Halftime substitute Paulina Krumbiegel scored in the 89th minute to lift visiting Germany to a 2-1 victory and send the United States women’s national team to their first three-match losing streak since 1993.
Krumbiegel’s late winner, scored from a restart that caught the defending World Cup champion Americans by surprise, canceled out Megan Rapinoe’s equalizer four minutes earlier for the United States in the first of two friendlies between these sides.
This third loss comes after a pair of tough October defeats in Europe, 2-1 at defending European champions England and 2-0 to Spain four days later.
The Germans took the lead on an own-goal off the back of U.S. goalkeeper Casey Murphy, created by Klara Buhl’s shot from the edge of the penalty area.
And although the visitors were second-best in the opening half, their first goal seemed to open up the game for the Germans. The U.S. finished with only a minor 18-17 edge in shots, and Murphy and German counterpart Merle Frohms had two saves each.
But it appeared the Americans would avoid an infamous streak when Rapinoe scored her 63rd international goal 12 minutes after her entrance into the match.
Alex Morgan created the opportunity when she blocked a German clearance attempt deep in the visitors’ own end, raced to keep the ball in bounds and then dragged a cross back toward the penalty spot. Rapinoe met the service with a powerful strike that left Frohms little chance.
But the U.S. was doomed by its own defensive error four minutes later.
Following a foul by Sophia Huerta, Lena Oberdorf took a quick free kick and picked out Jule Brand, who got around the corner of the American defense and sent in a low cross. The sprinting Krumbiegel hammered it into the roof of the net.
The Americans were unlucky not to be leading earlier, with Lindsey Horan alone striking the woodwork twice while it was tied 0-0.
But it was only moments after the second that Germany took the lead, when Buhl cut in from the left corner of the penalty area and curled a strike that rattled the right post.
Unlike Horan’s near-misses, Buhl’s effort then found the back of Murphy, who was on the ground after a diving save attempt, and redirected into the net.
–Field Level Media