The Final, then

[Sporting]

No. It was to the right of the keeper

To the left.

[Patrick Thistle]

Oh that was a great goal!

[Janik]

God. Why didn't she shoot then? (Miedema)

Lavelle shows her how to do it. Cross the whitewash, and unleash.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Ooof that reminded me of a goal Lothar Mattheus scored in italia 90.

[Patrick Thistle]

To the left.

Keepers left but to the right from the kicker's viewpoint.

[Janik]

To the left.

Depends on whose perspective, doesn't it? To the 'keepers right from Rapinoe's view, to her left from van Veenendaal's.

[Patrick Thistle]

It would be churlish to point out that Lavelle only had room to score that because the Dutch had to push upfield following the VAR pen.

Meanwhile Morgan really fucked up two chances in succession to make it 3.

[Patrick Thistle]

USA going to their 5 at the back because they're leading.

[Janik]

It just occurred to me that, for all the Dutch flurry of attacking and threat in the last 10 minutes of the first half, I can't remember Naeher having a save to make. I can recall her rushing off her line once to deal with a through ball, but not actual stops. The BBC stats back that up. They say Holland have had one attempt all game, and that was off-target.

[Janik]

Ah, there's one!

It would be churlish to point out that Lavelle only had room to score that because the Dutch had to push upfield following the VAR pen.

Don't undersell the excellent game their 'keeper has had. On another day the Dutch could have been having to come out by the half-hour mark and found themselves three down at the interval.

[Janik]

And another. The US wall partly neatly to let it through.

[Janik]

The US did allow France back into the QF after being nearly as far on top as they have been today. Very little time left, but one back for the Dutch before the 90th minute could make things interesting. It is looking more plausible in the last few minutes.

[Janik]

Tobin Heath invents a new tactic! Rather than take it to the corner flag, she is going for 'take it to the opponent's penalty area and run around that for fifteen seconds'.

[Logan Mountstuart]

I'd go for Lavelle as player of the tournament. I admit they are a formidable outfit with actually quite a few likeable players. I'll channel my hate on Morgan, I suppose.

The Dutch have done OK though. The first Dutch team to actually make me feel a bit Dutch.

[Janik]

Game management time. Yawn.

[Tony C]

USA going to their 5 at the back because they're leading.

They are nothing if not ruthless, efficent and clinical. Not words to get the pulses racing but they get the job done. Not a team for dreamers, that's for sure - easy to admire, hard to like.

[Janik]

Defending champion is clearly the best team and wins competition again with seven wins from seven. Not one for the romantics. The big European teams and Brazil/Japan/Australia/Canada have some pondering to do in the next 12 months. Getting over the hump is not going to be a quick fix.

Oh, and the US fans get my nod for chant of the tournament for breaking out 'Blitzkrieg Bop' during this game.

[Patrick Thistle]

The much better side won, really.

Mrs Thistle left the room at 0-0, came back at 2-0 and demanded me explain how I'd let that happen.

I like Megan Rapinhoe's hair a lot.

[Hot Pepsi]

Defending champion is clearly the best team and wins competition again with seven wins from seven. Not one for the romantics. The big European teams and Brazil/Japan/Australia/Canada have some pondering to do in the next 12 months. Getting over the hump is not going to be a quick fix.

Oh, and the US fans get my nod for chant of the tournament for breaking out 'Blitzkrieg Bop' during this game.

Finally, something better than USA, USA, USA!

[Janik]

Dutch are doing fine. Imperative to keep it level for as long as possible. You can't just let the US play. You have to match them physically. If England had realised this they wouldn't have gone 2-0 down.

Point of order - England didn't go 2-0 down. That was France. The US-England scores were 1-0, 1-1, 2-1.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

That second goal was a real belter. I particularly like the way that you could almost see it coming when she used the change of direction, entirely for the purpose of getting off a shot. I found myself wondering if tobin heath had been possessed by the ghost of denilson at times.

[Patrick Thistle]

Having shirts saying champions on the back to receive the trophies won't reduce those accusations of arrogance.

Great closing montage.

[Flynnie]

Having shirts saying champions on the back to receive the trophies won't reduce those accusations of arrogance.

Great closing montage.

Meh, I’d bet you the Dutch had the same because that’s how Nike rolls.

[Hot Pepsi]

Having shirts saying champions on the back to receive the trophies won't reduce those accusations of arrogance.

Great closing montage.

That’s standard in the US. It sells merchandise. The shirts printed for the losing team end up in Africa and Asia.

[ursus arctos]

Absolutely, that's just calico moderno