Group A
Costa Rica 1-3 Morocco
Costa Rica goal: Moya (90+5)
Morocco goals: Baha (4, 39 pen), Alfaro own goal (77)
A pair of first-half goals from Mayssa Baha paved the way for a Morocco victory against Costa Rica, sending the host nation to the knockout round, while eliminating the Ticas.
Morocco could not have asked for a better start, as Baha weaved her way through the Costa Rican defence before firing a shot that bounced off the post and in. It was two when goalkeeper Valeria Fernandez brought down Sonia Abajiou in the area and Baha calmly swept in the spot kick.
Costa Rica attempted to pull a goal back and make it a nervy end, but Morocco’s defence held firm and then cemented the points when a free-kick was played into the area and Costa Rica defender Fabiana Alfaro headed into her own net. Costa Rica would get a late consolation goal on an excellent left-footed finish from Naima Moya.
Quotes
“It was a really good match. We deserved the win because we fought hard for it. I’d like to thank the coaching staff for their efforts with us, both mentally and physically. The coach told us to play as a team and to stay united no matter the circumstances (after losing the first two matches)”.
Salma Assahl, Morocco goalkeeper
“Thanks to God for this achievement, it’s a reward for the players’ efforts, but not much has changed; we played with the same system, the same style, and the same spirit as in the first two matches. The only difference is that we weren’t lucky before, but today we were, thank God. I want to emphasize once again that the spirit and sense of responsibility our players show are truly remarkable, especially given how young they are. Congratulations to all of us, to everyone who supported us, to the Moroccan federation, and to the coaching staff.”
Anwar Mghinia, Morocco head coach
Brazil 3-4 Italy
Brazil goals: Waksman (45+10, 90+3), Iseppe (84)
Italy goals: Galli (5), Venturelli (45+3), Verrini (49), Bedini (90)
Caterina Venturelli staked her claim for goal of the tournament as Italy claimed top spot in the group with an entertaining victory over already-qualified Brazil.
The Azzurrine took the lead when a deflected shot from Anna Copelli fell to the path of Giulia Galli, who confidently struck the ball into the bottom right-hand corner for her fifth goal of the global finals. In first-half stoppage time, Galli turned provider as she laid the ball back to her captain Venturelli, who struck an exquisite looping 35-yard effort that clipped the underside of the crossbar and into the net.
The Seleção immediately responded with an equally-brilliant effort as captain Giovanna Waksman picked up the ball on the left wing, cut inside two defenders and smartly placed the ball into the near post. But Italy regained their two-goal lead early in the second half when Sofia Verrini scooped the ball into the net after Brazil failed to deal with a Giulia Guerzoni free-kick.
In a wild finish, Giovana Iseppe pulled a goal back for Brazil with six minutes remaining, with Benedetta Bedini making it 4-2 for Italy in the 90th minute. Waksman then ensured an enthralling end by netting once again for Brazil in stoppage time.
Quotes
“I think since the first game, we’ve been creating more chances than the opponent, but we haven’t been able to finish and score. In this game and the one against Costa Rica, they had just two shots on goal and scored, while we had around 30 chances and still didn’t score. It’s really tough.”
Giovanna Waksman, Brazil striker
“We definitely put in a lot of effort. It was the result we wanted. We gave everything, really, until the very end, also because it was a very long game. But we’re very happy with the result, also because we’re first in the group. I’m happy that we won and for me the best player award is the least thing, because we came first. There was Brazil in the group, they are definitely one of the strongest teams in the world.”
Giulia Guerzoni, Italy forward
Group B
Netherlands 0-5 Korea DPR
Korea DPR goals: Ri Kyong-im (18), Groothoff own goal (35), Yu Jong-hyang (66, 86 pen), Ri Hyo-yang (81)
Korea DPR made it three wins out of three in the group stage with a comfortable victory over the Netherlands, who played most of the game with 10 players.
The Asian side took the lead in style when Ri Ui-gyong laid the ball off to Ri Kyong-im, who powerfully struck the ball into the top-right corner from just inside the area. A goal down, the Dutch were soon a player down when Aline Weerelts was shown a red card for bringing down Yu Jong-hyang just outside the area.
The Netherlands’ evening then took another turn for the worse after Maren Groothoff turned the ball into her own net while attempting to block a close-range cross from Ri Ui-gyong, which flew across the face of the goal. Yu Jong-hyang extended the Koreans’ lead midway through the second half when she neatly headed in a cross from Pak Rye-yong.
The three points were sealed by a stunning 35-yard effort from Ri Hyo-yang and a late penalty from Yu Jong-hyang following a handball in the area.
Quotes
“It’s a disappointing night if you look at the result. We wanted something else and the red card makes it even more difficult for us. Against a strong opponent like Korea DPR, it was defending a lot, work hard and the girls did it well. But it was difficult for us to stop them.”
Olivier Amelink, Netherlands coach
“I’m quite satisfied about the players’ performance. The players did their best according to the roles which were assigned to them. We have seen a lot of teams with great capability, the opponents are very strong. We see a lot of things that we have to learn still, but we are going to do our best.”
Pak Song-jin, Korea DPR coach
Mexico 1-0 Cameroon
Mexico goal: Reyes (87)
Citlalli Reyes fired in a late strike to lift Mexico to a win over Cameroon, earning El Tricolor second place in the group and a spot in the last 16. Cameroon are eliminated.
It marks the second match in the tournament in which Reyes has scored a winning goal in the 87th minute, having done so in the previous outing against the Netherlands.
It was an even first 45 minutes between the two sides, with Mexico carving out a slight advantage in terms of scoring opportunities.
Mexico began to apply more pressure in the second stanza, and it finally bore fruit in the waning moments, with Reyes squeezing in a free-kick past Cameroon goalkeeper Princesse Aponfack.
Quotes
“Today wasn’t our best game, but even if it wasn’t our best, I think we’re still fighting, supporting each other, and we just have to work hard for the next game.”
Citlalli Reyes, Mexico player
“We nearly made it, and I have to admit that I don’t know what we were missing because it’s always the same scenario. In the last few seconds of the match, we conceded a goal. Each time, it feels really bad. Despite everything, it’s good to have been there and participated. That’s something. We don’t lose everywhere.”
Josephine Ndoumou, Cameroon coach
Group C
Norway 0-5 USA
USA goals: Ream (6), Kocher (49), Touray (63), Whitham (64), Johnson (80)
USA confirmed their spot atop Group C with a resounding win over Norway. Kherrington Ream got the ball rolling by collecting a slack Norway pass just beyond halfway and powering into the box, where her low effort flew in off the post.
The advantage was doubled soon after the restart, with Ellie Kocher firing into the bottom corner after a nice run down the right. Ream then turned provider, cutting the ball back for Nyanya Touray to side-foot home, before Mckenna Whitham added another less than 60 seconds after the restart by pouncing on a goalkeeping error. The scoring was completed through Micayla Johnson, whose close-range range drive kissed the upright on its way in.
Quotes
“I think in the first two matches we weren’t really ourselves, but against the US we got back to our usual level, and that’s when it’s fun, when we just play our game and everything clicks. It was a really enjoyable adventure, and we also gained some valuable experience playing against teams from other countries.”
Maria Hagen, Norway midfielder
“I’m so proud of the team and what we’ve done. It’s so fun to be part of it. I think soccer is a game where you can’t really expect anything. So we just came in knowing that we’re going to try our best and that’s what we did out there. And we got good results from that.”
Ellie Kocher, USA striker
“I think you never really know how they [the players] are going to react in stressful situations but I think we’ve done a really good job of programming them throughout the year and getting them into high level camps with international games and challenging them, so I think they’re responding really well and we’re super proud of them.”
Katie Schoepfer, USA head coach
Ecuador 0-4 China PR
China PR goals: Xinyi (10), Yijie (16), Ruilin (31), Yu (43)
Four first-half goals saw China PR brush past Ecuador and secure their last-16 berth.
Zhou Xinyi struck the first blow with a tremendous curling effort which flew into the top-right corner. The lead was doubled soon after through Zeng Yijie, who netted her second free-kick of the tournament with a fine dipping effort. Chen Ruilin then drilled home after a neat quick-corner routine, with captain Yu Song heading home the final goal of their first-half avalanche.
Quotes
“Ecuador is not an easy team. We had prepared a specific strategy and tactics for Ecuador. From the last match we played against the United States, we knew that we had to enhance our defence. And now we strengthened our defence in this match against Ecuador, we tried to limit their No9 and No10, and we got a good result. Overall, we are a very united team, that is our strength.”
Wang Hongliang, China coach
“In the first half we were very poor at set pieces — they scored two goals from corners and one from a direct free-kick. We also couldn’t find our rhythm in the game. The half-time talk was difficult; they were very down because we had hoped that the match would be different. But I always value the positive things we have, things like coming out for the second half with a good attitude. The change in system and some other changes we made helped us to hold on to the match.”
Victor Idrobo, Ecuador coach
