Women's World Cup Schedule 2015: Finals Date, TV Coverage and Info Hub
Japan and the U.S. will meet again in the final of the 2015 Women's World Cup on Sunday, resuming a rivalry that started when the former shocked the latter in the final of the 2011 edition of the tournament. Germany and England will battle for third place Saturday, and the BBC and Fox Sports will have full coverage of both matches.
The U.S. qualified for the final with a 2-0 win over tournament favourites Germany, while Japan needed a last-minute own goal from Laura Bassett to get past England, winning 2-1. Both teams haven't been perfect throughout the tournament, but they did more than enough to earn their spot in Sunday's final.
Here's everything you need to know about the conclusion of the 2015 Women's World Cup:
| Saturday, July 4 | 4 p.m. ET/9 p.m. BST | Germany v England | BBC 3/FOX Network |
| Sunday, July 5 | 7 p.m. ET/Midnight BST | USA v Japan | BBC 3/FOX Network |
Preview
The U.S. got some measure of revenge for their loss in the 2011 World Cup at the 2012 Olympics, beating Japan in the gold-medal match. But the World Cup is a far bigger tournament, and as reported by USA Today's Nancy Armour, the players still haven't gotten over that match.
Megan Rapinoe made that clear to reporters after the win over Germany, saying: "It's so hard to get to a final. This is our journey this time, and whoever we face, we'll be happy with. But, obviously, if we could get one back on Japan, that would be great."
The Yanks needed a dose of luck to get past the Germans, as Julie Johnston could―and perhaps should―have been sent off for committing the foul that resulted in Celia Sasic's penalty miss, and Alex Morgan was clearly outside the box when she earned a penalty for her side.
That said, the Stars and Stripes fully deserved the win, clearly beating their opponents on a tactical level. Grantland's Shea Serrano put it this way:
"usa/germany game recap pic.twitter.com/LwSSmFtGbS
— Shea Serrano (@SheaSerrano) July 1, 2015"
Japan looked a lot less impressive against England, who shouldn't have presented such a challenge on paper, but in fairness to the squad, the performance in the semi-final was their worst of the tournament so far.
Bleacher Report's Andrew Gibney thinks Nadeshiko Japan have yet to be truly challenged, and they'll have to perform far better against an American team hitting its stride:
"On Sunday night, if Japan want to lift the trophy for a second time, they will need to raise their game against the United States. Jill Ellis’ team have been far from perfect themselves, but in their last two knockout games, they have raised the bar and looked much more threatening against China and Germany.
The Americans got lucky in the semi-final—a penalty against them should have resulted in a red card for Julie Johnston, and Alex Morgan’s penalty looked to come from contact outside of the box—but they took their chances and are growing in confidence with every game.
They're peaking just in time for Sunday’s final.
"
Their fluent passing has lacked some of its flair, but Japan's defence has more than made up for the occasional struggles in midfield. Japan still find the open spaces with relative ease, and they should enjoy the bulk of possession against the Stars and Stripes.
One major area of weakness for the defending champions is their defence of crosses and set pieces in particular. The Americans have a clear advantage in size and should be able to capitalize on Japan's chaotic defending inside the box, provided the service is on-point.
In the third-place match, Germany will be the favourites against England, who shocked everyone with their magical run to the semi-finals. They came agonizingly close to beating the defending champions only for Bassett's unfortunate own-goal to halt their bid.
New York Daily News' Frank Isola is looking forward to the meeting between her and Sasic:
The German team is similar to Japan in that they prioritize possession and the midfield battle and will send plenty of players crashing into the box. England have already shown they can deal with those tactics, but Germany's strikers are a cut above Japan's, who use more of a platoon approach.
Regardless of the outcome of Saturday's match, the 2015 Women's World Cup has been a huge win for the Lionesses, who can return with their heads held high. But a win over rivals Germany would surely make the flight home a little more enjoyable.
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