Women’s World Cup Final: Japan Beat US Women On Penalties (Photos & Highlights)

Chris Wright

18th, July 2011

14 Comments

By Chris Wright

Japan ‘keeper Ayumi Kaihori watches on helplessly as Abby Wambach’s thumping drive comes back off the crossbar

Alex Morgan chases down Megan Rapinoe’s lofted throughball and cracks a fine finish back across the goal to open the scoring

Aya Miyama capitalises on a defensive ricket to poke home Japan’s equaliser

Abby Wambach scores her fourth header in as many games to put the US back in front during extra-time

Homare Sawa flicks home Japan’s second equaliser of the night at the near post

Referee Bibiana Steinhaus shows Azuza Iwashimizu the red card after chopping down the goal-bound Alex Morgan on the edge of the area

Hope Solo dives in vain as Saki Kumagai’s winning penalty sails into the roof of the net

Sawa, Wambach and Solo poses with their gold, silver and bronze ‘Player of the Tournament’ awards

Highlights…

http://youtu.be/4rjhxCp9gAU

Photos: PA

Posted in Photos, World Cup

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14 Comments

  1. Colin says:

    The American’s had Hope, but alas did not win.

  2. Davy says:

    And Chris Wright sobs quietly :-(

  3. Montesquieu says:

    Americans, not American’s. It’s not “the American is had Hope” Apostrophe plus s is used to indicate possession never to pluralize.

    It was a good game, poor women. I offer myself as a consolation prize though.

  4. __wowza says:

    *ahem* he used the apostrophe to indicate possession of a noun, not as a contraction. whose hope was it (pun acknowledged)? it was implied that it belonged to them.

  5. Chris says:

    Horrible nausea-inducing moment, that Arsenal-Carling-Cup-size defensive circus act that led to the 1st Japanese goal. Over all, happy for Japan but great talent and great spirit on both sides.
    btw – Anyone see Barton’s tweet on women being horrible penalty takers? And 15 minutes later those fantastic male penalty takers of Brazil and Paraguay dazzled us all with the innate maleness of their manly abilities…

  6. says:

    USA should’ve wrapped up the game in the first 20 minutes with all those missed shots. I guess having a teenage boy in goal really helped out the Japanese in the end.

    Oh, and an apostrophe in that situation is ungrammatical, you have to follow the noun with the object if you use the ‘s for possession. Since Americans is plural the apostrophe would go outside the s anyways. In the words of Stephen Colbert, you couldn’t be more wronger

  7. Tinez says:

    pluralise

  8. Ventilan says:

    Chris, (even if it was solely because of Solo or Morgan) I want to congratulate you for keeping up with all the news and media info regarding this event when so many other top news sites treated it as minor transfer news.

    Brilliant game.

  9. Chris says:

    @Ventilan: No problem, kind Sir, no problem at all.

  10. Montesquieu says:

    @wowza

    D³ is right.

    It would be Americans’ if it was the possession of the plural.

  11. Michael says:

    I think they’re both great teams. USA are maybe the best, but Japan were meant to win. Alex Morgan is pure sex, she will be Number 1 pretty soon, and Homare Sawa – what a Captain! She’s all HEART!

  12. TravisKOP says:

    lol at the grammar fight first off, classic pies, sometimes i come on this site just to laugh at the wit of the comments posted. well done all pies readers!

    secondly, the US was very arsenal-esque in that game, clearly outmatched and outplayed the opposition but somehow found a way to lose it in the end. gotta say though that it came down to the finishing of chances in that one and the US just couldn’t finish properly.

  13. Montesquieu says:

    Indeed, classic Arsenal. Up ahead all game, out play and out gun and yet still lose.

    It surprises me that at a Woman’s World Cup there weren’t a lot more ‘handsome’ men doing things like standing around at the podium (instead of ladies as there were). You know, since you’re catering to the female portion of the population.

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