Cup has zebras and traditional teams going through hardship – 08/01/2023 – Sport

The Women’s World Cup has not been peaceful for the most traditional teams or considered favorites. The next in line to try to guarantee the classification, perhaps in suffocation, will be Brazil.

This Wednesday (2), at 7 am (Brasília time), the team faces Jamaica and needs a victory to advance to the round of 16. The confrontation will be broadcast by Globo, SporTV, ge, Fifa + and Cazé TV (Youtube and Twitch).

In a group with France (also one of the candidates for the title), Panama and Jamaica, this difficulty was not expected for Pia Sundhage’s team.

“Of course the game is going to be nervous because it’s a knockout match. For us, it started ahead of schedule. We have a qualified team, but these are games for big competitions. We’re playing a World Cup, we have to be prepared for everything. Pia spoke, tomorrow [quarta] it’s a decisive game and we don’t want to go home early. We want to stay in the competition,” said Marta, 37, who would play her last World Cup match in case of elimination.

As it is very likely that France (four points) will defeat Panama (zero), Brazil would be second in Group F in the event of a victory. .

It is the key in which Germany, world champion in 2003 and 2007, runner-up in 1995 and gold medalist at the Rio 2016 Olympics, will also have to seek a result in the last round in order not to be eliminated early. They will have to draw at least with Morocco to advance on goal difference (both teams have three points).

In the Men’s World Cup, last year, the country fell in the group stage.

“These are different situations. The classification depends only on us. We need to be smarter and play with the result”, defined coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg.

The World Cup in Australia and New Zealand already had other results that put favorite teams in check. Norway, one of the strongest teams on the planet, lost 1-0 to the New Zealanders in their debut but recovered and qualified in Group A. Champion in 1995 and runner-up in 1991, the European team was present at all World Cups and never returned home before reaching the knockout stage.

Worse was Canada. Gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the cast traveled to Oceania in a fight with the federation over the difference in investment in men’s and women’s football and in the payment of prizes.

With an experienced team, it was believed that they would reach the decisive stages, but they did not even make it to the round of 16. By losing to the Australian hosts (who were also at risk) by 3-0, they ended up eliminated.

“Look, we’ve been fighting the federation for support but that wasn’t their fault. [dos dirigentes]. We have 23 players here, plus the coaching staff and we didn’t do the job; I think this is more than anything a warning to the federation for the lack of a professional league, the lack of support for the grassroots teams… I think we will continue to see other teams reach our level and surpass us if things don’t change.” , complained Captain Christine Sinclair.

She wasted the chance to be the first soccer player (male or female) to score a goal in six World Cups. Marta also has this opportunity for the Brazilian national team. In the debut, against Nigeria, Sinclair missed a penalty that would give Canada victory and make a difference in the standings.

With weak football in the three matches and victory only against Haiti, China, host of the World Cup in 1991 and runner-up in 1999, had the second worst performance in its history in the competition. For the first time they fell in the group stage and ended up thrashed by 6 to 1 by England.

China was present in all Cups, except one: in 2003 it did not obtain a classification.

The World Cup in Australia and New Zealand escaped what would be the biggest upset in the history of women’s football.

Four-time winners of the tournament and two-time champions, the United States entered the field to face debutants Portugal on Tuesday needing a draw to qualify.

The 0-0 tie was enough to make the North Americans take second place. The Portuguese Ana Capeta hit the post in the 46th minute of the second half.

“The beam was the best player on the field”, summarized Carli Lloyd, star of the United States selection.