Women’s World Cup | First Win, Surprise, and Bleakness – A Summary of the 2023 Women’s World Cup Group Stage
Xinhua News Agency, Wellington, New Zealand, August 4 (Reporters Wei Hua and Wang Haoming) – The group stage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup came to an end on the 3rd with dramatic breakthroughs by the Colombian and Moroccan teams. Looking back on the past 48 games, many teams achieved their first victory as they hoped, but there were also some favorites who missed the next stage and left the field in a bleak way.
The Women’s World Cup, held for the first time in the southern hemisphere, started with a historic victory for New Zealand. As one of the hosts, the New Zealand team’s record in the previous World Cup was a bit embarrassing, having participated in five times but struggling to win a game. However, in this home game, the New Zealand team showed great form against the Norwegian team. Wilkinson scored the winning goal at the beginning of the second half, turning the Eden Park Stadium into a sea of joy for the fans.
But the joy was short-lived for the New Zealand team. Despite their promising start, they failed to progress further. They only managed to score 1 point in the next two group matches and missed the group stage due to a goal difference disadvantage. On the other hand, Australia, another host team, lost to Nigeria in the second round but managed to secure their place in the next stage by defeating the Canadian team with 4 goals in the third round and topping the group.
Several teams secured their first victory in this World Cup and achieved new breakthroughs. For example, the South African women’s football team overturned the Italian team 3-2 in a crucial third-round game, eliminating their opponents and reaching the round of 16 for the first time. Jamaica defeated Panama 1-0 and emerged victorious in Group F, which had two strong rivals, France and Brazil, becoming the first Caribbean team to advance to the last 16 of the Women’s World Cup.
In this expanded 32-team World Cup, 8 teams made their debuts, most of whom only enjoyed a “one round tour”. However, the Moroccan team was an exception. After advancing to the top 4 in the men’s World Cup in Qatar, the Moroccan women’s team also showcased their strength. They defeated the German team in the first round and went on to secure two consecutive victories, eliminating the German team dramatically. Although the Philippines and Zambia suffered heavy defeats, they tasted the sweetness of victory. The Portuguese team came close to eliminating the defending champions, the US team, with a shot hitting the post in stoppage time.
While the goalposts kept the US team’s promotion hopes in check, a couple of big teams were not as fortunate. The Canadian team, the champions of the Tokyo Olympics, placed third in their group after suffering a bitter 0-4 defeat, resulting in their elimination. South American giants Brazil, despite their efforts against Jamaica in the final group stage game, were unable to secure a spot and instead watched Jamaica and France advance. The most surprising upset came from the two-time World Cup champions, Germany. They were eliminated in the group stage for the first time, drawing 1-1 against the already eliminated South Korean team on the 3rd.
Although the South Korean team managed to secure a draw against Germany, their performance throughout the competition was unsatisfactory, leading to their elimination after just two rounds. It wasn’t just the South Korean team, as of the 6 AFC teams in the World Cup (including Australia, which is affiliated with the AFC), 4 teams, including China, suffered elimination, with 3 of them finishing at the bottom of their respective groups.
The Chinese women’s football team experienced a heartbreaking defeat in the first game, conceding a goal in the final moments and losing 0-1 to Denmark. Although they managed to defeat the Haiti team 1-0 in the second round and continue their journey, a devastating loss against England resulted in the “Steel Roses” team being eliminated from the World Cup group stage for the first time in history. The gap between the Chinese team and the European champions, England, in terms of physical, technical, and tactical aspects was evident during the competition.
The Asian teams also had noteworthy performances. The Japanese team won all three of their games, scoring 11 goals without conceding. In the crucial final group match against Spain for the top spot, the Japanese team, despite having a very low possession rate, emerged victorious with a resounding 4-0 win, showcasing their commendable technical and tactical qualities.
The knockout stage of the Women’s World Cup will commence on the 5th, with 16 teams battling it out. The matchups include both strong versus weak teams and intense battles, such as the showdown between the Swedish and US teams, as well as the closely contested match between the Colombian and Jamaican teams. These two “dark horses” are anticipated to create new history.