Jamaica 0 Brazil 0
A courageous Jamaica team held Brazil to a 0-0 draw on Wednesday to reach the knockout phase for the first time in only their second Women’s World Cup while condemning the South Americans to their earliest exit since 1995.
Needing a point to go through, the Reggae Girlz barely threatened to score but were tight in defence, repelling wave after wave of Brazilian attacks in a frenetic atmosphere at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.
At the final whistle, the overwhelmed Jamaicans slumped to their knees and roared in joy before forming a circle to dance and sway to the Bob Marley song “One Love”.
Having lost all their matches in France four years ago, the Jamaicans have coming a long way in a short time, holding France 0-0 and beating Panama 1-0 in their Group F clashes. It was a tough night for Brazil.
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Their coach Pia Sundhage started Marta on the field for the first time in her sixth and final World Cup but the iconic forward bowed out in disappointment, coming off in the 80th minute. Her touch was missing early. She fired a shot into a defender in the fourth minute and then wasted another chance seven minutes later with a heavy touch, leaving an unmarked Ary Borges fuming at the far post.
Running towards goal, Borges finally had her chance when Luana found her with a cross but the playmaker steered her header well wide in the 24th minute.
Borges then set Tamires up with a delightful cross into the inside-left channel late in the half but she thumped a volley straight at goalkeeper Becky Spencer. Jamaica rode their luck to halftime and Brazil’s desperation grew after the break as their attacks came to nothing.
Jamaican hearts were in mouths in the 79th minute when defender Allyson Swaby nearly put the ball into her own net with a terrible attempted clearance that forced Spencer into a fine save at the far post.
In search of a goal, the Brazilians exposed themselves to the counter-attack and Khadija Shaw all but made them pay. Needing only the keeper to beat, she blazed just over the bar in the 82nd minute.
Brazil had one last chance in a final-minute goalmouth scramble but Debinha headed straight to the keeper, allowing the Jamaicans to celebrate arguably their finest moment in international football.
Panama 3 France 6
Kadidiatou Diani netted a hat-trick, including two penalties, to lead France to a frenzied 6-3 victory over debutants Panama and into the last 16 of the Women’s World Cup.
Les Bleues needed only a draw in the Group F finale against winless Panama. After conceding in the second minute, fifth-ranked France dominated, with goals from Maelle Lakrar, Lea Le Garrec and Vicki Becho, despite playing without captain Wendie Renard and all-time leading scorer Eugenie Le Sommer.
Marta Cox made history by scoring Panama’s first-ever Women’s World Cup goal – and the quickest at this tournament at 1:07 – with a stunning 35-yard free kick that curled into the top corner. Cox burst into tears before being mobbed by team-mates.
Lakrar finally got France on the scoresheet in the 21st minute with a header that goalkeeper Deysire Salazar could not keep out. Diani netted her first seven minutes later, pouncing from six yards out after a goalmouth scramble, before converting from the penalty spot for her second after a handball in the area.
Le Garrec scored just before halftime with an intended long cross that curled into the net, putting Les Bleues up 4-1 at the break while Panama’s players argued among themselves before trudging off the pitch.
Diani completed her hat-trick with another penalty seven minutes after the break following a handball in the box. Trailing 5-1, Yomira Pinzon added a second for Las Canaleras – the Canal Girls – from the penalty spot in the 64th minute, to the delight of a largely neutral Sydney Football Stadium crowd of 40,498, after a foul by Elisa De Almeida on Riley Tanner.
Lineth Cedeno pulled another back with a header in the 87th minute, reacting quickest after the ball had bounced off the bar. The goal was initially ruled offside, before a VAR review allowed it to stand.
Becho scored deep into stoppage time, flicking in Eve Perisset’s cross, and despite the lopsided score, when the whistle blew Panama erupted into joyous celebration, dancing on the pitch long after most fans had departed.
“We gained a lot, we won a lot, 40,000 people that ended up cheering for our team, 40,000 people at the stadium that we were able to feel the energy, the vibes from the Panamanian football fans ... they were filling the Panamanian heart,” Panama coach Ignacio Quintana said.
France will meet the second-place team from Group H – either Colombia, Germany or Morocco – in the last 16.
