

But despite the agony and despite the defeat, England should take pride in a fine World Cup performance. Few, especially outside the British Isles, expected the Lionesses to reach this point of the tournament. But with better luck—and better finishing—England would still be playing.

For now, there will only be pain. For a while, there will only be pain. But eventually, there should be pride. Because in the big picture, England's historic run at the 2015 World Cup will only serve to boost the sport back home. And in four years, the Lionesses should come back stronger than before.

"We've been on an amazing journey and there's not one player that had any ounce of energy left on that pitch," captain Steph Houghton said on television after the game. "That's football; it can be cruel at times but I think we can hold our heads high and try to pick ourselves up to go and play against Germany on Saturday."

As quoted by Glenn Moore of the Independent, coach Mark Sampson added: “I told the girls it is OK to cry. They left everything on the field, they could not give anymore. I am so proud of them. They have inspired a nation.”

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