[Women’s World Cup] South Africa beat Italy in dramatic round of 16 to eliminate Brazil

SEOUL, South Korea (Yonhap) By Ahn Hong-seok and Seol Ha-eun Reporters = South Africa scored a “theater goal” in second-half stoppage time to 스포츠토토존 beat Italy in dramatic fashion and punch their ticket to the round of 16 at the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Women’s World Cup Australia-New Zealand 2023.South Africa, ranked 54th in the FIFA rankings, came from behind to beat 16th-ranked Italy 3-2 in the third match of Group G at the tournament at Regional Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand, on Sunday. The Springboks, who qualified for the knockout stages of the 2019 tournament for the first time, went winless in their three matches in the group stage, losing 1-2 to Sweden in the first match of Group G before drawing 2-2 with Argentina in the second match. In the other Group G match at the same time, Sweden held off Argentina, and South Africa, with four points, pushed Italy (three points) to third place in Group G and dramatically advanced to the round of 16.Meanwhile, Italy, who reached the quarterfinals of the 2019 tournament, needed only a draw to advance to the round of 16, but conceded an own goal and then a “theater goal” in second-half stoppage time to crash out of the group. The Azzurri took the lead in the 11th minute on a penalty kick by Arianna Caruso, but conceded an own goal in the 32nd minute .Italian defender Benedetta Orsi tried to play a backpass to the goalkeeper in the face of South Africa’s forward pressure, but the signaling was off, and by the time the goalkeeper reacted, the ball had already found its way into the corner of the net. South Africa, who needed to beat Italy to progress from the group stage, pressured the Italians for much of the second half before pulling a goal back. In the 22nd minute, South Africa’s Hilda Magaia broke through the defense and finished with a non-stop left-footed shot from the left penalty area .Italy didn’t go down without a fight .In the 29th minute, Munjeon Caruso equalized with a header from a corner kick on the left side. Both teams pounded each other’s goalposts with scoring chances before South Africa ended the seesaw game in stoppage time with a dramatic goal from Tembi Katlana. In the other Group G match at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton, New Zealand, FIFA No. 3 Sweden defeated FIFA No. 28 Argentina 2-0.The Swedes, who had already punched their ticket to the Round of 16, clinched first place in Group G with three points. Argentina (1 point) finished fourth in Group G, ending their World Cup run early. Sweden took the lead in the second half when Rebecca Blomkvist scored from a corner in the 21st minute, and Elin Rubensson converted a penalty kick in the 45th minute. Sweden will meet Group E runner-up USA and South Africa will meet Group E leader Netherlands in the round of 16.The winner of the Sweden-USA match will play the winner of Japan-Norway in the quarterfinals .In Group F, Jamaica drew 0-0 with Brazil, the 2007 China Games runner-up, to advance to the round of 16 as the group’s second-place finisher behind France (7-2 wins, 1 draw).After a 0-0 draw with France in the first leg and a 1-0 win over Panama in the second leg, the Jamaicans improved to five points (one win, two draws) with the draw, pushing Brazil to third place with four points (one win, one draw, one loss).Jamaica, who qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 2019, reached the round of 16 for the first time in their history after being eliminated in the group stage .The Jamaicans will face the winner of Group H in the round of 16.Eighth-ranked Brazil hung its head in shame as it crashed out of the group stage for the first time in 28 years since the 1995 tournament in Sweden. Jamaica is ranked 43rd.In her sixth World Cup, women’s soccer’s “living legend,” Marta, 37, started for the first time in the tournament and led Brazil’s attack until the 36th minute, when she faced the brutal reality of a first-ever group stage exit .As the final whistle blew, Marta stared bloodshot-eyed at the ground for a moment before walking over to the Jamaican players and smilingly congratulating them. Brazil led 17-4 in shots and 8-0 in shots on goal, but couldn’t break through Jamaica’s tenacious defense. The shadow of defeat loomed large as Devinha’s attempted header sailed into the arms of the goalkeeper in the chaos of second-half stoppage time .France finished first in Group F with a 6-3 win over Panama .The French were held to a 0-0 draw by Jamaica in the first round, but bounced back with a 2-1 win over Brazil in the second round .Reaching the round of 16 for the fourth consecutive time, France 스포츠토토 will face the second-place finisher in Group H for a spot in the quarterfinals .Kadidiatou Diani exploded for a hat trick, including two penalty kicks, to lead the way for France.

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