USA vs France result: Megan Rapinoe trumps hosts to set up Women’s World Cup semi-final against England

It would seem that Megan Rapinoe is just as suited to writing headlines on the pitch as she is off it. 

On the hottest day ever recorded in France, her two goals poured a cold bucket of water over the host nation’s pretensions to the throne and sent the United States to the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup.

This was billed as not only the game of the tournament but perhaps the biggest in the history of the women’s game, given the sport’s increased profile and the standing of these sides: the hosts and the holders, together the two favourites for the competition.

An evenly-contested, full-blooded contest largely lived up to the hype, even if France will be disappointed to have come up short. Wendie Renard’s header offered hope of an unlikely revival but it came too late. The United States will now play England in Lyon on Tuesday night.

The story, though, is undoubtedly Rapinoe. After drawing his ire earlier this week, you wondered whether that self-confessed “big fan of the American Team, and Women’s Soccer” Donald Trump was watching her performance. He has to take every opportunity to see her in action, of course. Win or lose, she is still not going to the White House.

It was 31°C in Paris at kick-off: not comfortable but thanks to a light breeze, not the stifling sort of heat that many had feared might spoil the occasion. And though summer tournaments in such conditions are characterised by languid and sluggish play, this game was nothing of the sort.

Rapinoe’s first, a free-kick hit low and hard from the left, should not have been scored. And yet, it evaded every flailing limb in crowded, hectic penalty area, passing through Amandine Henry’s legs before beating the discombobulated goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi.

There were some who wondered whether an @realDonaldTrump Twitter pile-on would unsettle Rapinoe. This first goal, her celebration and then the uncompromising manner of her all-round performance suggested anything but.

The “walking protest” was at her most dangerous when running in behind. France’s defence struggled to cope with early United States counters, and if not for one well-timed Bouhaddi dash off the goal-line, Rapinoe would have added her second much earlier.

The hosts simply were not living up to their side of the bargain. Even as the half drew on and France grew ever more dominant in possession, simple passes went astray and opportunities to break through their increasingly withdrawn opponents were missed.

To their credit, France kept building momentum. Kadidiatou Diani particularly enjoyed herself against makeshift left-back Crystal Dunn and at the start of the second half, the hosts were posing valid questions of the United States’ conservative approach.

And yet somehow, that conservatism paid off. While France toiled, failing to force the issue where it counts, Rapinoe pounced. Tobin Heath’s cutback was behind Sam Mewis but a flash of pink arrived late in the penalty area, feeding off scraps and doubling the advantage.

Corinne Diacre’s attempts to rally her players appeared in vain, but when VAR disallowed a Heath goal for a fractional offside and saved France from falling further behind, they found a lifeline. Renard had threatened at set plays all evening. Her header nine minutes from time gave hope.

Yet the United States returned to what they had done so effectively all night: allowing France to have possession, but limiting what they could do with it. It was that experience and game management which saw them through and with the pretenders to their throne eliminated, it makes them overwhelming favourites.