U.S. overcomes Sinclair hat trick, beats Canada 4-3 in Olympic soccer semifinal

MANCHESTER ? Heartbreak. Utter heartbreak.

Striker Alex Morgan rose to nod a cross behind Canadian ?keeper Erin McLeod with seconds to go in extra time, as the U.S. advanced to Thursday?s gold-medal Olympic final, 4-3 victors over a gallant Canadian side.

The Canadians were reduced to tears at the gutting end to a fantastic match.

One of the great sporting events you?ll ever witness. One of the great Canadian Olympic performances ever, by three-goal Christine Sinclair.

Period.

The pace never ebbed. And as late as the 119th minute, drama. The constantly dangerous Alex Morgan crossed and Abby Wambach rose for a looping header that avoided McLeod?s attempt to claw the ball away and clanked off the crossbar.

Canada must now regroup to face France in the bronze-medal match, also Thursday, in Coventry.

Norwegian refree Christiana Pedersen has had better nights. You?d hope ...

She chose to ignore a clear hand ball inside the box on American midfielder Megan Rapinoe and then gave a controversial delay-of-game free kick against McLeod, taken just inside the Canadian area, that led to a hand ball and the 3-3 tie.

An absolutely breathtaking second half saw the teams swap goals at a blistering pace.

Sinclair?s third of the game, a towering header off a Sophie Schmidt corner, had restored (however briefly) Canada?s slender advantage, 3-2.

But on this night, nothing was safe. And a free-kick inside the area hit Diana Matheson in the arm before ricocheting off Marie-Eve Nault?s arm. Penalty.

Wambach cooly finished in the 79th to pull the Americans back from the abyss one more time.

The free kick was called - believe it or not - for delay-of-game on McLeod. It was, quite frankly, an unbelievable call.

Canada had established its second lead of the evening in the 67th, a lovely, weighted chip from the left flank by Melissa Tancredi powered home by the first decisive Sinclair header.

But the States refused to buckle. Rapinoe?s howitzer from just inside the box glancing off the far post and cue-balling in in the 70th minute to draw level again.

The U.S. had equalized for the first time in the 54th, a Rapinoe low inswinging corner sailing through the legs of defender Lauren Sesselmann and, somehow, in at the near post.

For all their possession over the opening 20 minutes, the Americans, while threatening, failed to create that one incisive opportunity.

And then, in dramatic fashion, they found themselves in arrears. Nault slipped the ball in to Tancredi, who laid the ball off to Sinclair, who nimbly slipped past defender Kelley O?Hara and buried a shot behind Hope Solo for her 141st international goal.

The U.S. was clearly stunned.

That strike had the effect of cooling Canadian nerves, however, and the underdogs began to get a grip on the game. Solo had to track down a Sophie Schmidt header, rising above right back Amy le Peilbet, before the Americans generated their only clear-cut opportunity, Alex Morgan?s glancing header sailing inches wide of the far post.

? Copyright (c) Postmedia News

Source: http://feeds.canada.com/~r/canwest/F264/~3/1eci2WOShg8/story.html

ncaa brackets 2012 odd lamar d antoni fashion star andrew bird lizzie borden