A courageous Jamaica held Brazil to a 0-0 draw to reach the knockout stage 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. 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.
Brazil players were in shock after they’re group stage exit from the Women’s World Cup
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 half-time and Brazil’s desperation grew after the break as their attacks came to nothing.
Jamaicans 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.
The celebrations will continue long into the night for the history-making Reggae Girlz
Why reaching the knockouts means so much to Jamaica
Sky Sports’ Charlotte Marsh:
“It’s hard to sum up just how huge this result is for Jamaica. It’s a watershed moment and an immense achievement for a group of talented, spirited players.
“They proved themselves worthy of their place in the last 16 when they held France to a goalless draw in their opening game, before beating Panama.
“Similarly to the match against Les Bleues, Jamaica defended resolutely again when facing Brazil, taking another point off a ‘big’ team, as well as knocking them out in the process.
“Jamaica held their own against two of the group favourites and they have the heart and determination to give them confidence heading into their first World Cup knockout stages.
Jamaica’s Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw is a crucial forward for the team, playing for Manchester City in the WSL
“It is even more impressive given their off-field issues heading into the World Cup. Havana Solaun’s mother set up a GoFundMe page to help Jamaica simply get to the tournament. The players have described the support from the Jamaican Football Federation as “sub-par” heading into the World Cup.
“Bob Marley’s daughter, Cedella, is also a long-time supporter and financial contributor to help the Reggae Girlz succeed on the international stage. It should be a highly-unusual practice to have private support for a national team, but it is simply indicative of the struggles women’s football continues to face.
“There has been tragedy too. Jedine Carr was killed in a shooting as she made her way to training just days before Jamaica qualified for the World Cup. Shaw proudly displayed a shirt with Carr’s name on it after they beat Haiti to reach their second successive edition of the tournament.
“Having faced adversity time and again, it was joyous to see their post-match celebrations. Here is hoping more success follows for this group of players.”
What’s next?
Jamaica will now play the winner of Group H on Tuesday August 8. This will be decided on Thursday, with South Korea vs Colombia and Morocco vs Germany.
Colombia currently top Group H, three points clear of Germany in second and Morocco in third. But any of those three teams could still end up facing Jamaica depending on Thursday’s results.
Colombia beat Germany 2-1 on Sunday to go top of Group H in the Women’s World Cup
What is the schedule?
The group stage has begun and runs over a two-week period finishing on August 3. Group winners and runners-up progress to the round of 16, which takes place from August 5 to August 8.
The quarter-finals, which will be held in Wellington, Auckland, Brisbane and Sydney, are scheduled for August 11 and 12.
The first semi-final will then be played on August 15 in Auckland, with the other semi-final taking place on August 16 at the Accor Stadium in Sydney, which will then host the final on August 20.
A third-place play-off will be played the day before the final on August 19 in Brisbane.
