Women’s World Cup: The gap has truly closed | Football News

One where Olympic champions Canada, Copa winners Brazil, and Asia’s best team China will have no part in. Where USA will meet Sweden, a team they had lost 0-3 to in the Olympics, in a must-win game. Where Spain, smarting from the 0-4 loss to Japan, will start the knockout round against Switzerland. Where Norway will be in awe of Japan in this clash of former world champions. And Australia and England hoping they are peaking at the right time with Sam Kerr and Kiera Walsh fit.

The slick-haired Vlatko Andonovski has not got many things right with his team USA – the midfield has struggled, the attack has been blunt and the press not good enough – but his comment about the gap closing seems prescient in the light of what happened in 48 of the 64 games that have finished.

“You know, the 7-0, 8-0 games are gone…No game is going to be easy,” Andonovski had said before kick-off in Australia and New Zealand. One game ended 7-0 and debutants Portugal could have sent USA home had Ana Capeta’s shot in second-half stoppage time not hit the upright. Morocco may be the only first-timers still around but Philippines, Zambia, Republic of Ireland and Portugal all notched up a point or three.

So, yes, Rebecca Spencer, they better be “looking” at your team. The Jamaica goalkeeper had wondered aloud after holding Brazil 0-0, a result that sent Marta home. Never since 1995 have Brazil exited at the group stage. Reason enough for Jamaica coach Lorne Donaldson to celebrate by rolling on the pitch.

Better goalkeeping, save percentage has increased from 70 to 77% as per the FIFA Technical Study Group, and defending — draws have increased from 8% to 21% — means teams are more difficult to break down and, as Donaldson said, most come to the World Cup better prepared.

It is unusual for a team to progress with a goal difference of -4 – eight who went out had fared better on this count – but Morocco did because they came back from a 0-6 defeat against Germany to beat South Korea and Colombia. The 1-0 scorelines showed Morocco’s ability to take their chances and shut out opponents. Thirteen in the squad play in Europe though not all are in the top tier; seven of them in France.

Morocco play France in the round of 16, the game between colonised and the coloniser coming two rounds earlier than it did in the men’s World Cup. France are ranked fifth, Morocco 72nd – only Zambia at 77 were below them in this edition – but coach Reynald Pedros wasn’t bashful after beating Colombia. “If we keep the same mindset as we had today, we can be hopeful that we can go further,” he said.”

Even if they don’t, it has been some ride. Morocco were the first from the Arab world to qualify and, at the first attempt of trying, got their first win (it took New Zealand 32 years and 15 games). Along the way, defender Nouhaila Benzina showed hijab and football could be compatible.

Nigeria and South Africa also qualifying meant that three of Africa’s quartet are still in the mix. Amanda Illestedt’s 90th minute goal denied South Africa a draw against Sweden, a game they were leading. Against Argentina too, the African champions failed to protect their lead and drew 2-2. Then, they let in an early goal against Italy. But South Africa won that game of fluctuating fortunes through Thembi Kgatlana who scored in the 90+2 minute.

“Football is now not about rankings anymore. It’s about what happens on the field,” South Africa coach Desiree Ellis told World Soccer before the World Cup. Italy were ranked 16th, South Africa 54th.

Football’s come a long way from 1993 when after her first international call-up, where she scored a hattrick, Ellis lost her job because she was late to work. South Africa play USA and European heavyweights regularly and are bidding for the 2027 edition. But the sport is still not professional and it was only due to the benevolence of South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe that players’ payment issues were resolved.

Like Ellis then, goalkeeper Kaylin Swart has a day job. Passage to the next round means a minimum of $60,000 per players as per FIFA prize money sharing arrangement in this World Cup.

Jamaica survived the group stage with three clean sheets. Japan and Switzerland are the only other teams to have done that. Not bad going for a team that raised $90,000 through crowd funding initiatives, one of them by midfielder Havana Solaun’s mother, as a pay dispute between the players and the federation continues to fester.

It led Spencer, player of the match against Brazil, to say: “We put (the dispute) to bed for the tournament (but) the better we do the more pressure it creates. We hope they’re looking at us and do what they should be doing.”

Jamaica are the first from the Caribbean region in the knockout rounds. No African team has won a game at this stage of the competition. That could change over the next four days.