LYON, France, July 7-- Thanks to Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle's second-half goals in eight minutes, the United States saw off the Netherlands 2-0 here on Sunday to claim their second straight World Cup title. The U.S. co-captain Rapinoe opened the scoring in the 61st minute through a penalty kick, before Lavelle doubled the lead following a solo run on 69 minutes. After lifting the trophy in Lyon, the Americans came out the most decorated women's soccer team in history, taking four championships from eight editions all together since 1991. U.S. coach Jill Ellis gave all the credit to her players, saying that "they're an amazing group of players and an even better group of people." "I could barely speak (in the huddle). I just said, 'You're unbelievable. Congratulations. You made history. Enjoy it,'" she said. Alex Morgan, who was awarded the Silver Boot with six goals and 490 minutes played after narrowly edged by teammate and Golden Boot winner Megan Rapinoe with an equal tally and 428 minutes played, told media that she couldn't describe the emotions of the moment of lifting the trophy. "This team is something special, and to do it back-to-back is pretty incredible. We had a hard route to the final. I'm just proud of this team. We felt confident. We felt like it was going to take us a bit to gain momentum throughout the tournament," she said. "Jill (Ellis) did a great job in terms of managing the team," she added. |