Women’s World Cup 2023: Latest Group Results and Predictions for Wednesday
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Naomi Baker – The FA/The FA via Getty Images
The 2023 Women’s World Cup is nearing the knockout stage, and there are few certainties in this year’s tournament.
The United States has been anything but the dominant force it was expected to be, England has emerged victorious from its three matches despite injuries to star players, and Jamaica is among the feel-good stories of this year’s event.
The unpredictability has spawned some interesting outcomes, including Tuesday’s slate of games. Who progressed to the round of 16 and what does Wednesday’s lineup include?
Latest Group Results
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Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images
Results from Tuesday, August 1
Netherlands 7-0 Vietnam
United States 0-0 Portugal
England 6-1 China
Denmark 2-0 Haiti
Prediction for Wednesday
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AP Photo/James Elsby
Schedule and Predictions
Argentina vs. Sweden, 3 a.m. ET (Sweden)
South Africa vs. Italy, 3 a.m. ET (South Africa)
Panama vs. France, 6 a.m. ET (France)
Jamaica vs. Brazil, 6 a.m. ET (Brazil)
Another Uninspired Performance for USWNT
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Carmen Mandato/USSF/Getty Images
This United States women’s national team does not look like the squad favored to win the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
A 3-0 win over an overmatched Vietnam team gave way to consecutive draws against the Netherlands and Portugal, games that a team as seemingly strong as the Americans should have won comfortably.
It is the first time in the U.S. team’s history that it has failed to win more than one game in the group stage, but it could have been much worse for the Stars and Stripes after Portugal struck the post in the 91st minute of its 0-0 draw with the Americans on Tuesday.
The USWNT lacked energy, cohesion and hardly looked like a team destined to play deep into this tournament. Former U.S. international Carli Lloyd was clear in her criticism of the team, particularly after they were shown celebrating in the wake of an unsatisfying result.
She told Fox Sports (h/t Mike McDaniel of Sports Illustrated): “There’s a difference between being respectful of the fans and saying hello to your family. But to be dancing, smiling? I mean, the player of the match was that post. You are lucky to not be going home right now.”
However, the USWNT survived by the skin of its teeth to advance into the round of 16.
That’s the good news. The bad?
The Stars and Stripes battle Sweden next, a team that has scored seven goals and conceded just one. The Blågult dealt Italy a crushing 5-0 defeat and next faces an Argentinian team that it should have no problem getting past before the showdown with the star-studded American side.
The U.S. cannot rely just on star power and hope it will can draw with the Swedes in the knockout stage. The team must pull out its best performance of the tournament. If not, it will be an early exit for a squad looking to stand atop the women’s football world one more time.
Jamaica: The Feel-Good Story of the World Cup
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WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images
Jamaica entered its second World Cup having won none of its previous games in the finals. It scored just one goal in 2019 while giving up 12.
That team was outmatched, overpowered and did not appear to belong on the international stage against more competitive sides.
However, the Reggae Girlz have erased any doubt over their ability in 2023, drawing with pre-tournament favorite France and defeating Panama 1-0 in the group stage. A win or draw against Brazil will take them to the round of 16, a feat that would have been inconceivable four years ago.
This success comes despite behind-the-scenes battles with the Jamaican Football Federation for fair conditions and funding, as reported by Jay Harris of The Athletic.
Players have paid for their own luggage on flights and expenses, and they have run fundraising campaigns just to get to Australia and New Zealand. Adidas and the family of Bob Marley covered the cost of a pre-finals camp.
Despite all of that, the players have clawed their way into contention for a place in the last 16.
“If you asked me before the World Cup that we have one game to decide our fate—the last game—I would have said ‘Yes, give it to us,'” head coach Lorne Donaldson told reporters ahead of Wednesday’s match with Brazil.
The Seleção lost to the same French team that Jamaica held to a goalless draw. They are a tough matchup for anyone in this tournament, let alone an underdog eyeing the next round.
If the Reggae Girlz can keep the game close, the potential for a win or a draw increases. Then, the team can celebrate the triumph of making it to a round few could have imagined was a realistic goal at the start of the World Cup.
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