Lyon (France), July 7 (IANS) The United States retained the FIFA Women's World Cup title after they beat the Netherlands 2-0 in the final here on Sunday.

It was the fourth World Cup crown for the United States, which became the first team to successfully defend the title in the quadrennial football gala, according to Xinhua news.

Megan Rapinoe's 61st minute penalty opened the scoring for the US while midfielder Rose Lavelle's searing individual effort doubled the lead in the 69th minute.

--IANS rkm/arm