Women's World Cup 2015 final: USA beat Japan 5-2 – as it happened

You can read the report from tonight’s game here:

Closing thoughts. USA came out to one of the most incredible starts I’ve ever witnessed in any sporting event, and it won them the game. Or Carli Lloyd won them the game. We knew she was that old cliche, a big game player. But we didn’t know she was that good. Take away her goals, and it was a pretty even game - and the second-half in particular was a more balanced affair. But then USA didn’t need to be particularly good in the second period - because they had Lloyd.

USA were pedestrian in the group stages, they looked like a once great team slouching forward on past glories. Ellis looked out of ideas. But they transformed in the semi-final, thanks to clevee coaching a brilliant individual performances. Ellis was smiling at the start of the game: she knew how good the US were - and soon we would too.

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Wambach and Rampone lift the trophy with a huge cheer. And we confirm what we suspected after around 15 minutes of this remarkable game – USA are world champions.

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And the US are on the podium now. Many, many hugs. Many, many smiles. Wambach and Rampone approach the stage last - a lovely touch for the two veterans.

Japan trudge to collect their runners-up medals. The US form a tunnel to applaud them, I imagine they’re feeling as charitable as the Red Cross at the moment.

Carli Lloyd is back to pick up the Golden Ball for player of the tournament. Barack Obama agrees. Hell, we all agree:

Carli Lloyd picks up the silver boot. Hope Solo wins the golden glove for keeper of the tournament - no arguments there.

The World Cup trophy is being carried out by an actual Mountie. Canada crushing national stereotypes there. Speaking of stereotypes, Fifa has decided to have lots of attractive ladies parade out. Ever progressive - Justin Bieber is Canadian and he’s good looking. And Seth Rogen. What’s wrong with them? Sepp Blatter needs to answer for himself now. Actually, where is Sepp?

The US dance towards the crowd. Wambach takes a US flag from the crowd, and wraps herself in it. Japan stay out on the pitch, looking a tad shcoked. Lloyd is beaming - what a day for her. What a tournament for her. She has scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final, with one of them from the halfway line. No one does that, not in real life.

Japan throw players forward, Johnston boots it out ... and that’s it! USA are world champions. Or is that if you win the Olympics? It doesn’t matter they won that too! The players hug, they cry, they whoop. Japan are in tears too, for very different reasons.

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90 min+1: Corner for the US. Wambach has to score a header to cap her career here, right? If not, someone should fire the scriptwriter. Holiday takes but ... ah. Completely wasted. Scriptwriter fired.

90 min: USA have possession on the edge of the area but give it away. We’ll let them off this time. Three minutes of added time. Only a goal a minute, Japan!

88 min: The referee has been good today. I think. I mainly just remember her ushering players to the centre circle after goals.

86 min: Right, this is a victory parade now. The great Rampone, who you may remember from every World Cup ever, comes on for Morgan. What a way to go out.

85 min: Yep, Japan are pumping long balls forward now. Ellis is smiling to herself on the bench. She’s had that half-smile on her face all day. And why not? She’s probably deciding on which brand of champagne she’ll have at the hotel tonight.

82 min: And here’s Wambach, galloping through for one last run on goal. It’s effective too: Sawa is forced to bring her down and earns a booking.

81 min: Miyama wins a free-kick to the left of the area. What can she produce? She raises her arm and delivers. Solo punches clear again. A good one this time under plenty of pressure.

79 min: And Wambach is on! She’ll come on for Heath. Not a bad position to come on for your last ever World Cup fame.

77 min: You sense Japan are gone in this game. But none of their players are quitting and they continue to probe at the US defenders. Just not very effectively.

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74 min: Japan have three in attack now. Maybe four. Maybe 10. They need it. They’ve just won their first corner too as Sauerbrunn slides in to prevent an run on goal. Solo punches - unconvincingly - again the Japanese counter shot is high and wide.

72 min: Solo has to come off her line quicky to punch clear. It’s far from convincing but does the job and Japan have to muster for another attack.

71 min: Corner for USA, their sixth of the game. Japan have ... zero (0). Holiday takes, it’s headed out to the feet of O’hara who is lurking with intent on the edge of the box. The intent in this case being to smash it over the bar.

69 min: Japan need to score very soon. They haven’t really had a chance since their second goal. Oh, and they nearly get one. Solo has to pull off a decent save but in the build-up it looks like Sawa may well have been fouled in the area.

67 min: Carli Pele-Puskas races through to chase a ball down that Kaihori assumed was hers. The keepers gets to it first - just -but she must be breaking out into a sweat whenever she sees Lloyd. And she’s seeing her a lot.

65 min: A mere two goals so far in this half. Is the US attack in crisis?

63 min: Utsugi tries her luck from distance. The ball loops up to her from around 30 yards out and she connects with a stinging volley that Solo watches go past her left-hand post.

61 min: A sub for USA now. Rapinoe, who was brilliant in the opener against Australia, comes off for O’Hara, who scored against Germany in the semi-final.

60 min: This is incredibly entertaining stuff, mind. This is odd to say when a team is (seemingly) cruising to victory in the World Cup final but USA have been really up and down today and Ellis is right to be concerned that her team aren’t sticking to their game plan. They’re allowing Japan plenty of space. Ohno is replaced by Iwabuchi.

57 min: Both teams have given up any pretence of defending and are just charging around the pitch, which is splendid. With Japan, it’s understandable but I’m not sure why USA are so ragged.

Did the US just concede from an aerial ball against the much smaller Japanese team, who are weak on set-pieces? Yup, they did. Did they just run up the pitch and score straight away? Yup, they did. It’s a wicked, inswinging corner that Japan fail to clear. Brian gets it at the far post, pops the ball back to Heath, who slides the ball home from eight yards out.

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Which idiot said Japan had no chance? Johnston, who has been slack in the air this game, goes up to defend a free-kick and flicks the ball past her own keeper.

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51 min: Carli Ronaldo dances her way around the ede of teh area before flicking it to Brian who unleashes a piledriver than Kaihori tips over. Nothing comes from the corner. Nothing good, anyway.

49 min: USA coach Jill Ellis said at half-time that her team “had lost the gameplan.” Yeah, the new one of crushing their opposition was rubbish. In fairness, they were a little disjointed as the half wore on.

47 min: Carli Messi puts in a high swinging cross that Kaihori is relieved to see go over. And Japan storm into the second half by not conceding with 38 seconds of the restart. Go Japan!

46 min: Japan huddle before the start of the second-half. My Japanese is a little rusty but I think they were saying something like “Yeah, probably best to keep an eye on that Carli Lloyd. I hear she’s decent”. Gary Naylor sums it up nicely:

How do Japan come back from this? Well, they don’t. And if they do it would be one of the greatest upsets of all time. They need to score in the first 10 minutes of the second-half to stand a chance. Coming back from three goals down is hard enough but against this US team? Who haven’t conceded since 583AD - more than a thousand years before American was even founded? Not happening. On the upside, we’ve seen one of the great World Cup perfomances from the brilliant Carli Lloyd. And Japan have played pretty well for the last 25 minutes of the game.

Half-time emails: “Re: Lloyd. Scoring a halfway line goal to secure a hat-trick in the World Cup finals. My very best footballing dreams never even got that good,” says Jeremy Dresner. “There is nothing better than can even be imagined in football!”

“My satellite signal disappeared in the second minute due to a thunderstorm worthy of the old testament passing overhead,” says Jim Denvir. “Have I missed much?”

Who said World Cup finals were tense, low-scoring affairs? If you had any doubt that Japan produces the world’s best horror films, check out the replays of the first-half. It makes The Ring look like Mary Poppins.

45 min: There will be one minute of added time for Japan not to concede. The Lloyd piece of genius if you’re interested:

44 min: A US move is broken up by the ref, who completes a nifty sidefoot to the Japanese. They need all the help they can get. It comes to nothing though.

42 min: Lloyd is lurking to pick up her fourth but the shot clips off a defender. Morgan has a shout for a header but it’s waved away (correctly) as a stumble rather than a foul. “Johnston is a nightmare in the back right now,” says Rob Coughlin. “She’s David Luiz without the knack for scoring goals. Oh, and David has that delicious hair.”

40 min: Another sub for Japan Kawasumi is off and Sugasawa is on. If (and it’s a Jupiter-sized if) Japan force this to added time, they’re not going to have many options to refresh tired legs.

38 min: Rapinoe gives away a free-kick around 40 yards from the US goal. Miyama takes it short into the area but the US outmuscle their opponents in the box and the ball is cleared.

36 min: USA have actually only had five shots on goal to Japan’s three. I’m trying to help out Japan here. They’ve also - in fairness - been the better team over the last 15 minutes, showing why they’re here in the first place.

33 min: Free-kick to the US. Rapinoe takes from 25-yards out. It flies over A note from Japan: “I’m Japanese living in Tokyo and according to the poll by Fuji TV station 89% of Japanese expected them to beat USA to win the trophy, says Wataru Ikarashi. “Wonder how they will respond to the result…”

A sub for Japan: Sawa is on for Iwashimizu. Sawa is way more attacking, you’d say Japan need it. Iwashimizu is in tears. Understandably.

29 min: Japan nearly pull another one back too. Johnston heads in her own area but it’s straight to Japan and the ball is played back to Miyama, whose shot is firm but straight at Solo.

USA are now playing the ball out of the area with crisp, short passes. They can afford too. Or maybe not. Ogimi gets the ball around 10 yards out, and has plenty of time to turn and shoot past Solo. Told you the comeback started here.

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25 min: USA have a shot on goal that doesn’t end up in the net! Morgan skips through the Japanese defence before placing a low shot to Kaihori’s right. The keeper pulls off a smart save. The Japanese comeback starts here!