in homare sawa's hometown, elation. her elementary schoolteacher saying, i have no words. the team known as beautiful flower, has inspired a country still reeling from the disaster. it's been four months since a earthquake killed 25,000 people and in this final game, they lifted the nation once again. >> they'll be able to see how far japan can go, even with everything -- with the odds against them. >> reporter: after so much heart ache, finally a reason to celebrate. >> big celebrations there more on the game coming up later in this half-hour. >>> in washington, talks on the debt crisis go behind closed doors today. there are no public meetings on the agenda. a tea party plan to solve the problem comes up for a vote tomorrow in the house. it stands no chance of a passage in theheenate. a plan b is still being discussed giving president obama the power to increase the amount of money the government can borrow. >>> brand-new bomb shells this morning as a scandal sinks a media empire. top police official has resisied in the wake of the investigation. abc's todd ant has the l

and team captain homare sawa's hometown, elation.r elementary school coach saying, i have no words. the team known as beautiful flower had inspired a country still reeling from disaster. it's been four months since an earthquake and tsunami killed 25,000 people. the players have dedicated each game to those victims. and in this final game, they lifted the nation once again. >> they'll be able to see how far japan can go. even with everything, with odds against them. >> reporter: now following the victory, some of the local newspapers published special editions to celebrate the big win. and dan and andrea, i can tell you after all this country has endured it is nice to finally see some smiles out here. >> oh, absolutely. and akiko, they really let loose, the fans. what was it like being part of all that? >> reporter: that's right. keep in mind this game started at 3:45 in the morning. i was out at a sports bar with fans, rooms were just packed, cheering all the way. some of the fans at the beginning didn't think they could really pull

homare sawa with a perfect redirect past hope solo. the resilient japanese force penalty kicks. that's when the u.s. completely felt apart. missed an unheard of three straight shots. the americans were stunned. saki kumagai for the win. got it! a reason to celebrate for a country that has been through so much this year. japan, lifts the world cup trophy and the spirits of a nation for the thrilling come-from-behind win. >>> to golf, darren clarke had a three-stroke lead heading into the final round of the open and phil mickelson made him sweat it out. drilled the long eagle on 7. lefty pulled even but couldn't get over the hump. clarke with room for error on 18. two-putt for the win. at 42 years of age, the irishman finally wins his first major, taking the open by three strokes. and the shot of the day wasn't from the open. former colorado avalanche joe sakic on the million dollar 17th hole. he shoots. he scores! 500,000 for him and another 500 grand for charity. not a bad day on the links. that's your early look at sports on "early today," i'm bill seward. >> "early today" spor

homare sawa. her fifth goal of the tournament and headed to penalty kicks after that number. now, the u.s. didn't beat brazil on penalty kicks. different story today. shannon bach, toby heath all missed and it all came down to this. japan clenches it, their first every world cup title and the first over the u.s. for the earthquake and tsunami -- country. >> we worked so hard and believed in each other through everything, and the olympics are around the corner. it's obviously going to hurt for a while, but i'm proud of our team. we never gave up, and congratulations to the japan team. i think their country is very, very proud of them. >> another sentimental favorite. five years ago, darren clark's wife lost his battle with cancer, now, 32, his best golf thought to be behind him. he was scheduled to work for tv this weekend if he missed the cut. instead, he held the lead. wild weather, it was raining dance moves on the practice rain. phil mickelson and -- getting -- mickelson might do that more often. he tore up the front nine. no. 7, eagle. he caught clark. it's raining eagles

>> translator: that would be homare sawa. this is her fifth world cup, and she has a lot of experience playing big matches. she used to be a striker. now she is the playmaker. she is the central part of the team. she has this good sense of looking at offensive and defensive plays. she knows how the flow is going. she knows when to attack, she knows when to defend, she knows when it's a chance to score. and when she makes that judgment, she runs straight for it so she has a feel for the game, and that's what's extraordinary about her. sh is what has made japan the team it is today. >> reporter: japan will face the united states, the world's number one ranked squad in the final. the u.s. has made it to the semifinals in all five women's world cup tourneys and has won the championship twice. japan and the u.s. have played each other 25 times in the past with 22 u.s. wins and three draws. in other words, japan has never won. what about this time? >> translator: well, the u.s. squad is not going to easily present an opportunity to

in team captain homare sawa's hometown, elation.ary school coach said that i have no words. the mar 11th disasters were personal for this team. even one of the players worked at the fukushima nuclear plant. players viewed images of the disasaer before each game and after every victory, carried a banner thanking the world for their support. today it was the evacuees in the tsunami zone thanking the players, saying that this team gave them the strength to move forward. >>> and now, diane sawyer with a preview of tonight's "world news." >> good morning to everyone at "gma," we crack the code tonight for happy retirement. the rules are being rewritten as baby boomers are setting different goals. you'll be surprised how they're affording it all. it's a revolution that will be televised tonight on "world news." >>> thanks diane. >>> finally, it's happy birthday today to south africa's nelson mandela. we rarely see the 93-year-old mandela, and that's what makes this picture so special. millions of schoolchildren across south africa sang ha