Saturday’s action featured two of the world’s top three nations in FIFA’s women’s rankings and plenty of memorable moments. Here is a recap of the three matches from Day 10 of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Sweden and Italy kicked off Saturday’s action before France played Brazil, and Jamaice took on Panama to complete Saturday’s proceedings.
Ruthless Sweden secure a spot in the knockout stages with a thumping victory over Italy
Off the back of an exceptional first half, Sweden went on to smash Italy 5-0 at the Wellington Regional Stadium.
Defender Amanda Ilestedt produced a five-star performance for the Swedes, scoring off a corner in the 39th and 50th minute and picking up a clean sheet.
Fridolina Rolfo also hit the back of the net via a corner before Stina Blackstenius (45+1 minute) and super-sub Rebecka Blomqvist (90+5 minute) scored to round out the 5-0 thrashing.
Due to their massive win, Sweden rose to the top of Group G with six points, while Italy fell to third with three points.
Renard’s late winner earns France a thrilling win over Brazil
French defender Wendie Renard’s 82nd-minute goal was enough to secure a 2-1 triumph over Brazil at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
After a promising start to the game, Eugenie Le Sommer opened the scoring for France with an opportunistic header in the 17th minute.
Despite France heading into the second half with a 1-0 lead, Brazil levelled the game 1-1 in the 58th minute thanks to Debinha’s strike from close range.
With the teams deadlocked going into the final 10 minutes of the game, Renard produced some late-match heroics when she met a corner with a measured header to score and give France a famous 2-1 victory.
France sits on top of Group F with four points following their win, but Brazil drops to third with three points.
Persistent Jamaica overcome Panama to keep its unbeaten run alive
Although they narrowly missed many chances in the first half, Jamaica produced the goal they were looking for and defeated Panama 1-0 at HBF Park in Perth.
Leading from the front, Jamaican captain Allyson Swaby scored off a well-placed corner to give her side a 1-0 advantage in the 56th minute.
In a final attempt to rescue a point from the match, Panama’s captain Marta Cox unleashed a looping overhead shot from beyond the 18-yard box but could not beat Jamaican goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer.
After the 1-0 victory, Jamaica climbs to second place on four points in Group F, while Panama remains fourth without a point.
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