Jamaica Earn Last-16 Debut As Brazil And Marta Exit

Jamaica manager Lorne Donaldson said his team had “never had this much fun” after reaching the Women’s World Cup last 16 for the first time, leaving Brazil devastated.

They battled out a cagey encounter in Melbourne and Jamaica put in a stubborn defensive display to ensure their impressive tournament still has another chapter.

The Reggae Girlz, ranked 43rd in the world, have kept three clean sheets in the group stages of their second World Cup, having conceded 12 goals in three defeats in 2019’s competition.

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“We were not expected to be in the World Cup in 2019,” said Donaldson. “The programme was fairly new and we said, ‘Oh, we’re in!’. It was like being deer in headlights.

“We were very young and happy to be there. This time around we said, ‘Hey, we’re not just going to show up. We’re going to get out of the group.’ Our mentality was that nothing is impossible.”

Brazil, who recalled striker Marta to the starting XI, could not find the goal they needed and failed to progress for the first time in 28 years.

Marta, 37, is the all-time leading scorer in men’s or women’s World Cups with 17 goals but will not feature again on this stage, with her sixth tournament coming to an end having made three group-stage appearances.

After this goalless stalemate, Jamaica could face Colombia or Germany in the last 16, while France go through as Group F winners following their victory over Panama in the other match.

BBC Sports