England are out of the World Cup with an absolutely disastrous finish in added time. England and Japan swapped questionable penalties in the first half and played the entirety of the second 45 to a 1-1 score. In the 92nd minute—referees signaled only three minutes of added time—Laura Bassett tried to clear a ball out of danger and wound up clipping the crossbar and sending the ball in for a devastating own goal. England went from preparing for extra time, to a loss in the blink of an eye.
Bassett was very obviously distraught after the goal and was consoled by her coach and teammates once the final whistle blew. It's just an absolutely brutal way to lose a shot at winning the World Cup, especially because the match was so evenly played, but there you have it. Japan won 2-1 and will play the United States on Sunday, and England will play Germany on Saturday.[FS1]
Advertisement