Canadian players commiserate with each other following a 1-0 loss to Nigeria. (Associated Press)
Great goals, great games, great drama and great disappointments - the
first round of the FIFA Women's World Cup provided plenty of highs and
lows for fans of the beautiful game.
Here are just some of the highlights...
Best player: Louisa Necib. The elegant and technically gifted French midfielder was the revelation of the first round, her sublime distribution and brilliant playmaking skills dazzling fans and opponents alike. Necib has been compared to Zinedine Zidane for several years, and from what we've seen in Germany thus far, it's easy to understand why. Necib efficiently marshalled the attack and pulled the creative strings for Les Bleus, setting up teammates with scoring chances and working herself into dangerous positions.
Best team: Brazil. Maybe this is the year the Brazilians finally shed the label of under-achievers and live up to their promise. The Brazilians were the class of the first round, winning all three of their games quite comfortably - including a 3-0 destruction of Norway, World Cup winners in 1995 - without ever really getting out of first gear. You have to wonder how dangerous this team is going to be when it starts to try.
Best game: Germany's 4-2 win over France. This was a fun and entertaining match to watch. When Germany took a 2-0 lead after 32 minutes, few gave France much chance of coming back. Marie-Laure Delie scored early in the second half to cut the deficit and we had ourselves a game again. In the 68th minute, the momentum swung back in the Germans' favour when French goalkeeper Berangere Sapowicz earned a red card and Inka Grings converted from the penalty spot. More drama followed four minutes later as Laura Georges scored for France to make it a one-goal game again. Finally, with the French furiously pressing for an equalizer, Germany's Celia Okoyino da Mbabi scored in the 88th minute to finish of Les Bleus for good, leaving the 45,867 spectators inside a sold-out Borussia Park breathless.
Best goal: Monica Ocampo. There are so many to choose from. Christine Sinclair's wonderful free kick effort against Germany. Erika's sublime juggling act for Brazil versus Equatorial Guinea. American Heather O'Reilly's long-range blast against Colombia. But the honour has to go the Monica Ocampo. The Mexican forward scored the best goal of the tournament thus far when she hit an audacious shot from 40 yards out during the run of play that tucked into the top left corner in a 1-1 draw with England.
Best individual performance: Homare Sawa. The competitive fires still burn for the veteran Japanese forward, playing in her fifth World Cup. After being kept off the score sheet in Japan's opening win against New Zealand, the 32-year-old Sawa exploded for three goals in a 4-0 win over Mexico. Sawa turned a header into the top-right corner in the 13th minute, she ran under the pass and flicked a header inside right post in the 39th, and completed her hat trick with 10 minutes left in regulation.
Biggest surprise: Equatorial Guinea. They were the butt of jokes before the tournament started. Most pundits were predicting the African debutantes would be hammered unmercifully and at will by their Group D opponents. But they ended up having the last laugh, giving scares to the likes of Norway and Australia before finally succumbing in narrow losses. Even against Brazil, the Africans managed to keep the South Americans off the scoreboard for a half before falling 3-0. Full credit must be given to the Africans - even though they left Germany with three losses, they did so with their heads high and safe in the knowledge that they over-achieved.
Biggest disappointment: Canada. So much was expected of the Reds. Maybe their world ranking (6th) flattered them, but the Canadians entered the tournament full of confidence and with a lot of expectations. They won last year's CONCACAF championship, all of their star players were healthy, and the team was playing some inspired soccer under coach Carolina Morace. Even after a 2-1 loss to Germany in its opener, hopes were still high that the Canadians would advance to the knockout stage. Instead, they suffered a humbling 4-0 loss to France and were eliminated with one game remaining in the group stage. A 1-0 loss to Nigeria compounded Canada's misery, and the humiliation was completed when they officially ended the tournament in last place.
Best moment: New Zealand earning its first World Cup point. The Football Ferns lost all six of their previous World Cup matches (by a combined score of 20-1) prior to landing in Germany. When they dropped their first two matches of this tournament, it looked as though the losing streak would remain intact. But the Kiwis valiantly fought back in its last match against Mexico, scoring twice in injury time, to earn a 2-2 draw. When the final whistle blew, the New Zealand players celebrated as though they just won the World Cup in a memorable scene that speaks to the true spirit of athletic competition.
Follow John F. Molinaro on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/#!/JohnMolinaro
Here are just some of the highlights...
Best player: Louisa Necib. The elegant and technically gifted French midfielder was the revelation of the first round, her sublime distribution and brilliant playmaking skills dazzling fans and opponents alike. Necib has been compared to Zinedine Zidane for several years, and from what we've seen in Germany thus far, it's easy to understand why. Necib efficiently marshalled the attack and pulled the creative strings for Les Bleus, setting up teammates with scoring chances and working herself into dangerous positions.
Best team: Brazil. Maybe this is the year the Brazilians finally shed the label of under-achievers and live up to their promise. The Brazilians were the class of the first round, winning all three of their games quite comfortably - including a 3-0 destruction of Norway, World Cup winners in 1995 - without ever really getting out of first gear. You have to wonder how dangerous this team is going to be when it starts to try.
Best game: Germany's 4-2 win over France. This was a fun and entertaining match to watch. When Germany took a 2-0 lead after 32 minutes, few gave France much chance of coming back. Marie-Laure Delie scored early in the second half to cut the deficit and we had ourselves a game again. In the 68th minute, the momentum swung back in the Germans' favour when French goalkeeper Berangere Sapowicz earned a red card and Inka Grings converted from the penalty spot. More drama followed four minutes later as Laura Georges scored for France to make it a one-goal game again. Finally, with the French furiously pressing for an equalizer, Germany's Celia Okoyino da Mbabi scored in the 88th minute to finish of Les Bleus for good, leaving the 45,867 spectators inside a sold-out Borussia Park breathless.
Best goal: Monica Ocampo. There are so many to choose from. Christine Sinclair's wonderful free kick effort against Germany. Erika's sublime juggling act for Brazil versus Equatorial Guinea. American Heather O'Reilly's long-range blast against Colombia. But the honour has to go the Monica Ocampo. The Mexican forward scored the best goal of the tournament thus far when she hit an audacious shot from 40 yards out during the run of play that tucked into the top left corner in a 1-1 draw with England.
Best individual performance: Homare Sawa. The competitive fires still burn for the veteran Japanese forward, playing in her fifth World Cup. After being kept off the score sheet in Japan's opening win against New Zealand, the 32-year-old Sawa exploded for three goals in a 4-0 win over Mexico. Sawa turned a header into the top-right corner in the 13th minute, she ran under the pass and flicked a header inside right post in the 39th, and completed her hat trick with 10 minutes left in regulation.
Biggest surprise: Equatorial Guinea. They were the butt of jokes before the tournament started. Most pundits were predicting the African debutantes would be hammered unmercifully and at will by their Group D opponents. But they ended up having the last laugh, giving scares to the likes of Norway and Australia before finally succumbing in narrow losses. Even against Brazil, the Africans managed to keep the South Americans off the scoreboard for a half before falling 3-0. Full credit must be given to the Africans - even though they left Germany with three losses, they did so with their heads high and safe in the knowledge that they over-achieved.
Biggest disappointment: Canada. So much was expected of the Reds. Maybe their world ranking (6th) flattered them, but the Canadians entered the tournament full of confidence and with a lot of expectations. They won last year's CONCACAF championship, all of their star players were healthy, and the team was playing some inspired soccer under coach Carolina Morace. Even after a 2-1 loss to Germany in its opener, hopes were still high that the Canadians would advance to the knockout stage. Instead, they suffered a humbling 4-0 loss to France and were eliminated with one game remaining in the group stage. A 1-0 loss to Nigeria compounded Canada's misery, and the humiliation was completed when they officially ended the tournament in last place.
Best moment: New Zealand earning its first World Cup point. The Football Ferns lost all six of their previous World Cup matches (by a combined score of 20-1) prior to landing in Germany. When they dropped their first two matches of this tournament, it looked as though the losing streak would remain intact. But the Kiwis valiantly fought back in its last match against Mexico, scoring twice in injury time, to earn a 2-2 draw. When the final whistle blew, the New Zealand players celebrated as though they just won the World Cup in a memorable scene that speaks to the true spirit of athletic competition.
Follow John F. Molinaro on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/#!/JohnMolinaro
