The U.S. team has beaten Japan, 2-1, in the gold medal match

The U.S. team has beaten Japan, 2-1, in the gold medal match at London’s Wembley Stadium, a game that set a new attendance record with more than 80,000 spectators. Carli Lloyd scored both of the American goals, while U.S. stars Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach weren’t able to finish their chances. But they were very active, and both players kept the Japanese defenders occupied around the goal.

The fans were hoping for a game as exciting as the 2011 World Cup final, when the same two teams fought to a 2-2 tie before needing penalty kicks to decide the champion. Japan won that match, and the two teams split their games in 2012, along with a tie.

The gold medal match featured aggressive play and excellent goal-keeping, and Japan seemed determined that Wambach and Morgan would not be the players who beat them. In the end, they weren’t — but Lloyd and her U.S. teammates played well enough to make up for that.

Canada won the bronze medal.