REIMS, France — The match started the way everyone expected it to, with a United States goal. Fans in the stadium roared in approval and chanted with glee.
But two minutes later, Spain became the first team in the tournament to score on the Americans. What followed was a high-intensity, gritty match that the reigning World Cup champion USWNT won 2-1 off a pair of penalty kicks converted by Megan Rapinoe.
The Monday evening victory sent the U.S. through to the quarterfinals of the 2019 Women’s World Cup, and sent Spain home.
Spain started off fiery on attack, immediately threatening the U.