Homare Sawa (Wikimedia Commons)
In a dramatic championship final, Japan defeated the United States 3-2 in penalty kicks to win the Women’s World Cup of Soccer.
In what is the biggest day in the history of Japanese soccer, Japan got key goals from Golden Boot winner Homare Sawa and Aya Miyama. Sawa also won the Golden Ball Award for the best player in the tournament.
The game had incredible similarities to the American 3-2 quarterfinal win over Brazil in terms of goal sequence and overall drama.
Miyama tied the score originally at one with nine minutes left in regulation time after the Americans had gone up 1-0 earlier in the second half on a brilliant shot by Alex Morgan.
Morgan had come in as a substitute for the injured Lauren Cheney who left the game with a knee injury. Morgan then displayed offensive excellence in overtime in finding Abby Wambach open for the header. Wambach put the Americans up 2-1.
It was a tough game for Wambach overall however, even though she scored an overtime goal. In the first half, she hit the crossbar and she missed another great opportunity to score in the extra thirty minutes.
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