BRA 2-2 USA AET (3-5 PKs)

It was a game that seemed like it should have been a semi or a final, and came with controversies more linked to a semi or a final of a major tourney.

Daiane gave the U.S. a gift early when Carli Lloyd took a shot on goal in the 2nd minute and it went off the defender into her own goal. From there, it was a choppy first half, which worked to the American advantage. At halftime, everything seemed normal.

In the second, all hell broke loose. Carli Lloyd could have been sent off for a handball in the 51st minute. She was already on a yellow, and Brazil had a case, swarming the Australian ref, Jacqui Meiksham, who started to lose the plot from there.

Marta found a hole in the American defense and made her way onto goal. Rachel Buehler went for ball, but got some combination of leg and partial dive. The ref called a PK, which was warranted, but sent Buehler off with a straight red. USA keeper Hope Solo knocked away Christiane’s PK — but Meiksham whistled her for moving early, or maybe for an American player entering the box too soon…it’s still not clear. Marta replaced Christiane and it was 1-all. The US was playing harder than Brazil, looking even despite being a woman down.

From there, it got chippy. Harsh tackles and really blatant diving by the Brazilians marred much of it, so much so that the crowd in Dresden turned on Brazil, booing Marta every time she touched the ball. Despite this, Marta embraced it, putting Brazil up 2-1 early in extra time on an absolutely fantastic touch. A cross came into the box, and Marta was so off-balance no one thought there was any way she could send it in. But she flipped a rainbow into the far right corner of the goal, where Solo had no chance to reach it. There were questions about the cross coming in from an offside player, but replays call it inconclusive at best; Amy LePeilbet played it on by all appearances.

Brazil then started flailing for time, so blatantly that ESPN’s Ian Darke was aghast, calling it an intrusion of the men’s game upon what had been a tournament relatively free of gaming the ref. Erika was particularly reprehensible, falling down for an apparent cramp, going off on a stretcher, and getting back up and on the pitch a mere 30 seconds later.

And then, with a large majority of the crowd chanting “U-S-A!”, the karmic retribution came: Megan Rapinoe sent a hell of a cross in to Abby Wambach to level it in stoppage of extra time, which you can watch at the clip above. 2-2. Penalties.

Hope Solo came up big on the second kick, knocking the second Brazilian PK away, and making Daiane the goat once again. That was all the U.S. needed, putting on a clinic from the spot. Shannon Boxx shot the first one poorly, but Andreia was two yards off her line — so she redeemed herself by nailing the second go-round. Lloyd, Wambach, Rapinoe, and Ally Krieger all hit theirs, and the U.S. will play the French in the semis, overcoming a horrific refereeing job that should shame FIFA (but sadly, neither the organizing body nor its leaders are capable of it.)