Sweden and France put on a show during Saturday's third-place match at the Women's World Cup. (Associated Press)
We've talked plenty during the course of this FIFA Women's World Cup about parity, about the overall improvement in the women's game, and about the overall quality of the goals.
The third place match between France and Sweden on Saturday served as a microcosm of all the above.
There was a time when Sweden would have smashed France. As recently as the last World Cup there were an 11-0 game and a 7-2 final score. You could easily have seen France on the end of one of those score-lines in Germany - except the French had only even made the World Cup once before.
Those days of lopsided scores seem to be a thing of the past. There is no question that parity has arrived in the women's game.
The only fly in that ointment, however, could be that FIFA has chosen the next event, which happens to take place in Canada, as the first Women's World Cup to expand from 16 to 24 teams. Here's hoping that the road to parity will continue at a rapid pace so that the trend of evenly matched contests can continue.
And the quality of play overall has drastically improved.
By and large the games have been entertaining and played at a much higher pace than ever before. The third place match was a perfect example. French flair and individual talent with the ball was matched by the Swedes' athletic ability and overall teamwork.
Then there are the goals.
We've argued constantly over which goals belong on the top ten list and which goals don't make the grade. It's not an easy task. The winner in the third place match by Sweden's Marie Hammarstrom certainly belongs at or near the top. But which goal do you knock down peg? There have been that many good ones.
As for the match itself, France must feel frustrated. They played well once again, but could not find the finishing touch when they needed it the most. But they get my vote as the most improved team in the tournament. They're likely the most improved team anywhere on the planet. If they can find themselves a top notch goalkeeper, they'll be tough to beat.
All in all, this has been a competition to remember. Perhaps it will be re-called as the year women's football went mainstream. This wasn't just a women's soccer event. This was a true World Cup.
