(MENAFN- Arab Times) Carli Lloyd became the first woman to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final as she inspired the United States to a 5-2 demolition of defending champions Japan on Sunday. The United States, winners in 1991 and 1999, became the first nation to win the crown three times and avenged their loss to Japan on penalties in the 2011 final.
Lloyd, 32, scored a 13-minute hattrick opening with her first after just three minutes on the pitch at Vancouver's BC Place Stadium with the second coming two minutes later, and her third after 16 minutes.
Yuki Ogimi got one back on 27 minutes for the Asian champions with their second coming thanks to a 52nd-minute own-goal by US defender Julie Johnson, in what was the highest-scoring final ever in the women's tournament. It was the third meeting between the two teams in a major championship with the Americans winning the Olympic gold ahead of Japan in 2012, when Lloyd scored both goals in a 2-1 win.
The stunned 'Nadeshiko' were in disarray just minutes into their title defence.
Wearing the captain's armband Lloyd, who was one of three US players to miss a penalty in the 2011 final, got her first two goals from set pieces as she delivered a performance that saw her presented with the Golden Ball award as the tournament's best player. The player from New Jersey picked up Megan Rapinoe's low cross from the right to tap in.
Two minutes later the Japanese defence was in meltdown when Lloyd again found her way through following a freekick.
To euphoric chanting of 'USA, USA, USA' from the 53,341 fans in the packed stadium, Holiday got a third just before the quarter hour mark with a volley after a weak defensive header from Azusa Iwashimizu.
And just two minutes later Lloyd completed her hattrick with a stunning shot from the half-way over the head of a stunned Ayumi Kaihori in the Japan goal.
Japan coach Norio Sasaki said he had tried to warn his players of the danger posed by midfielder Lloyd, who was playing up front alongside Alex Morgan, but his shouts were drowned out by the crowd.
Japan's players huddled together to try and regroup, as they struggled to contain the livewire midfielder, who netted six goals in the tournament, equal with Germany's Celia Sasic. But the Houston Dash midfielder raced forward again, looking surprised as she missed a chance for a fourth on 17 minutes as she fired just wide.
Meanwhile, Japan coach Norio Sasaki said the 'Nadeshiko' would now be focusing on qualifying for the 2016 Olympics after losing their Women's World Cup title.
Japan were 4-0 down after just over a quarter of an hour's action in Vancouver before falling 5-2 to the United States who won the title for a record third time after 1991 and 1999.
It was the third major championship final between the two nations, with Japan winning the 2011 World Cup on penalties with the US winning Olympic gold. "Only two teams from Asia can go to the Olympics, so it will be tough," said Sasaki, whose challengers include World Cup rivals Australia, South Korea and China, who all reached the knockout rounds in Canada.
Despite the loss of the title they became the first Asian team to win in 2011, Sasaki vowed: "This is not the end of soccer in Japan. "We will work hard to go to Rio and also the East Asia Cup will be held in less than a month so we need to start preparations tomorrow (Monday) and we need to keep challenging ourselves."
Sasaki said that despite the disappointment their game could only improve by playing tough games like against the United States.
"It is good for our future development, playing against the best teams like the United States who have such a depth of players.
"We need to develop our strategies and tactics to battle against them, it is a challenge to aspire to.
"We need to work on our technical skills otherwise our ranking might go down," he added of his fourth-ranked team.
"What is positive is that we made the final and women's football in Japan is getting a lot of attention.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.