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(Reuters) - The Twitterverse lit up with references to the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor after the 5-2 U.S. victory over Japan in the Women's World Cup championship match but other Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) users called those comments offensive.
"Hey Japan, that one was for Pearl Harbor. U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A," Twitter user Cloyd Rivers wrote in a tweet that was "favorited" more than 15,000 times and retweeted 10,200 times.
"Japan wishing they never bombed Pearl Harbor right about now...," tweeted @JoeHeadTV
The attack on Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces on Dec. 7, 1941, prompted the U.S. entry into World War Two. Nearly 2,500 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured in the surprise attack in Hawaii.
Many others viewed the Pearl Harbor tweets as tasteless and offensive.
"of course pearl harbor is trending now. Did you think we could get through an international event without being racist," tweeted @Cryptoterra.
"It was great to see the USA women do so well in the World Cup, but the ‘Pearl Harbor/WWII' references were immature and offensive. C'mon," tweeted @BetancourtJack.
Sunday's World Cup victory in Vancouver, British Columbia was the first for the U.S. women since 1999 and avenged Japan's triumph over the Americans in the 2011 championship match.