It was heartbreak for the US Women’s team as they lost to Japan in the 2011 edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. They prepared hard for four years and came all out to turn the result, defeating Japan 5-2 in the 2015 edition final.
The US don’t give up on their supremacy easily and the Women’s team DNA wasn’t different. Four years of further toil and work saw them repeat the story of the 2015 edition. They beat Netherlands 2-0 to clinch their second title in a row and win the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019.
Group Stages
The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 began on 7th June with hosts France taking on Korea Republic in the Group A fixture. Buoyed by a brilliant showing from defender Wendie Renard, the French beat the Koreans 4-0. Norway later thumped Nigeria 3-0, but Nigeria got a 2-0 win over Korea and progressed through as one of the four best 3rd placed sides.
In Group B, Germany and Spain reigned supreme with Germany finishing top and Spain second. China’s big win against South Africa made them go through to the Round of 16.
Group C was the Group of Death which saw three powerhouses in Italy, Brazil and Australia battle it out with Jamaica being the fourth team. Italy surprised everyone and topped the group while Australia finished second. Brazil finished third but managed to qualify for the Round of 16.
England, Argentina, Japan and Scotland formed Group D. England steered through with ease but Japan had to toil hard to qualify for the Round of 16.
Netherlands, Cameroon and Canada qualified from Group E and New Zealand missed the bus, failing to get even a point in the tournament.
Defending Champions USA were in Group F where they began their campaign by hammering debutants Thailand 13-0. Sweden too proved too good for the Thailand side and managed to get past Chile to book a place in the Round of 16 along with the USA.
Round of 16
The phase saw some intriguing games and come controversies, the biggest of which came in the third game of the phase where England met Cameroon. Cameroon were dejected with the referee’s decision and displayed agitation with some players intending to not continue with the match, however, the coach got the team going and made them finish the match. A lot of criticism came their way for showing disrespect.
The top games of the phase saw France beat Brazil in extra-time, Norway getting the better of Australia in penalties and Spain going down to the USA despite a brilliant fight.
Netherlands got the better of Japan, Italy beat China, Sweden trounced China, and Germany thumped Nigeria.
Quarter-Final
The surprise of the tournament came when Sweden beat Germany and scored 2 against their robust defence that hadn’t conceded until that moment.
England outclassed Norway and looked like the closest competitors of the defending champions USA.
The Dutch beat the Italians and hosts France went down fighting against the USA.
Semi-Final
In what was dubbed to be the final, England met the USA in the first semi-final. It was an entertaining game which saw end-to-end stuff and if not for a penalty miss, England could have forced the game into extra-time and who knows what would have happened later.
In the second semi-final, the Dutch ran supreme against Sweden, beating them in extra-time, courtesy of a Jackie Groenen goal, who scored in years, to setup a summit clash with the defending champions.
Final
USA showed their class and supremacy as they outwitted a resolute Dutch side to lift their second World Cup title on the trot.
Megan Rapinoe starred once again, while Rose Lavelle showed just why she is so highly rated, grabbing the second goal for the USA and pretty much sealing the fate of the game.
USA will not only be remembered for their brilliant performances at the World Cup, but also their celebrations which caused furore. Alex Morgan’s tea-sip celebration and Rapinoe’s trademark style came under fire, but the players side-lined it and put performances on the pitch to shut the critics.
The USA players also did something remarkable, well beyond winning a World Cup which was being vocal about equality and pay equality, gender issues and just at large any kind of equality fight.
They played with exuberance and showcased their skillset to the World and what they can add to the beautiful game to further propel their point.
USA were the top goal scorers of the tournament, playing with flair and also, the team conceding the least, showing just why they are the champions for a second time running.
