JAPANESE WOMEN WINS WORLD CUP

Japanese women's soccer team celebrates after winning FIFA Women's World Cup 2011. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

Japanese women’s soccer team made history yesterday after beating the US 3-1 in penalty shootout in Germany to win the 2011 Women’s Soccer World Cup.

            Japan became the first Asian country to win the coveted trophy, thwarting the USA’s attempt to win its third world cup. The US women have won the cup in 1991 and 1999.

            Japan’s remarkable comeback victory, when the US were just playing superb soccer and getting into a 2-1 leads in the first half.  The Japanese women, however, fought back to equalize with Aya Miyami tying it 2-2.

            The glorious moment came during the shootout when Saki Kumagai blasted the ball high into the net relegating Hope Solo’s effort to make it 3-1 to give Japan its first World Cup crown.

            The win gave Japan something to cheer about after the devastating earthquake and tsunami hit the country some months back.

            Earlier, Japan beat Germany 1-0 in extra time and then routed Sweden 3-1 in the semifinals.

            They were the clear underdogs when pitted against the US team that had a fantastic run during the tournament.

            "This is a breath of fresh air, because everything out of Japan has been negative over the last few months," said Tom Byer, a few days before the finals against the US. Byer has coached Aya Miyama, a starter in the Japanese team.