MOENCHENGLADBACH,, Germany, July 5, (AFP): Germany beat France 4-2 to finish top of Group A as French goalkeeper Berangere Sapowicz became the first player sent off at the Women’s World Cup here on Tuesday.
Kerstin Garefrekes and Inka Grings had given the hosts a 2-0 first-half lead with Grings converting a penalty after 68 minutes awarded after Sapowicz was given her marching orders for a dangerous tackle on Fatmire Bajramaj.
Celia Okoyino Da Mbabi scored the fourth for Germany a minute from time after Marie-Laure Delie and Laura Georges had gotten two back for France.
Two-time defending champions Germany set up a quarter-final clash with Japan, who finished second in Group B after losing 2-0 to England in Augsburg.
Second-placed France next play Group B winners England.
Both Germany and France were already through to the last eight with maximum points after their first two ties.
But it was the Germans who made most of the early running in a tense first half on front of a sell-out crowd of 50,000.
Midfielder Bajramaj had an early effort on goal after 15 minutes but France goalie Sapowicz held firm.
But skipper Garefrekes broke the deadlock after 25 minutes when the Frankfurt midfielder rose highest to pick up a freekick and head in her second goal of the tournament.
Six minutes later the hosts were 2-0 up after Duisburg striker Grings latched onto a Simone Laudehr cross to head into goal.

France were transformed in the second half with substitute Delie getting the equaliser after 56 minutes heading in a corner just a minute after her earlier effort had been held by goalie Nadine Angerer.
A Grings free-kick on 60 minutes was held by Sapowicz, but minutes later the Paris Saint Germain goalie was sent off for a dangerous tackle as Bajramaj raced towards goal which saw the Turbine Potsdam midfielder stretchered off.
Sapowicz was replaced by Celine Deville and Grings stepped up to convert the penalty on 68 minutes.
Four minutes later Georges got one back for France before Okoyino Da Mbabi put the result beyond any doubt a minute from time.
England booked their ticket to the quarter-finals of the 2011 women’s World Cup on Tuesday with an impressive 2-0 victory over Japan to claim first place in Group B.
Ellen White gave England the best start possible with a 1-0 lead after 15 minutes and Rachel Yankey sealed the victory after 66 minutes.
In the meantime, the strong English defence held the vaunted Japan attack — nicknamed the Barcelona of women’s football — in check the entire game.
England win the group with seven points while Japan, who had already qualified for the final eight, finish with six points.
In the quarters, England will play whichever team out of France and Germany finishes second in Group A, with Japan to face the group winners.

The victory was England’s first ever over Japan following a 2-2 draw at the 2007 World Cup, while Japan have yet to beat a European opponent in nine World Cup matches.
Japanese boss Norio Sasaki kept the same starting XI for the third straight game, but England head coach Hope Powell made four changes to her line-up, with the main move being captain Faye White left out for precautionary reasons in the defence, with Sophie Bradley taking her place.
Veteran Anita Asante made her 2011 World Cup debut in the midfield for Fara Williams, while Karen Carney and White took over from Eniola Aluko and Yankey in attack.
In front of 20,777 spectators in Augsburg, Japan were the more dangerous side early in the game, going close with a couple of long-range shots after snatching balls in the midfield.
England grabbed the lead after a quarter hour with a superb counter-attacking strike.
Carney picked up the ball deep in midfield and hit a high ball over the Japanese defence and White timed the big bounce perfectly to lob Japan goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori from 22 yards.
It was White’s sixth goal in 18 caps for England.

The English defence did a very strong job keeping Japan from pushing the tempo and controlled possession as much as possible after the goal.
Bradley proved up to task in the 29th minute, clearing a dangerous loose ball in front of the England goal.
England were nearly 2-0 up after 38 minutes as Jessica Clarke sent a cross into the box where White struck a bicycle kick that nearly looped over Kaihori again, but the keeper just got her hand on the ball and deflected it onto the crossbar and over.
Japan had their clearest chance a minute later but Yukari Kinga blasted over the framework from 13 yards despite England keeper Karen Bardsley being out of position.
Coach Powell swapped Clarke for Yankey at the break as the only substitution at half-time, and it quickly paid off.
Japan were close to equalising four minutes after the re-start but Yuki Nagasto could not quite latch onto Aya Miyama’s free-kick, striking wide right.
But England doubled their advantage at the 66-minute mark as a cross from the left side into the box was passed forward by Rachel Unitt to Yankey, who flicked the ball over Kaihori for her 15th goal in 112 caps.

Mexico 2, NZ 2
New Zealand sealed a dramatic 2-2 draw with Mexico as the Foootball Ferns fought back to steal a point with literally the last kick of the game in their final Group B match.
Mexico took a 2-0 lead after 30 minutes thanks to Stephany Mayor and Maribel Dominguez, but the Kiwis hit back as captain Rebecca Smith scored with time almost up before teenager Hannah Wilkinson equalised in the 94th minute.
Smith, who plays her football in Germany for VfL Wolfsburg, looked to have scored no more than a consolation goal as she was left unmarked in the area and headed home in the 90th minute.
But the Kiwis were rewarded for their never-say-die attitude when second-half replacement Wilkinson controlled the ball from a long cross and held off the attentions of two defenders to score, just seconds before the final whistle.
Despite the point, both teams are going home as England progressed as group winners after their 2-0 win over Japan, who had already qualified, in Augsburg.
There was no clue of the drama that was to follow as Mexico started the match by flooring the Kiwis in front of a crowd of just over 20,000.

Having drawn their opening game with England, they then suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Japan in Leverkusen last Friday and Mexico came out determined to make amends.
The central Americans took the lead after just two minutes when 29-year-old forward Mayor netted her sixth goal on her 19th appearance.
Mexico doubled their lead when captain Dominguez netted a second after 29 minutes — her 69th goal for her country — but New Zealand never gave up.
The Oceania champions showed plenty of spirit and midfielder Rosie White picked up an early yellow card for a loose first-half tackle.
Left-back Anna Green worked tirelessly and came close with a couple of chances, particularly in the dying stages, but it was Smith who finally netted in the 90th minute to put her side back in the game.
It was then left to 19-year-old Wilkinson, who showed maturity beyond her tender years to coolly slot home her half-chance as she found herself in front of goal.

Nigeria 1, Canada 0
Nigeria finished their women’s World Cup campaign on Tuesday with a 1-0 win over Canada in Group A, but both teams are heading home after failing to reach the quarter-finals.
Nigeria were the fastest to react following a 10 minute-long power-cut towards the end of the second half, poaching the winner in the 84th minute just after the lights went back on.
The black-out meant the game had 15 minutes of added time.
The power-cut on 72 minutes temporarily halted the game, but Nigeria caught the Canadian defence napping when the game restarted.

After the Africans had a shot blocked, midfielder Perpetua Nkwocha — who had hit the post in the first half — was the fastest to react and slammed her shot home.
It was heart-break for the Canadians as the CONCACAF champions now head home with three defeats from their World Cup campaign, while Nigeria picked up three points for their first victory.
Despite the result, both sides are on their way home after defeats to quarter-finalists France and Germany in their previous Group A games and this meeting at Dynamo Dresden’s ground was simply for pride in front of 13,638 fans.
Canada came into the game licking their wounds after a painful 4-0 reversal at the hands of France last Thursday in Bochum, the same day Nigeria went down fighting in a bruising 1-0 defeat to Germany in Frankfurt.

Both teams had their chances in the first half, but the Africans went closest to hitting the target as Nigeria midfielder Ebere Orji hit the crossbar and Nkwocha smashed her shot off the post.
At the other end Canada captain Christine Sinclair, playing with a face mask thanks to a stray German elbow in the opening 2-1 defeat to the hosts, went close midway through the half.
The Nigerians just shaded first-half possession and defender Onome Ebi earned the game’s first yellow card on the hour mark for a clattering foul, but despite plenty of Canadian endeavour, the red shirts could not break through.
After the short-lived lights out, Nigeria were the quickest to react to the disruption and Nkwocha’s striker gave Canada goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc little chance.
In added time, Sinclair wasted a golden chance when she mis-timed her shot with the goal at her mercy — it just was not to be Canada’s night.

Teams
Canada: Karina Leblanc - Marie-Eve Nault, Emily Zurrer, Candace Chapman, Rhian Wilkinson - Kaylyn Kyle (Desiree Scott 80), Diana Matheson, Sophie Schmidt - Christine Sinclair, Jonelle Filigno (Christina Julien 56) - Melissa Tancredi (Jodi-Ann Robinson 86)
Nigeria: Precious Dede - Helen Ukaonu, Onome Ebi, Osinachi Ohale, Faith Ikidi - Rita Chikwelu, Glory Iroka - Ebere Orji (Ogonna Chukwudi 54), Stella Mbachu (Francisca Ordega 73) - Perpetua Nkwocha, Desire Oparanozie (Uchechi Sunday 86)
Yellow card: Onome Ebi (59)
Referee: Vulivuli (FIJ)
Attendance: 13,638