SYDNEY, July 23: History has been made at Sydney Football Stadium after Jamaica took home a first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup point following a hard-fought 0-0 draw with France here on Sunday.
Despite pressing for much of the contest, Herve Renard’s side could not breakthrough a Jamaican backline which left very little to chance.
An evenly-contested first half sprung into life after the half-hour mark, with Kadidiatou Diani forcing Jamaica goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer into a smart stop at her near post, before she had an effort deflected narrowly wide on the stroke of half-time, the FIFA reported.
The Reggae Girlz held firm and unsurprisingly saw their best chance of the opening period fall to star player Khadija Shaw, but her long-range free-kick flashed just the wrong side of the left-hand post.
France continued to probe in the second period but failed to create anything clear-cut until the game entered its final knockings. A wicked Kenza Dali corner found Maelle Lakrar unmarked six-yards out, but it was more shoulder than head and the ball spun up on to the roof of the next.
Diani did, however, make contact with her head as the game ticked into added time only for her flicked effort to come off the underside of the bar, then the post, before being scrambled to safety.
Jamaica’s battle to hold on was made all the harder when Shaw was sent off for her second bookable offence in added time. But Lorne Donaldson’s team held on to make history.
France striker Eugenie Le Sommer said, “We’re a bit disappointed tonight, we wanted to win. We put in a good performance despite everything. We kept pushing and trying to play our game, but it wasn’t enough. I think we should have done better in the first half.”
Jamaican centre-back Chantelle Swaby said, “I feel great. Coming into this game, we knew it was going to be the toughest ones and I think believing in ourselves as a team and each other showed and we were able to come out with a point.”(UNI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
