Today at (the hilariously named) Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, 43rd-ranked Jamaica battled No. 8 Brazil to a scoreless draw to secure its first-ever trip to the knockout stage in the Women’s World Cup. It came at the expense of the Brazilians, who made a shockingly early exit after finishing third in Group F.
Jamaica placed second after following up its startling 0-0 draw vs. No. 5 France (the eventual group winner) with a 1-0 win over Panama that marked the first victory by a Caribbean team in Women’s World Cup history. Then came today’s advancement-clinching draw vs. Brazil, a country with a population roughly 75 times larger than Jamaica’s and a soccer tradition orders of magnitude greater, including a record five men’s World Cup titles.
Another unexpected twist: after giving up an astonishing 12 goals (and scoring only one) in its World Cup debut four years ago in France, Jamaica has shut out all three of its opponents so far in Australia.
All this after the Jamaican players, fed up with their national soccer federation’s lack of support, turned to crowdfunding to help pay their World Cup expenses. Nearly $100,000 US was raised for the team through two fundraisers.
Christine Sinclair says World Cup exit a ‘wake-up call’ for Canada Soccer
Following Canada’s 4-0 loss to Australia and exit from the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Christine Sinclair told CBC News’ Lyndsay Duncombe that she thinks the defeat is a “wake-up call” to Canada Soccer.
The Reggae Girlz have repaid their supporters with sweat equity, overcoming their shortage of scoring talent with airtight defensive play and a fierce team spirit that makes them more than the sum of their parts. Sound familiar? That’s essentially the formula that carried Canada to a stunning Olympic gold medal in 2021 and was supposed to be its backbone at this World Cup, before the disjointed Canadians bowed out meekly with a 4-0 loss to Australia on Monday.
With Jamaica so successfully emulating Canada’s blueprint, the Olympic champs ought to be very worried about the teams’ upcoming playoff for a spot in the 2024 Paris Games. The two-leg contest will be played Sept. 22 in Jamaica and Sept. 26 in Toronto and decided by the aggregate score.
The winner goes to the Paris Olympics. The loser is out. And the latter outcome is suddenly in play for a Canadian team that can no longer view this playoff as a mere formality.
Other notes from the World Cup today:
*Sweden defeated Argentina 2-0 to win Group G with a perfect 3-0-0 record and set up a fascinating round-of-16 clash with the top-ranked United States. The Americans’ bid for an unprecedented third consecutive World Cup title isn’t looking so hot after they won just one of their three matches and managed only four goals en route to placing second in their group. Now they’ll face a Swedish side that took silver at the 2021 Olympics, is currently ranked No. 3 in the world and just outscored its group opponents 9-1.
*South Africa secured its first-ever trip to the knockout stage in dramatic fashion, clipping Italy 3-2 with a goal in stoppage time. The 54th-ranked Banyana Banyana improved greatly on their World Cup debut four years ago in France, where they lost all three of their matches and got outscored 8-1. South Africa’s playoff opponent is the ninth-ranked Netherlands, which topped the U.S. for first place in Group E. The eliminated Italians, ranked 16th, have only advanced twice in Women’s World Cup history.
*With its last-place finish in Group G, Argentina failed to advance for the fourth time in four Women’s World Cup appearances. The country that captured its third men’s World Cup last year has yet to win a match in the women’s event.
*Speaking of men’s soccer powers making a quick exit from this Women’s World Cup: Brazil’s 0-0 draw vs. Jamaica left the Seleção feminina out of the knockout rounds for the first time since 1995. It also marked the final World Cup appearance for the great Marta, whose 17 goals across six tournaments are the most in women’s history. The 37-year-old forward will retire having never won a World Cup. Her best performance came in 2007 in China, where she was named the top player after scoring a tournament-high seven goals and leading Brazil to the final, where it lost to Germany.
*France beat Panama 6-3 to win Group F. Les Bleues, ranked fifth, will face the second-place team in Group H, which will be decided when the group stage wraps up on Thursday. 25th-ranked Colombia, one of the best surprises of the tournament, will try to hold onto its lead over Germany after shocking the world’s No. 2 team 2-1 on Sunday with a goal in stoppage time.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
