Denno rides in solo on this one with a sneak peak on the excitement that has been the #FIFAWWC๐ .
From the fantastic surprises in the group stages that saw giants slain by "minnows". Canada, Brazil and Germany were among the heavyweights to be sent home packing early in the tournament with the trio failing to get to the knockouts for the 1st time in their histories to the benefit of Jamaica, Colombia, #BanyanaBanyana and Morocco (feeding off the hype set by their men counterparts in Qatar.) The Atlas Lionesses became the 1st Arab nation to participate in the world cup, as well as reaching the knockouts and fielding the 1st hijab wearing footballer. ๐ซถ๐พ๐ซถ๐พ
Onto the just concluded R016 encounters, the 1st of the ties saw a brutal Spanish onslaught mounted on the Swiss with Barcelona's Bonmati dazzling in a 5-1 win with Spain scoring all the goals as a rampant Japanese side easily dispatched Norway 3-1, who themselves have been poor by their lofty standards continuing from where they left off in last summer's Euros. The second day saw 2019 finalist Netherlands knock off South Africa as we were provided a blockbuster tie between Sweden and The US, which saw the reigning 4 time champions, USWNT, sent home via penalties with virtually the last kick deciding the match, the ball crossed the goal line with barely a millimeter ๐ฌ๐ฌ in a game that saw lively Musovic, make the most saves (11) by an individual man or woman in a single game. ๐ฎโ๐จ๐ฎโ๐จ Elsewhere co-hosts Matildas saw off Denmark with a 2-0 win and a 1-0 win was enough for Colombia to get past the Reggae Girlz. Nigeria was denied a 2nd quarter final appearance by a stubborn English side. The European champions had to see through 40mins with 10 women after star forward Lauren James saw red. France would later see off Morocco ending their fairy tale journey hammering them 4-0 thanks to a Diani masterclass.
The Quarter finals promises another hard hitting affair as European heavy weights, former champions and the experienced sides go head to head. What a summer! It's been Beyond Greatness, no lie ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ