MONTREAL — Julie Johnston’s “worst nightmare” nearly came true.
The 23-year-old defender has had a flawless first World Cup, but in the 59th minute of Tuesday’s semifinal between the United States and Germany, the center back “screwed up.”
Johnston attempted to flick the ball back to goalkeeper Hope Solo, but German midfielder Alexandra Popp intercepted it deep in U.S. territory and broke loose. In an effort to stop the attack, Johnston put her hand on Popp’s shoulder and pulled her down in the box.
With the score 0-0, referee Teodora Albon yanked out a yellow card — though Johnston was lucky because it could have easily been deemed a red card-worthy offense — and set up a penalty kick for Germany.