Izuchukwu Okosi
World football heavyweights Brazil on Wednesday bit the dust and exited the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand after a laboured goalless draw against Jamaica.
The result ensured that Jamaica qualified for the round of 16 of the tournament for the first time and legendary forward Marta bowing out of International football on a low with six World Cup appearances to her credit.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelJamaica put themselves in a strong position when they held group favourites France to a goalless draw and followed it with a crucial 1-0 win over Panama without star striker Khadija Shaw, who was suspended after being sent off in their opening match.
Manchester City’s Shaw returned to the side in Melbourne, adding much-needed threat for Jamaica on the counter-attack.
Former Arsenal centre-back Rafaelle Souza largely kept Shaw at bay, though the Jamaican’s presence alone caused problems and she almost scored with 10 minutes remaining, firing over the bar on the break.
That was Jamaica’s only real chance as Brazil built pressure and searched endlessly for the goal they needed to take them through to the knockout stage.
Marta, 37, is the all-time leading scorer in men’s or women’s World Cups with 17 goals and was recalled to the starting XI after starting from the substitute bench in their previous game.
Brazil were predictable and lacklustre, struggling to break down Jamaica’s well-organised defence and offering very little in a desperate fight to stay in Australia.
Marta, who went off to huge cheers after 80 minutes, had a few glimpses at goal, while Debinha, Luana and Tamires all drew saves from Jamaica goalkeeper Becky Spencer.
The Samba girls almost found a golden touch in the third minute of second-half stoppage time when substitute Andressa pounced on a scramble in the box, but Spencer was again equal to it and Brazil’s substitutes fell to their knees in despair in the dugout.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
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