Kristine Lilly and Abby Wambach scored goals, and the U.S. women's national soccer team moved into the Olympic semifinals with a 2-1 victory Friday over Japan in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Lilly gave the Americans the advantage just before halftime, and Wambach scored the winner in the 58th minute after a failed Japanese offside trap before 1,411 on a warm evening at Kaftanzolglio Stadium.

The U.S. women will meet Women's World Cup champion Germany in Monday's semifinal at Heraklio, on Crete. The Germans beat the United States, 3-0, in a World Cup semifinal last October in Portland, Ore.

''It's a matchup we are excited to have,'' said U.S. coach April Heinrichs. ''It will be a matchup of some beautiful soccer. The last time we played … I feel to this day that it was one of the greatest games ever played in the women's game, so [the rematch] will meet all expectations.''

Monday's semifinal will be broadcast live (11 a.m. EDT) on MSNBC and Telemundo. Sweden and Brazil will meet in the other semifinal, at Patras.

The Americans played their best match of the tournament but needed to take advantage of two brief opportunities — both from Japanese errors — to get their goals.

''Coming out with a win in a commanding fashion is a good lift for our team right now,'' Heinrichs said. ''We played with an aggressive attacking and defensive mentality, and the best thing is that we sustained that for 90 minutes.''

Heinrichs made five changes to her lineup, using a 4-3-3 formation (with Lilly up front with Wambach and Mia Hamm), then made no substitutions:

— Kate Markgraf moved to central defense, next to Joy Fawcett, with Brandi Chastain stepping in at left back for her first action of the Athens Games.

— Christie Rampone, who watched Tuesday's 1-1 Group G tie with Australia from the bench, returned to right back in place of Heather Mitts.

— Lindsay Tarpley, after coming on as a second-half substitute in the first three games, was in place of Aly Wagner in midfield.

— Abby Wambach, suspended from the Australia game after receiving yellow cards in wins over Greece and Brazil, took her usual spot up top, with Cindy Parlow returning to the bench.

Said Heinrichs: ''We decided that in a 4-3-3 we could put some pressure on Japan, that Kristine Lilly could give us some flank play, that Lindsay Tarpley could dig out second balls for us and playmake against a very athletic team, and that Brandi Chastain could help compose us in the back. It's the old mantra, that the best defense is a good offensive, and that helped us get forward and play in Japan's end.''

Japan managed only one first-half shot, but the Americans didn't get a shot on frame until the 39th minute, when goalkeeper Nozomi Yamago dived to stop a Wambach header.

Four minutes later, Lilly gave the U.S. women the lead. She made a mazey dribble into the Japanese box, but a defender's tackle popped the ball into the air. Homare Sawa raced back to clear the ball, but she popped it up again. Tarpley ran at the ball, about 10 yards from the net, and the challenge prevented Yamago from plucking it from the air.

When it bounced, Lilly pounded the ball home with her right foot.

The goal was Lilly's second of the Olympics and 97th of her international career.

Japan got the equalizer in the 48th minute, with U.S. goalkeeper Briana Scurry watching Emi Yamamoto's free kick from the right flank bounce through the goalmouth and into the net. Sawa's run at the near post, with Rampone in pursuit, kept Scurry at home, and Sawa initially was credited with the goal.

After watching a replay, officials determined neither Sawa nor Rampone touched the ball, and Yamamoto was credited with the goal.

The United States got the winner with an odd goal 10 minutes later. Japan pulled an offside trap just outside its box on a Hamm free kick. Four attackers raced in behind the defense, and the linesman's flag stayed down. Shannon Boxx collected the ball, settled it, then squared it past Yamago to Wambach, who nearly walked it into the net.

''After the first free kick, we noticed that Japan would pull a very aggressive trap,'' Heinrichs said. ''So we told our forwards to go with their back line and let our midfielders run through. It was great execution on Shannon Boxx and Abby Wambach's part, because they were almost in so easily that [they] could have lost their concentration, expecting a whistle or a flag, or misshit the ball trying to make it perfect.''

It was Wambach's third goal of the Olympics, tied with Brazil's Marta for third behind Germany's Birgit Prinz and Brazil's Cristiane, who have scored five goals apiece.

In the quarterfinal at Patras, Germany rallied from a deficit to beat Nigeria, 2-1, as Steffi Jones and Conny Pohlers scored goals five minutes apart. Mercy Akide fired Nigeria ahead in the 49th minute, but the Germans — outclassed much of the match — got goals from Jones in the 76th minute and Pohlers in the 81st. Akide's goal was the first Germany has surrendered in the tournament.

World Cup runner-up Sweden got first-half goals from Hanna Ljungberg and Sara Larsson in a 2-1 win over Australia at Volos. Lisa De Vanna scored in the 79th minute for the Matildas.

Cristiane and Formiga scored two goals apiece as Brazil routed Mexico, 5-0, at Heraklio. Cristiane and Formiga tallied four minutes apart for a 2-0 lead by the 29th minute, and the Brazilians pulled away early in the second half as Cristiane scored in 49th, Formiga in the 54th, and Marta in the 60th.

U.S. SUMMARY
Friday, Aug. 20 at Thessaloniki, Greece

United States 2 Japan 1. Goals: Lilly 43, Wambach 58; Yamamoto 48.

United States — Scurry; Rampone, Markgraf, Fawcett, Chastain; Boxx; Foudy, Tarpley; Lilly, Wambach, Hamm.

Japan — Yamago; Kyoko (Yamagishi, 46), Isozaki, Kawakami (Maruyama, 77), Shimokozuru; Sakai, Miyamoto, Yamamoto (Yangita, 68); Arakawa, Sawa, Otani.

Yellow cards: U.S. — Lilly 46+, Hamm 86.

Referee: Silvia de Oliveira (Brazil).

Att.: 1,418.

2004 ATHENS OLYMPICS
WOMEN'S FOOTBALL

Group E
W L T GF-GA Pts
x-Sweden 1 1 0 2-2 3
x-Nigeria 1 1 0 2-2 3
x-Japan 1 1 0 1-1 3
x – qualified for quarterfinals

Wednesday, Aug. 11
Sweden 0 Japan 1 (Arakawa 24)

Saturday, Aug. 14
Japan 0 Nigeria 1 (Okolo 55)

Tuesday, Aug. 17
Sweden 2 (Marklund 68, Mostrom 73) Nigeria 1 (Akide 25)

Group F
W L T GF-GA Pts
x-Germany 2 0 0 10-0 6
x-Mexico 0 1 1 1-3 1
China 0 1 1 1-9 1
x – qualified for quarterfinals

Wednesday, Aug. 11
Germany 8 (Prinz 13, 21, 73, 88, Wunderlich 64, Lingor pen. 76, Pohlers 81, Mueller 90) China 0

Saturday, Aug. 14
China 1 (Ji Ting 34) Mexico 1 (Dominguez 11)

Tuesday, Aug. 17
Germany 2 (Wimbersky 20, Prinz 79) Mexico 0

Group G W L T GF-GA Pts
x-United States 2 0 1 6-1 7
x-Brazil 2 1 0 8-2 6
x-Australia 1 1 1 2-2 4
Greece 0 3 0 0-11 0
x – qualified for quarterfinals

Wednesday, Aug. 11
Greece 0 United States 3 (Boxx 14, Wambach 30, Hamm 82)
Brazil 1 (Marta 36) Australia 0

Saturday, Aug. 14
Greece 0 Australia 1 (Garriock 27)
United States 2 Brazil 0 (Hamm pen. 58, Wambach 77)

Tuesday, Aug. 17
Greece 0 Brazil 7 (Pretinha 21, Cristiane 46+, 55, 77, Grazielle 49, Marta 70, Daniela 72)
United States 1 (Lilly 19) Australia (Peters 82)

Quarterfinals
Friday, Aug. 23
Germany 2 (Jones 76, Pohlers 81) Nigeria 1 (Akide 49)
United States 2 (Lilly 43, Wambach 59) Japan 1 (Yamamoto 48)
Mexico 0 Brazil 5 (Cristiane 25, 49, Formiga 29, 54, Marta 60)
Sweden 2 (Ljungberg 25, Larsson 30) Australia 1 (De Vanna 79)

Semifinals
Monday, Aug. 23
Germany vs. United States at Heraklio
Sweden vs. Brazil at Patras

Bronze Medal
Thursday, Aug. 26
Semifinal losers at Athens

Gold Medal
Thursday, Aug. 26
Semifinal winners at Athens

Goalscorers
Birgit Prinz (Germany) 5
Cristiane (Brazil) 5
Marta (Brazil) 3
Abby Wambach (U.S.) 3
Mercy Akide (Nigeria) 2
Formiga (Brazil) 2
Mia Hamm (U.S.) 2
Kristine Lilly (U.S.) 2
Conny Pohlers (Germany) 2
Eriko Arakawa (Japan) 1
Shannon Boxx (U.S.) 1
Daniela (Brazil) 1
Lisa De Vanna (Australia) 1
Maribel Dominguez (Mexico) 1
Heather Garriock (Australia) 1
Grazielle (Brazil) 1
Ji Ting (China) 1
Steffi Jones (Germany) 1
Sara Larsson (Sweden) 1
Renate Lingor (Germany) 1
Hanna Ljungberg (Sweden) 1
Hanna Marklund (Sweden) 1
Malin Mostrom (Sweden) 1
Martina Mueller (Germany) 1
Vera Okolo (Nigeria) 1
Joanne Peters (Australia) 1
Pretinha (Brazil) 1
Petra Wimbersky (Germany) 1
Pia Wunderlich (Germany) 1
Emi Yamamoto (Japan) 1