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Carli Lloyd celebrates her hat-trick. Elaine Thompson/PA/Press Association Images
Hat-trick Hero

Four years after costing her team a World Cup, Carli Lloyd scored a hat-trick in the final

Revenge is a dish best served four years later.

FOUR YEARS AGO, Carli Lloyd could only watch as her penalty — one of three missed by the USA — sailed over the bar in the shootout as Japan were crowned World Cup winners.

The Houston Dash midfielder certainly made amends for that miss last night.

Within 15-minutes of kick-off, her side were 4-0 up and she’d become the first woman to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final.

Her first came after just three minutes:
https://vine.co/v/enWYibUOx3b

And before five minutes were on the clock, Lloyd had her and the USA’s second with a close range finish.
https://vine.co/v/enW3A0ivmvK

After Lauren Holiday made the score 3-0 in the 14th minute, Lloyd saw the Japanese goalkeeper, Ayumi Kaihori, way off her line and struck from the half-way line to make it 4-0.
https://vine.co/v/en7Y2zxQwi0

The defending champions, for their part, never recovered from the USA’s early blitz and must have been left scratching their heads as to how it all went wrong in the final having only conceded three goals in the entire tournament before Sunday’s game.

Though a Yuki Ogimi strike before half-time and a Julie Johnston own goal gave them some hope of a comeback, Tobin Heath’s 54th minute effort put the result beyond doubt.

For the first time in 16 years, the USWNT are the champions of the world.

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