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Kerstin Garefrekes scored an early uncontested header to set Germany on the path to a stunning 3-0 victory over defending champions the United States 3-0 on Sunday to reach the Women's World Cup final.
Maren Meinert and Birgit Prinz struck in the 91st and 93rd minutes to clinch the victory.
"I am so happy that we won," said Germany's goalkeeper Silke Rottenberg. "For most players it was a great match and I am happy that we still have one match left."
The Germans will play in the final on October 12 in Los Angeles against Sweden which beat Canada 2-1 in the other semi-final. Ticketmaster
Germany had not been in a Women's World Cup semi-final since 1995 and were determined to make their mark.
After 18 minutes the Europeans shocked the US with an early goal off a corner kick.
Poor cover by American captain Julie Foudy on the set play allowed Garefrekes to put an uncontested header past goalkeeper Briana Scurry in the 18th minute off the cross from Renate Lingor.
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"It was a great game," said German coach Tina Theune-Meyer, the current
European champions. "Both teams played on a high level and it was awesome
atmosphere. Ticketmaster
"I had a good feeling all day. Silke had an amazing match and all our players were very disciplined and everyone tried to do something with the ball."
Boasting a 12-3-2 record against the Germans, the Americans were the favourites heading into the semi-final, especially after defeating their semi-final foe 1-0 in January at the Four Nations Tournament.
But in the end the Americans had nothing to show for their home-field advantage and a multi-million dollar training programme which is the envy of other teams.
On Sunday, the US hopes for a second-straight title were dashed as Germany exposed the American flaws and their failure to convert chances.
Theune-Meyer used the same 11 players throughout the game and praised the chemistry of her starting lineup. Ticketmaster
"I had the feeling that the whole team was one team, so I didn't have to change anything," said Theune-Meyer. "That's why we played the whole time with 11 players."
US coach April Heinrichs tried to downplay the significance of the loss, saying the match was good for women's soccer.
"We will be able to deal with this loss because that was the best game ever played in women's football," she said
The US pressed hard for the rest of the match but was unable to capitalize on German errors.
Kristine Lilly
and Mia Hamm had strong chances at goal which were smothered by goalkeeper Rottenberg,
who was a major factor in Germany's victory with repeated saves.