Australia and New Zealand women’s World Cup qualifiers They begin this Saturday after a group stage full of surprises and notable performances by some athletes. The AFP selects five players who have shone with their own light so far in the tournament: –
Beautiful
Linda Caicedo
The 18-year-old striker for Real Madrid demonstrated to a global audience the talent she had already displayed in youth categories. She scored in her debut in an absolute World Cup against South Korea, with the help of the shaky hand of the rival goalkeeper, and scored again in Colombia’s well-known victory against Germany (2-1). That was one of the goals of the tournament so far.
Caicedo received the ball inside the German area, caracoleted between two defenders and, with hardly any angle, placed the ball to the opposite side of the goal. The teenager, diagnosed with cancer at the age of 15 from which she has recovered, has also generated attention for medical reasons. In a training session she dropped to the ground placing her hand on her chest. And in the match against Germany she also seemed to have a hard time breathing. Even so, medical tests show no problem.
Lauren James
The 21-year-old forward enjoyed her first World Cup start in England’s second match and needed just six minutes to score the decisive goal against Denmark (1-0). The Chelsea player played a starring role in the thrashing against China (6-1), scoring two goals and serving three more. Sister of the English international defender Reece James, Lauren she said before the World Cup that she wanted to make people talk for reasons other than her relationship. And it can be said that she has succeeded in spades.
“She’s special, a very special player for us and for women’s soccer in general,” said teammate Chloe Kelly.
Chiamaka Nnadozie (NGR)
To advance to the next round, James will have to deal with another of the outstanding players of this World Cup, the Nigerian goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, a real wall in this tournament. The 22-year-old goalkeeper for Paris FC saved legendary Canadian striker Christine Sinclair’s penalty to secure a vital point in her debut against the Olympic champions (0-0).
He also kept a clean sheet in the draw against Ireland that secured Nigeria’s place in the qualifiers. “She’s so talented,” her coach in Paris, Sandrine Soubeyrand, told ESPN. “It’s one of the main reasons why we finished third in the league last season and qualified for the Champions League,” she added.
Hinata Miyazawa (JPN)
Japan ended the group stage with three victories and a balance of eleven goals for and zero against. Miyazawa has been fundamental in this success, with four goals that equal her as the top scorer of the tournament with the German Alexandra Popp, already eliminated.
Two of the goals were in the match against Spain (4-0), in which he also provided an assist. The 23-year-old attacking midfielder could have added to her scoring tally, but coach Futoshi Ikeda substituted her at halftime to rest her ahead of the round of 16 against Norway.
“I never imagined it. All the goals are because the other players give me good passes. So it’s everyone’s goal, not just mine,” said the protagonist after the victory against Spain.
Amanda Ilestedt (SWE)
Few would have bet on the Arsenal player before the tournament, especially as a goalscorer. But the 30-year-old defense is among the leading scorers with three goals in three games, all of them coming from corner kicks.
Scandinavian coach Peter Gerhardsson wasn’t kidding when he said he could win the tournament’s Golden Boot. “Maybe I didn’t expect three goals, but I know it’s one of my strengths and it’s something we worked on a lot in training,” said the former Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich player.
In the Round of 16, the Swedes face the defending champions USA on Sunday, who are already warned that sometimes the best attack comes from a good defense.
AFP
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