YEssssssss!!!! WOOOOOWHOOOOOOO!!!
The Americans insisted they weren’t thinking about four years ago, when they lost the Women’s World Cup final to Japan on penalty kicks. “I don’t have a rear view mirror in my life,” USA coach Jill Ellis said.The Americans said Sunday’s game may have been a rematch, but it wasn’t about redemption. Maybe winning changes all that, though.Buoyed by a monster performance from a wild and free Carli Lloyd, the Americans stunned the Japanese as Lloyd scored a hat trick in just 16 minutes to propel to Americans to a 5-2 win.With victory, the Americans won their first World Cup in 16 years, and tallied a record third Women’s World Cup.Lloyd’s third goal of the evening was her most audacious, and encapsulated the hold the Americans had on the match. Just a step from the center line, Lloyd noticed goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori way off her line and launched the ball from just inside the Japanese half. Kaihori got her fingertips on it but it ricocheted off the post and in.Lloyd’s first two came on set pieces, but it wasn’t Japan’s lack of height that hurt them – it was poor defending.On the first, just five minutes into the match, Lloyd shook her defender and ran toward the near post and met the ball with the outside of her foot. Two minutes later, defender Julie Johnston flicked on a corner behind her with a heel, and Lloyd smashed it home.Lauren Holiday scored a beautiful 14th-minute volley off a loose ball that will be overshadowed by Lloyd’s dazzling performance.Down four goals, the Japanese paused, huddled and looked to regroup. The Nadeshiko showed a brief hint that they may be able to work their way back into the match, capitalizing on some horrible defending in the box in the 28th minute. But they couldn’t test goalkeeper Hope Solo enough – Japan’s second goal came from a Johnston own goal.In an effort to reshuffle his deck, Japan coach Norio Sasaki used two of his substitutions before the 40th minute, bringing veteran Homare Sawa, who finished her sixth and last World Cup in Japan’s loss.Sunday’s goal fest was a rematch of the Women’s World Cup four years ago, when Japan and USA played to a 2-2 draw, and the Japanese clinched the world title in a deciding penalty kick shootout. The Americans had been undefeated in 25 prior meetings with Japan going into that final when the Nadeshiko shocked the world.The Americans exacted a form of revenge a year later, when they won the 2012 Olympics. But the Women’s World Cup tends to be viewed as the pinnacle by the American players, despite both tournaments featuring most of the same nations and players.Going into Sunday’s final, both USA and Japan were unbeaten in Canada with USA ranked No 2 in the world compared to Japan, ranked No 4. Japan had only given up three goals in the entire Women’s World Cup going into Sunday’s rout, where they conceded five.
