[Futfwrca]

There may be plenty of matches with more finesse in passes, shot-making and coordination, but this was the most intense football match I've seen. Every player on both sides held nothing back. Everything was fought for. And the scoreline might as well have been scripted for how tense it was. The three times the US leveled the match, Canadian captain Christine Sinclair would come back with a header into the goal! Those were all brilliant 1-2 punches from the Canadians. The two initial goals from Megan Rapinoe were brilliant as well, especially that corner kick that curved into the goal! Hope Solo's diving save near the end of regular time was another amazing move (and just as important as any goal). The US didn't play with its usual command, but players on both sides displayed lots of virtuosity at moments. And the final goal that decided the match? Just 30 seconds before play ended? What's another unbelievable moment to a match full of them?

After the men's vault final earlier today, I was ready to declare that the most entertaining competition of the Olympics. But even though I'm far less vested in football, this match blew the men's vault finals out of the water. I've heard lots of people complain that athletic competitions of women aren't as interesting or fun to watch. This was a match to fix their faces.