Key events
HALF TIME: Jamaica 0-0 Brazil
As things stand, Jamaica are going through with France. The south American champions will be going home.
45 min +2: It’s all Brazil in terms of territory and possession, and yet Jamaica continue to look assured. Debinha drops deep to quarterback, and looks long for Kerolin. Easy for Spencer. Then it’s Tamires’s turn to launch a long ball. Debinha is shepherded out of the way by Chantelle Swaby and Spencer claims again. Brazil need to chat about some fresh ideas during the half-time break.
45 min: Luana finds a pocket of space just to the right of the Jamaica D. She chips softly towards the far post, where Wiltshere clears. Too easy for Jamaica. There will be three added first-half minutes.
43 min: Debinha makes ground down the right and cuts back for Marta, who can’t find the in-rushing Ary Borges with a cushioned pass. Spencer eventually gathers possession. Jamaica will be pleased with the way this match is going right now. They’re looking solid while Brazil are pretty blunt.
41 min: Allyson Swaby and Marta collide on the halfway line. It looks like an innocent, accidental collision but Brazil get the decision. Debinha wants Swaby booked, claiming an elbow in the mouth, but the referee quite correctly isn’t interested in that nonsense.
39 min: Brazil have suddenly moved up a couple of gears. There’s some penalty-box bagatelle in the Jamaican box. Half cleared. Then Ary Borges wedges a delightful pass down the inside-left channel to release Tamires, whose first-time swipe is only just gathered at the near post by Spencer.
37 min: Marta and Debinha link up yet again down the inside-left channel … and once more the Jamaican door slams shut. Meanwhile in the other match, a Kadidiatou Diani penalty makes it 3-1 to France against Panama.
36 min: Spence shimmies elegantly to break into space down the inside-right channel. She rolls a pass towards Matthews on her right. Matthews thinks about pearling a shot goalwards … and probably should have done, because the eventual low cross she delivers is aimless and hacked clear by Brazil. That was a very promising position for Jamaica.
34 min: It’s all pretty shapeless at the moment. Jamaica, who still haven’t conceded at this World Cup, will be perfectly content with this state of affairs.
32 min: Mary Waltz had it right with her initial hunch: France have turned it around against Panama in short order. Kadidiatou Diani puts Les Bleues 2-1 up and in control of the group. For now, at least.
30 min: Matthews is booked for stopping a quick Brazilian throw in midfield. Pretty daft with Brazil going nowhere in particular.
28 min: Antonia floats a cross in from the right wing. Easy pickings for Spencer. Brazil are dominant in terms of possession, with 63 percent compared to Jamaica’s 23, but they’re doing very little with it in the final third.
26 min: Shaw’s mere presence down the left panics Rafaelle into the concession of a corner. Or does it? Ah no, there was a foul during the build-up. Neither keeper has been pressed into serious action yet.
24 min: Brazil are getting plenty of joy down the left. Luana is the latest to make good down that flank. She stands one up for Ary Borges, who should at the very least hit the target with a header from eight yards, but only heads harmlessly over the bar.
23 min: … and with immaculate timing, France level against Panama. Maelle Lakrar with the equaliser. Or was it an own goal? Either way, Brazil need to win again.
22 min: A slight lull, so here’s more from Mary Waltz. “This year’s World Cup has proven so far that anything can happen. I would like to say of course France will brush Panama off their shoulders and show their class but I have given up on predictions because all of mine have been proven wrong. Amazing.”
20 min: Some pinball on the edge of the Jamaican box. Suddenly the ball breaks to Tamires on the left, and a route into the area opens up. She strides forward but doesn’t make great contact with her low drive, and it’s snaffled by Spencer.
18 min: Shaw, who had hurt herself by kicking Antonia’s boot, is thankfully good to continue.
17 min: Shaw drives infield from the right, then comes off second best in a 50-50 block with Antonia. Shaw crumples in some pain. On come the physios.
16 min: Tamires crosses from the left. Luana loops a harmless header straight at Spencer.
15 min: … so having said that, Jamaica string together a few passes in Brazilian territory for the first time. A little space for Chantelle Swaby down the left. A dangerous looking low cross only just flies behind Shaw, bombing in from the other side. Matthews races off to retrieve the loose ball, and overpowers Adriana, but the Brazilian goes down cheaply and wins a very cheap free kick. The pressure on Brazil is released.
13 min: Adriana skitters down the left touchline at high speed. It’s an electrifying run, all the way to the byline, but the final cutback disappoints. She soon comes again, though, belting a shot straight down Spencer’s throat from distance. Brazil are slowly beginning to get on top.
11 min: Debinha and Marta combine again down the left. The former cuts back for the latter, and the resulting scuffed shot is blocked by Sampson and gathered by Spencer. Speaking of Brazil’s living legend, here’s Mary Waltz: “The fact that Marta has never won a World Cup for Brazil just proves that football is a team sport, it requires a team effort no matter how amazing an individual is. I am old and I was able to watch Marta over decades and in her prime she was as good or better than anyone in the game. Won or lose, her legend is intact.”
9 min: Spence takes disproportionate umbrage at the award of a garden-variety free kick in the middle of the park. The referee gives her a long talking-to, but things go no further. It would have been utterly pointless to pick up a booking there, over what was basically nowt.
7 min: Seconds before that move, Shaw embarked on her first run of the evening down the right. For a moment, it looked as though things were going to open up for the Jamaican captain, but Rafaelle wasn’t having any of it and shut the door quickly.
5 min: Debinha and Marta nearly open Jamaica up with a combination down the inside-left channel. The ball dribbles through to Spencer in the Jamaican goal, and play continues, even though Allyson Swaby had a small handful of Debinha’s shirt there, tugging her back gently. You know what, you’ve seen them given. Swaby taking one heck of a chance.
3 min: Panama have taken a shock lead against France! Marta Cox whistles a free kick into the top-left corner from distance, and all of a sudden Brazil qualify as things stand.
2 min: A slightly nervous clearing header by Blackwood allows Brazil to press forward. Blackwood then slices weakly at a clearance, and is fortunate Brazil fail to take any sort of advantage from the edge of the box. Time for Blackwood to take a deep breath and settle.
Brazil get the ball rolling. The Melbourne Rectangular Stadium is on a rolling boil. What an atmosphere!
The teams are out! Both countries usually sport yellow but only one can do so this evening, and it’s Jamaica who get dibs on their first-choice colours. Brazil play in second-choice blue, which is almost as iconic a colour palette for the Seleçāo at World Cups, no? Time for the anthems: Jamaica’s stately and serene, Brazil’s a rousing rumble. Classics both. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes!
The story so far. After the first two rounds of matches, this is how Group F looks.
Here’s how Brazil fared against France at the weekend …
… and this is what Jamaica were getting up to on the same day.
The first round of fixtures saw Jamaica hold France to a goalless draw, while Brazil were busy scoring one of the goals of the tournament in a 4-0 rout of Panama.
In case you’ve arrived late to the party, come on in, the water’s lovely. Here’s what our experts said before the tournament about Jamaica …
… and here’s their take on the expectations Brazil always carry into a major tournament.
The biggest names are back for the decisive showdown. Brazil start with Marta for the first time in this tournament, while Jamaica captain Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw returns from suspension. Marta replaces Geyse up front for Brazil, while Kathellen takes Lauren’s place in defence.
Shaw is one of three changes to the Jamaican starting XI from the 1-0 win over Panama. Tiernny Wiltshire replaces Tiffany Cameron at the back, while Cheyna Matthews lines up alongside Shaw up front. Trudi Carter and Kayla McKenna are the attackers who make way.
The teams
Jamaica: Spencer, Wiltshire, Allyson Swaby, Chantelle Swaby, Blackwood, Sampson, Matthews, Primus, Spence, Brown, Shaw.
Subs: Schneider, Brooks, Bailey-Gayle, Cameron, Carter, McKenna, McNamara, Plummer, Simmonds, Solaun, Van Zanten, Washington.
Brazil: Leticia, Antonia, Kathellen, Rafaelle, Tamires, Ary Borges, Kerolin, Luana, Adriana, Debinha, Marta.
Subs: Camila Gomes, Andressa, Ana Vitoria, Barbara, Angelina, Beatriz, Bruninha, Duda, Gabi Nunes, Geyse Ferreira, Lauren, Monica.
Referee: Esther Staubli (Switzerland).
Preamble
Marta was the best player in the world for a while back there – she won the Fifa World Player of the Year award six times between 2006 and 2018 – and you’d not get an argument from too many people if you suggested she’s the greatest there ever has been. Yet there’s one huge gap on her otherwise stellar resumé. This is the last chance for her to fill it with that elusive World Cup … but it’s a bid that could end heartbreakingly early should Brazil fail to beat Jamaica in Melbourne this evening.
The Seleçāo saw off Jamaica 3-0 four years ago in France. That match was the Reggae Girlz’ first-ever game at a finals, and they went on to suffer further hidings at the hands of Italy (0-5) and Australia (1-4), but they’re a vastly different proposition this time, having already held the French team that went on to deservedly beat Brazil last weekend. So there’s no reason why they can’t get the draw they need to progress, captain and talisman, especially as their star striker Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw returns from suspension, having been sent off against France.
“We don’t want to go home,” says Marta, who if she scores, will become the first player, female or male, to do so at six World Cup finals. But then neither do Jamaica, and with Marta most likely to be utilised as a supersub, much will depend on Debinha to replicate the excellent performance she delivered in defeat last weekend. Everything to play for here, then, with France expected to see off Panama in the other match and secure top spot in Group F. Kick off at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium is at 8pm local time, 7am in Brazil, 5am in Jamaica, and 11am BST. It’s on!
