The U.S. women's national team on Monday avenged its Women's World Cup defeat to Germany, winning a dramatic semifinal on Heather O'Reilly's overtime goal to advance to the Athens Olympics gold-medal match.

O'Reilly scored from Mia Hamm's feed in the 99th minute to give the Americans a 2-1 victory before 5,165 spectators at Pankritio Stadium in Heraklio, on Greece.

The U.S. women, who won the Olympic gold medal at the Atlanta Games in 1996 and settled for silver four years ago in Sydney, will meet Brazil in Thursday final in Athens.

''What a great game it was,'' U.S. coach April Heinrichs said. ''I said after the World Cup loss [to Germany] that it was the greatest game ever played in women's soccer, and I think this one may have surpassed that, and I am not big on making grandiose statements.''

''I am a bit overwhelmed at how it was won,'' added forward Abby Wambach, who played key roles in both U.S. goals. ''I believed that we could win this game, the whole team did. When we get into a situation when you are in overtime, I think most things get thrown out the window. à It's just about heart. It's about pushing through those last few minutes. It's a gut check, and I think our team showed really well today.''

Brazil, a 1-0 winner Monday over Sweden, dominated portions of its Group G clash with the United States on Aug. 14. The Americans pulled out a 2-0 victory on a penalty kick by Mia Hamm and goal by Abby Wambach.

Germany and Sweden, which met in the World Cup final last October in Carson, Calif., will play for the bronze medal on Thursday.

Kristine Lilly gave the United States a 33rd-minute lead on Monday, but Isabell Bachor tallied two minutes into second-half stoppage time to force a 30-minute overtime period.

The Americans were in control most of the match, creating myriad scoring opportunities, while the World Cup champions managed only two shots on goal. Captain Julie Foudy sustained an injured ankle early in the second half; her status for the final isn't certain.

Lilly scored a fine first goal. Shannon Boxx sent a ball to Brandi Chastain on the left flank, and she sent it to the top of the box. Wambach outmuscled defender Ariane Hingst to the ball, cleverly flicking it forward.

Lilly, unmarked, half-volleyed it, and her shot caught goalkeeper Silke Rottenberg leaning the wrong way. Rottenberg got a piece of the ball, changing its path to the net.

The goal was Lilly's third of the tournament — tied for the U.S. lead with Wambach — and 98th of her international career. Lilly almost scored her fourth (and 99th) in the 80th minute, but her shot deflected off Steffi Jones' leg and the crossbar.

The U.S. did a superb job defensively on the Germans' high-powered attack — Birgit Prinz had little impact on the match — but couldn't prevent Bachor's equalizer in the 92nd minute.

Bachor, dribbling in from the left, cut past Christie Rampone, forcing the defender to the ground, then fired. Goalkeeper Briana Scurry appeared to be in position, but the ball deflected off retreating Joy Fawcett's hip and into the net.

O'Reilly, a University of North Carolina sophomore who came on in the 75th minute for Tar Heels teammate Lindsay Tarpley, hit the left post four minutes into the extra period. Five minutes later, she was on target.

It started with a long ball from Rampone to Wambach just outside the box. Wambach cut left, then dropped the ball to her right onto Hamm's path. Hamm took the ball toward the byline as O'Reilly — standing in the goalmouth, about seven yards from the net — motioning for the pass.

Hamm cut the ball back, and O'Reilly, with Hingst on her back and Wambach next to her, redirected it to the left side of the goal.,

''I am really feeling good right now, but I am just one piece to the puzzle,'' O'Reilly said. ''I did my role today, coming off the bench and providing fresh legs and a spark, which is what I tried to do the whole tournament, and lucky for me it worked out today.''

Brazil got a 64th-minute Pretinha goal to beat the Swedes and advance to its first major-tournament final. The Brazilians lost to Germany in the bronze-medal game in Sydney.

U.S. SUMMARY
Friday, Aug. 23 at Heraklio, Crete

United States 2 Germany 1 (OT). Goals: Lilly 33, O'Reilly 99; Bachor 92+

United States — Scurry; Rampone, Markgraf, Fawcett, Chastain (Reddick, 51); Boxx; Foudy (Wagner, 65), Tarpley (O'Reilly, 75), Lilly; Wambach, Hamm.

Germany — Rottenberg; Stegemann, Jones, Minnert, Hingst; Garefrekes, Odebrecht (Fuss, 71), Wunderlich (Bachor, 39), Lingor; Prinz, Pohlers (Mueller, 58).

Yellow cards: U.S. — Foudy 22, Markgraf 34, Wagner 77, Scurry 86; Germany — Bachor 41.

Referee: Krystyna Szokolai (Australia).

Att.: 5,165.

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
United States 2 (Lilly 33, O'Reilly 99) Germany 1 (Bachor (92+)
Brazil 1 (Pretinha 64) Sweden 0

Bronze Medal
Thursday, Aug. 26
Germany vs. Sweden at Athens

Gold Medal
Thursday, Aug. 26
United States vs. Brazil at Athens

Goalscorers
Birgit Prinz (Germany) 5
Cristiane (Brazil) 5
Kristine Lilly (U.S.) 3
Marta (Brazil) 3
Abby Wambach (U.S.) 3
Mercy Akide (Nigeria) 2
Formiga (Brazil) 2
Mia Hamm (U.S.) 2
Conny Pohlers (Germany) 2
Pretinha (Brazil) 2
Eriko Arakawa (Japan) 1
Isabell Bachor (Germany) 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
Heather O'Reilly (U.S.) 1
Joanne Peters (Australia) 1
Petra Wimbersky (Germany) 1
Pia Wunderlich (Germany) 1
Emi Yamamoto (Japan) 1