Racing Louisville FC now knows its opponent in the semifinals of The Women’s Cup, with the home team set to take on AC Milan after the Italian club topped Japan’s Tokyo Verdy Beleza, 3-1, on Sunday night at Lynn Family Stadium in the opening round of the second annual event.
Mexico’s Club America defeated England’s Tottenham Hotspur, 2-1, in the scrappy second game Sunday.
Wednesday’s lineup is stacked, with Tokyo Verdy taking on Tottenham in the fifth-place game at 2 p.m., followed by Club America and NWSL side OL Reign’s semifinal at 5.
Racing is expected to kick off at 8 p.m. against AC Milan in the other semifinal. The final is set for 7 p.m. Saturday at Lynn Family Stadium.
Both matches on Sunday featured early entertainment and plenty of goals.
In the opener, AC Milan’s Martina Piemonte slid in a low shot to the near post in the 30th minute after a nice through-ball from Lindsey Thomas opened up Tokyo Verdy’s defense.
Milan added a second in the 54th minute when Swedish national team star Kosovare Asllani tucked home another assist from Thomas. Asllani’s second goal came 27 minutes later, when the veteran forward again coolly finished a fantastic passing sequence by her teammates.
Tokyo Verdy didn’t go without its chances. Midfielder Oto Kanno came close to opening the scoring early in the match, and Riko Ueki nearly halved Milan’s lead just minutes after Asllani’s first goal.
Defender Risa Shimizu finally broke through for the Japanese side in the 82nd minute, scoring a consolation goal.
Club America started early in its win over Tottenham, with Kiana Palacios knocking in a loose ball off a corner in the 10th minute. Scarlett Camberos doubled Club America’s lead five minutes later after running down a beautiful long ball from defender Amanda Perez.
The Mexican side flirted with a third goal on several occasions before Tottenham scratched one back in the 64th minute through Nikola Karczewska’s one-timer from 12 yards out on the right side.
Spurs came close to equalizing late, but Club America held off the English squad in a feisty affair to secure its meeting with OL Reign.
Game Summary: AC Milan vs. Tokyo Verdy Beleza
Date: August 14, 2022
Venue: Lynn Family Stadium
Kickoff: 4 p.m. ET
Weather: 82 degrees, cloudy
Scoring
AC Milan (1, 2, 3)
Tokyo Verdy (0, 1, 1)
Goals
AC Milan:
29’ Piemonte Martina (Bergamaschi Valentina)
54’ Kosovare Asllani (Piemonte Martina)
80’ Kosovare Asllani (Rubio Silvia)
Tokyo Verdy:
81’ Risa Shimizu (Kimura Sana)
Stats: AC Milan / Tokyo Verdy
Shots: 10 / 10
Shots on Goal: 8 / 5
Corner Kicks: 0 / 3
Fouls: 8 / 2
Yellow Cards: 0 / 2
Red Cards: 0 / 0
Offside: 2 / 1
Game: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Club América
Date: August 14, 2022
Venue: Lynn Family Stadium
Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
Weather: 81 degrees, cloudy
Scoring
Tottenham Hotspur (0, 1, 1)
América (2, 0, 2)
Goals
Tottenham Hotspur:
64′ Nikola Karczewska (Bizet Celin)
America:
10′ Kiana Palacios
14′ Scarlett Camberos (Amanda Perez)
Stats: Tottenham Hotspur/ América
Shots: 6 / 14
Shots on Goal: 1 / 8
Corner Kicks: 1 / 7
Fouls: 16 / 11
Yellow Cards: 4 / 3
Red Cards: 0 / 0
Offside: 0 / 0
