BY SCOTT FRENCH IN ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA Sasha Victorine’s spot kick glanced off goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki’s fingertips and into the net Saturday night to secure a semifinal berth — and guarantee a place in an Olympic medal game — for the U.S. men’s soccer team with a stirring victory over Japan on penalty kicks. Victorine’s blast was the winner for the Yanks, who outfired a technically superb Japanese side, 5-4, in the shootout after a thrilling 2-2 draw before a sellout crowd of 18,345 at Hindmarsh Stadium. Peter Vagenas’ penalty kick in the 90th minute, after Zimbabwean referee Felix Onias Tangawarima ruled that Josh Wolff had been brought down in the box by Japanese midfielder Tomoyuki Sakai, delivered the Americans from defeat and forced the extra period. Wolff also scored a goal for the Americans, who twice battled back from deficit, then made all five of their penalty kicks to earn a spot in Tuesday’s semifinal in Sydney against Spain, a 1-0 winner over Italy. If victorious, the Yanks will play in Saturday’s gold-medal match. If Spain wins, the Americans will play for bronze on Friday. “I’ve been involved in a lot of games over the years,” U.S. coach Clive Charles said, “and this might have been the most exciting game I’ve ever been involved in.” It was a classic match, possibly the best of the Sydney Games, in which both teams committed to attack and created myriad chances. Japan, which moved the ball quickly and expertly, had the better of play much of the match, but the Americans put Narazaki under more pressure than Japan did against Brad Friedel. The teams matched goals through the first three rounds of the shootout, with Vagenas, Jeff Agoos and Landon Donovan finding holes past Narazaki. AS Roma’s Hidetoshi Nakata, whose shot was off all evening, then slammed the ball off the left post, and Wolff fired upper-left to give the Yanks the advantage. Tomokazu Myojin converted Japan’s fifth-round kick, and Victorine — who came on for Chris Albright at the start of overtime — followed with the winner. The Americans got superb performances from right back Frankie Hejduk, who frustrated Shunsuke Nakamura all night, and from central midfielder Vagenas and right-winger Albright. Wolff, Agoos, Albright, Donovan and Conor Casey all had outstanding chances that either sailed high or wide or was halted by Narazaki. The Japanese also failed in front of the goal, with Junichi Inamoto striking the crossbar in first-half stoppage time, and Nakamura and Inamoto firing just wide at the start of the second half. In overtime, Friedel pushed a sharp 22-yard shot by Nakata just wide of the right post. Atsushi Yanagisawa broke the tie in the 30th minute with a high-bouncing header off a Nakamura cross that beat Friedel to the upper-left corner. The left-footed Nakamura’s free kick from just right of the U.S. box crashed into Agoos in a two-man U.S. wall, but Nakamura tracked it down near the end line and sent it into the goalmouth with his right foot. Defender Chad McCarty, stuck marking both forwards in the middle after a blown assignment, could do nothing to keep Yanagisawa from nodding the ball home. Wolff evened things with a shot through traffic from the top of the box in the 68th minute, but Naohiro Takahara restored Japan’s lead four minutes later. Friedel batted down his header from a Nakamura cross, but Takahara volleyed the rebound into the ceiling of the net from 6 yards. The Americans were lucky not to lose McCarty to a second yellow card, or a straight red, after he gave the ball away and then took out Takahara’s legs in the 81st minute. The Americans forced overtime when Wolff was challenged in the area by Sakai and made the most of the contact. Tangawarima didn’t hesitate in assessing the penalty, and Vagenas — whose PK from a foul Wolff sustained earned a 1-1 tie with Cameroon in group play — converted for a 2-2 tie. In other quarterfinal action: Spain 1 Italy 0: Substitute Gabri scored from feed by Barcelona teammate Xavi feed in the 86th minute as the Spaniards overcame the European champion in a defensive encounter at the Sydney Football Ground. Gabri, part of Spain’s winning side at the World Youth (U-20) Championship in Nigeria last year, came on for Tamudo in the 70th minute. Chile 4 Nigeria 1: Universidad de Chile’s Rodrigo Tello set up two first half-goals and scored another in the second half as the Chileans routed the reigning Olympic champion at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Tello was the provider for goals by Pablo Contreras in the 17th minute and Ivan Zamorano in the 18th as Chile raced to a 3-0 halftime lead. Zamorano headed on a long ball from goalkeeper Nelson Tapia for Reinaldo Navia to finish in the 42nd minute, and Tello made it 4-0 in the 65th. Victor Agali added a consolation strike for the Super Eagles, who outshot the Chileans, 28-17, and put 19 shots on frame. Cameroon 2 Brazil 1: Modeste Mbami’s goal in the 113th minute lifted the Indomitable Lions, down to nine men, to a dramatic triumph at the Brisbane Cricket Ground. Cameroon, which finished second to the United States in Group C, were seconds away from a regulation victory when Ronaldinho blasted a 22-yard free kick past 16-year-old goalkeeper Idriss Carlos Kameni four minutes into stoppage time to force an extra period. Roger nearly delivered a victory to Brazil, striking the crossbar one minute into overtime. Cameroon, which led on a Patrick Mboma strike in the 17th minute, played extra time with nine men after captain Geremi Njitap was dismissed with a second yellow card for time-wasting on a throw-in in the 74th minute and Aaron Nguimbat was red-carded after bringing down Alex, creating the free kick from which Ronaldinho scored the equalizer. Mbami scored his winner from the edge of the penalty area after beating his defender. THE U.S. WOMEN take on Brazil in a semifinal match Sunday at Bruce Stadium in Canberra. The Yanks, gold medalists in the first Olympic women’s soccer competition four years ago, captured the Group F title by beating Norway and Nigeria and tying China. The Americans also faced the Brazilians in the 1999 Women’s World Cup semis, pulling out a tight 2-0 victory at Stanford on goals by Cindy Parlow and Michelle Akers. The teams met in their final Olympic tune-ups on Sept. 1 at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, with Mia Hamm scoring twice and Julie Foudy and Joy Fawcett adding goals in a 4-0 U.S. victory. Atlanta Games bronze medalist Norway, which earned Group F’s second final-four berth with a dramatic victory over China, meets Group E winner Germany in the other semifinal at the Sydney Football Stadium. The Germans were impressive in sweeping past Australia, Brazil and Sweden in the first stage of the competition and were the only team, men or women, to collect all nine points available. The women’s gold- and bronze-medal games will be played at the Sydney Football Stadium on Thursday. The men’s bronze-medal game is scheduled for Friday night at the Sydney Football Stadium, and the title game will be played Saturday afternoon at the Sydney Olympic Stadium. U.S. GAME SUMMARY — SATURDAY, SEPT. 23 AT HINDMARSH STADIUM, ADELAIDE USA 2 Japan 2. Goal: Wolff 68, Vagenas 90 (pen); Yanagisawa 30, Takahara 72. USA wins on penalty kicks, 5-4. USA — Friedel; Hejduk, McCarty, Califf, Agoos; O’Brien (Whitfield, 107), Olsen (Donovan, 46), Albright (Victorine, 91), Vagenas; Casey, Wolff. Japan — Narazaki; Nakazawa, Morioka, Matsuda; Myojin, Inamoto, Sakai, Nakamura, Nakata; Takahara, Yanagisawa (Miura, 65). Penalty kicks — Japan: Nakamura G, Inamoto G, Morioka G, Nakata LP, Myojin G; USA: Vagenas G, Agoos G, Donovan G, Wolff G, Victorine G. Key: G — Goal; LP — Left post. Yellow cards — Matsuda 20, McCarty 27, Olsen 28, Miura 73. Referee — Felix Onias Tangawarima (Zimbabwe). Att. — 18,345 (sellout). Other quarterfinal results Italy 0 Spain 1. Goal: Gabri 86. Chile 4 Nigeria 1. Goals: Contreras 17, Zamorano 18, Navia 42, Tello 65; Agali 76. Brazil 1 Cameroon 2 (OT). Goals: Ronaldinho 94+; Mboma 17, Mbami 113. Tuesday’s semifinals USA vs. Spain at Sydney Chile vs. Cameroon at Melbourne Sunday’s women’s semifinals United States vs. Brazil at Canberra Germany vs. Norway at Sydney