WORLD CUP (W): United States 3, France 1

MONCHENGLADBACH, Germany, July 13 (UPI) -- Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan scored late second-half goals Wednesday that boosted the United States to a 3-1 win over France and into the World Cup final.

Wambach snapped a 1-1 tie with a goal off a corner kick in the 79th minute and Morgan put the game away with a breakaway in the 82nd in giving the Americans their third trip the World Cup title game.

The United States will be looking for its third World Cup title -- to go with championships won in 1991 and 1999 -- when it meets Japan, which defeated Sweden 3-1 later Wednesday, in the final Sunday. France was relegated to the third-place game Saturday against Sweden.

Lauren Cheney scored a goal in the 9th minute for an early U.S. lead but the French, who fired off 25 shots in the game, tied the score with Sonia Bompastor's goal. It was only the third goal surrendered by U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo in five World Cup games.

With the French keeping the pressure on, it took a set play to turn the game. Cheney took the corner kick and sent the ball across the goal mouth. Wambach was able to get in position and nod the ball back past French goalkeeper Berangere Sapowicz.

Morgan sealed the result with a chip shot from the left side that Sapowicz got a hand on but wasn't able to keep out of the goal.