Women's World Cup 2015: Key Players in Germany vs. England 3rd-Place Match
Germany and England both suffered crushing defeats in their semi-final matches of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. The losses for both sides set up an intriguing third-place match for Saturday, as both teams look to end their World Cup runs on a high note.
The two teams will both have to keep their emotions from getting the best of them and attack their final match of the tournament with the same intensity that has propelled them to this point.
Both teams would obviously rather play on Sunday, but the chance to cement yourself as a top-three team in the world is nothing to scoff at.
To regain the high level of play it took to get to the semi-final round, both sides will look to their star players and team leaders to set an example for their teams.
Here is a look at a few of the key players for both teams in Saturday's third-place match.
Germany
Celia Sasic, Forward
Arguably the tournament's top player, Sasic is the tournament's leading scorer with six goals and has been at the forefront of a Germany attack that looked unstoppable before being stifled in the semi-final against the United States.
In that semifinal, Sasic sent a penalty kick wide left that would have given Germany the lead. Instead, the U.S. scored minutes later on the way to 2-0 victory.
Sasic needs to rebound and play her aggressive, attacking style of play to put pressure on the England defense, which has only surrendered multiple goals once in this World Cup.
Nadine Angerer, Goalkeeper
Even in defeat, Angerer was spectacular in the semi-final match. She made several impressive saves in the first half, and without her heroics, the match could have been much less dramatic.
FIFA announced Angerer as one of three candidates for the tournament's Golden Glove award, which is awarded to the best keeper.
Saturday's match will also serve as the final match of Angerer's World Cup career, per the Oregonian's Jamie Goldberg.
The Germans will count on Angerer to provide one last signature performance and keep England from finding the back of the net.
Anja Mittag, Forward
Mittag is the other half of Germany's dynamic scoring duo. Like Sasic, she has done her share of scoring, netting five goals and also leading the tournament with three assists.
She, along with Sasic, will be the driving force behind attacking the English defense. On the attack, Mittag can find ways to score or create chances for Germany's other attackers.
Mittag also has a chance to steal the Golden Boot award from her teammate in the match.
England
Laura Bassett, Defender
Bassett committed one of the costliest errors in World Cup history in the semi-final, scoring an own goal in stoppage time with the score tied at 1-1. The own goal gave Japan the lead and an eventual 2-1 victory.
It may be difficult for Bassett to collect herself to compete in the consolation match. Despite the mistake, she has still been one of England's most consistent performers throughout the tournament and will be greatly needed to help slow down the potent German offense.
Lucy Bronze, Defender
Bronze has been a force for England throughout the World Cup. Her performance has been good enough to land her on the shortlist for the Golden Ball award as the tournament's top player.
Bronze was honored to be named as a candidate for the award:
She'll join Bassett on the back line to limit Germany's offense. But Bronze has also found herself attacking from the defender position in the tournament, scoring two goals.
The priority placed on containing Sasic and Mittag might limit Bronze's chance to attack in the match.
Fara Williams, Midfielder
Williams has been a key part of England's offense, leading the team in goals and assists. She's also one of the experienced veterans for the Lionesses.
Her offensive ability will again be a crucial part of England's efforts to score in their last match.
In the post-match press conference after the heartbreaking loss to Japan, Williams seemed focused on moving past disappointment and producing a strong effort against Germany. “We will be ready to go again most definitely,” Williams said. “We need to give one more big performance against the Germans. It will need to be a class performance, and they have had an extra day to recover.”
Williams' leadership and positive attitude could go a long way in helping England rebound from such a devastating loss.
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