It was America’s day. From the Vice President, Joe Biden and Sasha Obama, to top celebrities, including Beyonce and her husband, Jay Z, they were all united in their support for their ladies at the final of the FIFA Women Cup on Sunday afternoon here in Canada.
And they were not disappointed as the ladies, led by Carli Lloyd, beat Japan 5-2 here in Vancouver to completed a circle that started with their London 2012 final defeat of the same team.
Going into the final, the Americans had two things in mind: To avenge the loss to Japan four years ago and to also reignite their peoples’ love for women football, which seemed to have waned since the retirement of hall of famer, Mia Hamm. In beating Japan on Sunday, the USA became the first team to win the Women World Cup three times.
They also gave the watching world one of the most scintillating attacking blitz, which reminded observers of Germany’s demolition of Brazil at last year’s men’s World Cup.
With the US 4-0 up after just 16 minutes they didn’t quite manage to reach the Germans’ giddy heights, but they had done enough damage and eventually ran out 5-2 winners.
The day’s USA captain, Carli Lloyd, led by example, as she was the architect of Japan’s downfall with a 16 minute hat-trick to add to the two goals she scored against them in the 2012 Olympic Games final in London. Lloyd’s performance will surely go down as one of the greatest World Cup final appearances and her third goal will take its place in football folklore as she lobbed Ayumi Kaihori from the halfway line in the 15th minute.
Speaking after the game, USA’s Captain, Abby Wambach, hailed Lloyd’s display, saying, “I’ve seen it first-hand how hard she works. She won us this World Cup. She made it her show.”
The final brought to an end a tournament that has captured the imagination of a worldwide audience, and Fifa claimed the stadium attendance for the tournament in Canada has been a record 1,278,682. For Carli Lloyd, though, the 2015 Women’s World Cup will forever be known as the stuff of dreams. Speaking on her team’s victory, Lloyd said: “I Think that a Lot of Us Needed to Pinch Ourselves.
“Honestly, it just didn’t feel real,” the 32-year-old midfielder said. She added that the outcome was the real atonement the USA needed for their loss to Japan in 2011.
“It was unbelievable, something we have all wanted so long. The heartbreak in 2011, losing to Japan, and then this game – it was just an unbelievable moment, something we’ll cherish for the rest of our lives.” She described her three goals in 16 minutes as “pretty incredible.”
Lloyd scored goals in four consecutive matches during the tournament, ending with a total of six scoring games. But it wouldn’t have been possible without her teammates, she explained, including Alex Morgan, Sydney Leroux and Abby Wambach. “We looked down at these stars and one of those stars belongs to us and will always belong to us.
We’re just super, super happy,” Lloyd said. “I think that a lot of us needed to pinch ourselves to see if this was really happening just because of the way that it all unfolded from start to finish. It was just an epic journey one will never forget.”
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