July 30 – With a late header by Wendie Renard, France stunned Brazil 2-1 in a blockbuster match to take control of Group G. Jamaica defeated Panama 1-0 in their first-ever World Cup win.
Renard had failed to get on the end of any set piece until the 83rd minute, when she found space inside the box to steer a winner into the Brazilian net. ‘Captain Fantastic’ had once again come to the rescue.
It was a moment of relief for the French and their coach Hervé Renard, as ever in an impeccable white shirt on the touchline. After leading Saudi Arabia at the World Cup in Qatar, the Frenchman took over the French women’s national team, but following a disappointing 0-0 against Jamaica in their opening match, France were under pressure against Brazil.
Renard however had an excellent response from his team, who impressed in the opening exchanges with Eugenie Le Sommer nodding the ball past Brazil goalkeeper Leticia in the 17th minute, 1-0. Le Sommer had been dropped from the Euro 2021 squad, but the strike was Le Sommer’s 90th in a France shirt and her sixth at a World Cup.
Brazil however settled down and scored a deserved equaliser near the hour mark through Debinha who with a sumptuous touch with the outside of her boot controlled the ball before guiding it past French goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin.
Debinha’s goal seemed to have earned Brazil a point until Renard popped up at the far post to grab the winner, a repeat of the scoreline in the last sixteen clash from the 2019 finals. Brazil are now on a 12-game winless run against the French.
Group G has become a three-horse race after the Jamaicans eliminated Panama from the competition. Having leapfrogged Brazil, France will be in pole position to clinch the top spot with their final group game against the Central Americans. In Melbourne, Brazil and Jamaica will go head-to-head for the other knockout ticket. Three points will be enough for the South Americans to reach the last 16.
“Now it’s time to face Jamaica, full focus on them and return to the basics,” said Brazil coach Pia Sundhage. “I want a happier team, with more joy, with a beautiful game. It’s something we need to recover for the next game.”
The Jamaicans can already reflect on a successful tournament with four points from two matches and a first-ever Women’s World Cup victory against Panama. The achievements are all the more remarkable after the team had to partially crowdfund their trip to the finals.
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