Alyssa Naeher and the American depth carry the USWNT into another World Cup final with 2-1 win over England

After all that hand-wringing and third-guessing about Alyssa Naeher, the American goalkeeper made an acrobatic, leaping save in the first half and then smothered England’s penalty kick in the 84th minute to clinch a 2-1 victory for the U.S. and a spot in the Women’s World Cup final.

While Hope Solo, Naeher’s famous predecessor and a BBC commentator, watched from above, Naeher and a pair of unexpected starters made all the difference in another tight, edgy match.

In the pivotal moment of the game, Brazilian referee Edina Alves Batista awarded a penalty to England after a VAR review determined that U.S. defender Becky Sauerbrunn had marginally clipped Ellen White’s back leg in the box. When Steph Houghton went low and not-left-enough with her penalty try, Naeher guessed correctly and England’s hopes were squashed.

With that save – and with the aid of an earlier VAR review that determined a second-half goal by England was offside – the Americans advanced to their third straight final on Sunday in Lyon, and their fifth overall, against the winner of the Wednesday semi between Netherlands and Sweden.

“I told (Naeher), ‘That was your shining moment,’ though we have one more game,” coach Jill Ellis said. “What a freakin’ stop. I mean that was unbelievable.”

England missed all three of its penalty kicks in this World Cup and ended the game short a player, after two yellow cards to Millie Bright (the second one in the 86th minute). Yet that was just the final twist in a match of many plot twists, that began at the start.

Ellis had boasted often these past few weeks about the depth on her U.S. women’s national team, while stubbornly relying almost entirely on the same 11 players at key moments. But then on Tuesday in Lyon, two patient American players finally got the chance to prove Ellis’s words correct, and prove her substitution patterns too cautious.

Christen Press, in the unenviable position of replacing injured star Megan Rapinoe, responded with an unapologetic laser of a header in the 10th minute inside the near post for an early lead.

“I watched Carli Lloyd practice headers these last two years and I didn’t participate,” Press confessed. “Today, I channeled my inner Carli Lloyd.”

Later, midfieler Lindsey Horan, a creative midfielder who had been largely ignored by Ellis, delivered a perfect flick cross to Alex Morgan, who finished off the pass with a header in the 31st minute.

The winning goal by Morgan came on her 30th birthday and was her sixth of the tournament, tying White for the World Cup lead. She also tied Abby Wambach with 107 career goals for the U.S. national team in 167 appearances. Only Mia Hamm, with 129, scored more.

Morgan was named Player of the Match, but said that honor should have gone elsewhere.

“Alyssa needs to be Player of the Match,” Morgan said. “She saved us.”

When the starting lineup was posted before the game, it included one shocker: Rapinoe was replaced by Press at left forward. Officials for U.S. Soccer would not comment initially about Rapinoe’s absence at kickoff.

Finally, during warmups, there was a hint that Rapinoe might in fact be suffering from an injury. She stood with hands on hips while watching as her teammates went through their drills. Afterward, Rapinoe said she was suffering from a mild hamstring injury. She promised to be back for the final.

England’s defense had allowed only one goal in the tournament, and gone 380 minutes without permitting a score before Press’s perfect header. The Americans dominated early play and scored in the first 15 minutes for the sixth straight time. Morgan and Rose Lavelle, who both had flawed games against France in a quarterfinal, came back with strong performances that kept England on the back foot. Lavelle produced four shots in the first half.

Unfortunately, Lavelle suffered a hamstring injury in the 64th minute and was replaced by Mewis.

England tied the game in the 19th minute, 1-1, when White knocked in a cross from the left side by Beth Mead. White volleyed the ball with her right foot and it caromed off the far post into the goal. Naeher made her best, leaping save of the tournament in the first half off a rocket from Keira Walsh, a save that was actually harder than her penalty rescue.

“We have criticized her, talked about her, worried about her in goal,” Fox analyst Alexi Lalas said, of Naeher. “I’m so happy for you. You had that moment.”

White very nearly tied the match in the 67th minute, scoring on a nifty through pass from Jill Scott that split the Americans’ center backs. But a VAR review determined that Scott was just a hair off side, and the U.S. escaped to survive another round.

England coach Phil Neville had complained bitterly these past few days about the sight of U.S. officials scouting his team’s hotel facilities in Lyon, looking ahead to possibly staying there before the final. As it turned out, the Americans were correct in their diligence, and likely will stay at the same Fourviere Hotel going into Sunday.

If the Swedes are the opponents in that final, they will not resemble the team that tanked the Group F match against the U.S. by fielding a lineup without five of their starters. That defeat placed Sweden into an easier bracket and arguably was a manipulative performance unworthy of this tournament.

The Americans took the more direct, more admirable path, which will count for absolutely nothing on Sunday.