(CMR) Jamaica celebrated Saturday after it won its first Women's World Cup match ever after they defeated Panama 1-0. Defender Allyson Swaby scored the winning goal in the 56th minute.
With its historic win, No. 43-ranked Jamaica now sits atop the Group F standings with No. 5 France, according to AP. The Reggae Girlz are a step closer to advancing to the knockout round after losing all their group-stage games on World Cup debut in 2019. They need only a draw against No. 8 Brazil in their last group game to advance, although a loss would likely eliminate them from the tournament.
As remarkable as Jamaica’s appearance in the knockout round would be, Brazil’s absence would be even more shocking. The Brazilians opened with a 4-0 win over Panama but lost 2-1 earlier Saturday to France. Panama has no chance of advancing to the knockout round after consecutive losses but is promising to take France to the limit in its last group game.
The Reggae Girlz were without captain and leading scorer Khadija Shaw, who received a red card in second-half stoppage time of the team’s opening 0-0 draw against France.
Shaw will be back in the lineup to face Brazil on Wednesday. Panama plays France in Sydney the same day.
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