By Deborah Oluwumi
The 2023 Women’s World Cup, hosted jointly by Australia and New Zealand, has commenced with matches taking place across ten stadiums. Amidst the global excitement, the reigning world champions, the United States, are vying for their third consecutive title in the Oceania region.
The team, under the guidance of coach Vlatko Andonovski and the joint captaincy of Alex Morgan and Lindsey Horan, is poised to make a strong impact in the tournament, despite undergoing a period of transition within their setup. In an impressive display during their opening game in Group E, the United States Women’s National Team (UNWNT) secured a convincing 3-0 victory over debutants Vietnam. Sophia Smith’s two first-half goals, coupled with co-captain Horan’s contribution with a goal, showcased the team’s determination to succeed.
However, Germany has also stood as an unstoppable force on the world stage, solidifying their position as a 2-time world cup champion and earning a well-deserved second-place ranking in the global standings. Their domination is evident by the remarkable display of talent, scoring an astounding six goals against Morocco in a single match.
Matches, Goals, and Top Scorers
After 38 matches at the world cup, the race for the golden boot is shaping up. In the last few days, the ongoing world cup has been a captivating display of talents, skills, professionalism, and team spirit from participants all around the globe.
Some Key Facts to focus on
- Germany and Norway recorded the highest victories with a 6-nill trashing of Morocco and the Philippines respectively. Other teams with impressive victories are Japan and Spain with 5 to nill.
- Debutants Zambia claimed their first-ever victory at the Women’s World Cup with a 3-1 win over Costa Rica at Waikato Stadium on Monday, although both teams were already out of contention for the knockout stage.
- Defender Lushomo Mweemba scored the fastest goal of the tournament so far, with a spectacular volleyed effort at two minutes and 11 seconds
So far, in the ongoing tournament, a total of 38 matches have been played, and 150 goals have been scored. The table below shows the leading teams in each group.
The top 5 Scorers after 38 matches are:
- Hinata Miyazawa [Japan] – 5
- Alex Popp [Germany] – 3
- Amanda Hestedt [Sweden] – 3
- Ary Borges [Brazil] – 3
- Sophie Roman [Norway] – 3
Players with the highest number of Assist
- Mina Tanaka [Japan] – 3
- Caitlin Foord [Australia] – 2
- Eva Navarro [Spain] – 2
- Jonna Andersson [Sweden] – 2
- Jub Endo [Japan] – 2
Let’s touch a bit on fair play and players’ conduct on the field. There are a total of 19 yellow cards issued in the tournament so far. This averages 0.5 per game. Players leading the pack with the highest number of Yellow cards are
- Katie McCabe [Rep of Ireland] – 2
- Kholosa Biyana [South Africa] – 2
- Martha Tembo [Zambia] – 2
- Mariam Mayprga [Argentina] – 2
- Ashley Lawrence [England] – 1
This is where it gets a bit more interesting. Despite the low average number of yellow cards per game, there are about 5 reds issued. Compare to the men’s game, this is a very good average with a clear demonstration of sportsmanship and fair play. The following players are the 5 that were red carded so far in the Women’s Fifa World Cup
- Catherine Musonda [Zambia]
- Deborah Abiodun [Nigeria]
- Khadija Shaw [Jamaica]
- Sofia Harrison [Philliphines]
- Zhang Rui [China]
The teams that conceded the highest number of goals
- Zambia 11
- Costa Rica 8
- Philippines 8
- Vietnam 8
- Panama 8
Knock-out stage
After 38 matches, 7 teams already qualified for the knock-out stages of the tournament. With impressive wins by Japan, Norway, and Spain, the 3 countries have qualified for the 2nd round. Others that have joined the party include Switzerland, Nigeria, Sweden, and the host nation Australia. More teams will join after the final games on the group stages to make the 16 for the next round.
As the Women’s World Cup progresses, all eyes will be on Ary Borges and Sophia Smith as they vie for the prestigious Golden Boot. Their incredible talent and passion for the sport have made them the top scorers to watch, and fans around the world eagerly await their next stellar performances on the grand stage.
With such young talents showcasing their abilities, the competition promises to deliver even more thrilling moments in the weeks to come. As the event unfolds, we eagerly anticipate bringing you further updates on these impressive players and the exciting matches ahead.
Other Tidbits and statistics to keep an eye on during the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023
Record-Breaking Attendance: Nigeria’s Super Falcons triumph over Australia, making them the first African nation to secure the top spot in Group B, alongside Canada.
Youngest Player: South Korea forward Casey Phair on Monday became the youngest ever player to appear at the World Cup – just 26 days after celebrating her 16th birthday.
Image Source: cnn.com
Oldest Player: Nigeria’s veteran defender Onome Ebi, at 40 years old, proudly holds the title of the oldest participant in the Australia & New Zealand 2023 World Cup. Remarkably, Ebi’s illustrious career has made her the first African player, male or female, to grace six World Cups.
Image Source: Daily Trust
Meanwhile, the legendary Brazilian midfielder Formiga has etched her name in history as the Women’s World Cup’s oldest-ever player. Four years ago, she astoundingly took the field at 41 years and 112 days during her nation’s round-of-16 clash with tournament hosts France. Her enduring passion for the sport continues to inspire fans worldwide.
FIFA Rules – Yellow and Red Cards: In the ongoing tournament, Kholosa Biyana of South Africa was given the first yellow card of the tournament after delivering a hard foul in the match while as for red cards, two have been issued so far.
Nigeria’s Deborah Abiodun received the first red card during the match against Canada. Initially, she was shown a yellow card but it was later upgraded to red after a VAR review in the 97th minute. The replay showed her tackling Ashley Lawrence with her studs hitting Lawrence’s shin.
The second red card was issued to Khadija Shaw during a scoreless draw with France. Shaw, also known as Bunny, and a Manchester City striker, received a second yellow card in stoppage time, resulting in her being sent off and leaving the world No. 43-ranked Reggae Girlz to finish the Group F game with 10 players in Sydney on Sunday night.
