FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 schedule day 4: Scores, results, groups
FIFA’s controversial banning of the One Love armband at the World Cup appears to have fallen on deaf ears, with players and some stadiums finding unique ways to display their pride.
Another women’s player has cheekily protested against FIFA’s controversial banning of the rainbow armband at the World Cup.
FIFA prohibited the WWC teams from displaying the rainbow-coloured armbands after the same band was boycotted in the men’s World Cup in Qatar last year
Thembi Kgatlana, who plays as a forward for the South African side, showed off a rainbow streak through her hair as her side prepared to take on Sweden in Wellington on Sunday.
This was not the first instance of such a statement, with American-born New Zealand player Ali Riley painting her fingernails in the pride colours for their opener against Norway.
Football Australia CEO James Johnson admitted Australia would have liked a rainbow armband option to be available for captains at the Women’s World Cup, with Aussie skipper Sam Kerr also voicing her support.
Obviously, we would love to wear it … like most of the teams in the whole world, everyone has voiced that they would love to wear it,” she said.
Thembi Kgatlana bringing the rainbow to FIFA Women's World Cup™ 🌈
— Optus Sport (@OptusSport) July 23, 2023
Stepping out on the pitch in style for South Africa
And she's a baller too.#FIFAWWC#OptusSportpic.twitter.com/86hh1Xph0K
This came after rainbow lights were seen displayed prior to England’s clash with Haiti in Brisbane on Thursday night.
Players are the Men’s World Cup were warned they would face on-field sanctions for wearing the One Love armband, with FIFA providing their own alternatives to wear around messages of peace and inclusion.
Suncorp Stadium come through 🌈 https://t.co/3y5itYkhO0
— Pride Football Australia (@PrideFootballOz) July 22, 2023
10PM: JAMAICANS HOLD FRENCH TO 0-0 DRAW
Jamaica has defied the odds and an injury-time red card to claim its first World Cup point in history against one of the tournament favourites France.
Ranked 43rd in the world, Jamaica held France to a 0-0 draw in Sydney as goalkeepers Pauline Peyraud Magnin and Rebecca Spencer starred.
France was ultimately left to rue its wastefulness in front of goal after generating 14 shots to Jamaica’s six.
The French came centimetres from victory when they hit the crossbar in the 90th minute.
The only downside for Jamaica was a 92nd-minute red card given to Khadija Shaw.
The result leaves the door ajar for Brazil to seize control of Group F when it takes on Panama tomorrow.
These scenes from The Reggae Girlz after securing their first-ever point at the FIFA Women's World Cupâ„¢ are amazing! ðŸ˜
— Optus Sport (@OptusSport) July 23, 2023
Jamaica is all vibes right now.
This is what football is all about.#FIFAWWC#OptusSportpic.twitter.com/5WmDmfpilH
7:30PM: CONTROVERSIAL GOAL SPOILS PORUTGAL’S WC DEBUT
A Stefanie van der Gragt goal in the first half was enough for the Netherlands to claim three points against Portugal on Sunday evening.
The goal which was initially ruled as offisde was reversed after a VAR check, with Optus Sport expert commentator Thomas Sorensen questioning the decision.
“It’s a grey area … In my view, there is an interference,” Sorenson said.
Portugal were left to wonder what could have been in their World Cup debut, with some of their players openly emotional before proceedings began.
The Dutch now turn their attention to a blockbuster clash with the USA on Thursday for control of Group E.
Portugal take the field for their first-ever FIFA Women's World Cupâ„¢ match.
— Optus Sport (@OptusSport) July 23, 2023
And you can just feel the passion during the national anthem!
Literal tears pouring from some of the players 🥹
Simply amazing ðŸ‘
Watch LIVE | https://t.co/iaOr7EcyVG#FIFAWWC#OptusSportpic.twitter.com/wbC4L8j6ti
Stefanie van der Gragt climbs high and smashes home for Netherlands 💥
— Optus Sport (@OptusSport) July 23, 2023
A towering header from the Dutch centre-back.
Watch LIVE | https://t.co/iaOr7EcyVG#FIFAWWC#OptusSportpic.twitter.com/fehN1tkfQY
5:45PM: SWEDEN SURVIVE ULTIMATE SCARE
Sweden, one of the favourites for the tournament have survived a massive scare from a game South African side in Wellington.
The 54th-ranked South Africans gave the perception that a boilover was on the cards, scoring the first goal of the match.
But Sweden would not be denied, pressing until the final whistle and scoring the winning goal just before injury time.
Arsenal’s Amanda Ilestedt rose above the pack directly in front of goal to head home the winner, and break South African hearts.
SWEDEN STEAL IT AT THE DEATH 😱
— Optus Sport (@OptusSport) July 23, 2023
Arsenal’s Amanda Ilestedt rises highest and heads home in the 90th minute!!
True pain for South Africa after taking the lead in the game.
Watch LIVE | https://t.co/NsQD3Kd4yR#FIFAWWC#OptusSportpic.twitter.com/0a5RTdJMGU
3:30PM: SICK MATILDA’S VIDEO GAME PREMONITION
Rookie Matilda’s defender Charli Grant was back training at QSAC this morning after missing last weeks sessions with an illness.
The 21-year-old plays in the Swedish league and was one of the last Matilda’s to join the camp – due to their season still running.
Grant, while talking to the media today, said she might have picked up a bug on the plane or just been knocked around by jet lag. Either way she was stuck in her hotel room, ill, for two whole days.
Unable to train Grant used the time to home her skills online, playing FIFA23 on the CBox console gifted to all players by Ellie Carpenter.
Grant said she was playing the new World Cup feature in the game and Australia has won against Ireland and Nigeria – a feat she hoped to repeat “in real life” on Thursday night in Brisbane.
1:30PM: SWEDEN LOOK TO SEND MESSAGE TO USWNT
-Tilly Werner
There will be plenty of eyes on Sweden as they prepare for their campaign opener against South Africa in Wellington this afternoon.
One of the most highly favoured teams to contend for the title, third ranked Sweden have become a powerhouse of women’s football over the past decade after boasting one of the earliest professional leagues for women, the Damallsvenskan.
Sweden have been at every edition of the World Cup, with their best place finish coming in 2003, where they lost in the final to Germany 2-1 to end up second.
Led by veteran Caroline Seger, who has been battling injuries to return for her fifth World Cup, there’s more than pride at stake for the Swedes, who have had difficulty performing consistently in tournament football.
”It’s been a tough road for me, and the last couple of months I’ve been injured, so my preparation hasn’t been the best. I haven’t talked to all the Swedish press for a long time. That’s also why I’m here [at the press conference] now. I normally don’t do this,” Seger said in Sweden’s pre-match press conference.
“I’m happy to be in the World Cup. At the moment I’m training, and my body is feeling good.”
There will also be plenty of attention on Fridolina Rolfö, who won the Champions League with FC Barcelona last month and has become one of the most recognisable faces in European football and Sarah Blackstenius, who plays alongside Matildas Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord at Arsenal.
12:00PM: KERR ON MEET-AND-GREET DUTIES AS TEAM TRAINS ON
-Erin Smith
Matildas’ captain Sam Kerr’s calf injury didn’t stop her participating in the meet and greet with a select group of fans at QSAC this morning.
Kerr and the team meet the players from the under-12s and under-15s Mt Gravatt Hawks girls teams before training.
They handed out goodie bags, posters and signed autographs.
Kerr didn’t participate in the team training session but Tameka Yallop, who was injured in the warm up match against France, returned to the main group for the first time.
Defender Clare Hunt also sat out the session due to load management. And Kyah Simon also watched on.
10:30AM: USWNT ON AUCKLAND MASS SHOOTING: “WE’VE DEALT WITH THIS FAR TOO MANY TIMES”
-Tilly Werner
USWNT striker Lynn Williams has delivered a poignant response to news of the mass shooting in Auckland last Thursday, less than a kilometre from where the team is staying for the World Cup.
Speaking at the team’s press conference, which went ahead just hours after the incident, Williams reflected that the shooting is something she and her USA teammates are far too familiar with.
“Unfortunately we’ve dealt with this far too many times,” Williams said.
“There was definitely a sense of let’s come together. We still have a job to do, but also recognising that there were lives lost and that is very real and devastating.”
“We were just thankful that we were safe, that he first responders came and everything was very quick, Our security was very swift to say ‘we can’t go anywhere right now we need to make sure you are safe.’
“There is a sense around the team that we recognise that this is devastating but once we were able to go to training we had to focus on the job at hand.”
Williams’ teammate Crystal Dunn said it was important to give people the space they need to “work through the trauma.”
“Hopefully we can just try get on the pitch and be connected again, in a tough day.”
The USWNT opened their campaign with a 3-0 win over Vietnam in Auckland yesterday.
8.30AM: BETTING BOMBSHELL OVER KERR-FUFFLE
The CEO of Australian betting company Bet Right, Anthony Walker, has agreed to refund any losing bets placed on Australia’s 1-0 win over Ireland, that were made before the bombshell announcement of Sam Kerr’s omission.
“Up until 6.45pm AEST, members of the public all over the world were betting into multiple markets under the impression that Sam Kerr would take the field,” the CEO said.
“However, these events are characteristically a question of balance and fairness.”
Bet Right has released numbers that show the impact the Australian captain has on a game’s betting market is 16 per cent on average.
Kerr is Australia’s most prolific goalscorer, with 63 goals in 121 appearances for the Matildas and was priced as a significant contender to the tournament’s Golden Boot award.
Kerr put any fears of a prolonged sideline-stay to bed after arriving back in Brisbane following the Matildas’ win in Sydney. Asked if her World Cup was over, she replied: “Definitely not.”
Will we see you for the Canada game?
“Of course I will be there.”
7AM: ‘BONE ACHES, MOUTH ULCERS’: KIWI’S GRUELLING ROAD TO GRANDEST STAGE
-The Sun
New Zealand and Brighton defender Rebekah Stott has bravely spoken out about her cancer diagnosis and how it inspired her World Cup dream.
The 30-year-old, who played in today’s opening game of the World Cup, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in March 2021, just a few months after joining Brighton in the Women’s Super League.
But just five months later, following several rounds of gruelling treatment, she entered complete remission.
In an episode of the Discovery+ documentary, ‘World at Their Feet’, Stott opened up about her diagnosis and her incredible journey back into football.
“Obviously, I came to Brighton all excited and ready to go,” she said.
“I had a little bit of a lump on my neck. It kept growing and getting bigger and bigger. I had surgery, I had a needle biopsy.
“Finally, after about three or four months, we got the diagnosis that I had Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“‘Why did this happen to me?’, has definitely gone through my head a lot, but I know that I will never know the answer to that.
“‘Yes, this sucks, but I have a good prognosis. In a c**p situation, I am lucky’.
“It was all quite rushed. I was straight in for my first day of chemo. The first cycle was bad. I was throwing up everywhere.
“And then bone aches, headaches, dizziness, mouth ulcers, they were probably one of the worst because you were trying to eat, and it would just be impossible.”
Despite the difficult circumstances she endured, Stott remained upbeat as she kept fans updated through social media and her blog, ‘Beat It by Stotty’.
The defender also remained determined to return to football and used that, along with family and friends, to inspire her through months of treatment.
She added: “My family was great. My friends were really there for me. I had a lot of people looking after me.
“The thought of getting back to football when I finished my cancer treatment was always there and that was always my goal, to get back on the field, so that was a huge motivation for me.”
In July 2021, just a matter of months after being diagnosed, the New Zealand star announced that she was in complete remission.
In a blog post, she wrote: “This is the blog I’ve been hanging out to write, I’m officially in COMPLETE REMISSION. It’s surreal and I’m still not quite sure how to describe the feeling, but I’m filled with so much happiness and I’m so appreciative to everyone who has helped me along the way.”
Within just a few months of entering remission, Stott rejoined Melbourne City before signing a two-year deal with Brighton in 2022.
And her World Cup dream came true last month when she was named in Jitka Klimkova’s 23-woman New Zealand squad.
Stott made history with New Zealand on the opening day of the tournament this week, helping the country to it’s first-ever World Cup win.
The Football Ferns earned a shock 1-0 win over Norway, who are ranked 12th in the world by FIFA.
Hannah Wilkinson broke the deadlock just after half time following an excellent passage of team play.
Ria Percival had the opportunity to double New Zealand’s lead late in the game, but her penalty rattled the crossbar.
Originally published by The Sun UK
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