During the United States' third group stage match against North Korea, Wambach scored the lone goal of the match during the 25th minute on a play that consisted of a long ball by Lauren Cheney to Alex Morgan. Morgan slid a pass between two defenders to Wambach who easily tapped in her third goal of the tournament. In front of 29,522 spectators at Old Trafford, the Americans finished first in their group with the win and it launched them to the quarter-final against New Zealand. The game also marked the first women's soccer game at Old Trafford in 23 years. During the quarter-final match against New Zealand, Wambach scored her fourth goal of the tournament during the 27th minute of the match. After sliding onto the ball to score, she then led a celebration of cartwheels – a tribute to the United States gymnastics team. With a second goal scored by Sydney Leroux in the 87th minute, the Americans defeated New Zealand 2–0 and moved onto the semi-finals. Wambach also scored the game-tying third goal, on a penalty kick, in the United States' 4–3 controversial semi-final win over Canada.
