Spain celebrate winning the Fifa women's World Cup. Michael Burgess rates the victors as the tournament's standout team by a long shot. Photo / Getty Images
Spain celebrate winning the Fifa women's World Cup. Michael Burgess rates the victors as the tournament's standout team by a long shot. Photo / Getty Images
After a five-week festival, Michael Burgess looks back on the hits and misses of the 2023 Fifa World Cup.
Best match: The final. That’s an unusual scenario, as often deciders are tepid, cagey affairs, but this one had everything. Both teams hit the woodwork, there was a missed penalty, aglorious goal, numerous other opportunities, plenty of sublime football (albeit mostly from Spain) and drama right through the 13 minutes of added time, along with the right result. It was perfectly scripted. Special mention to the Japan versus Sweden quarter-final at Eden Park and the engrossing group match between the USA and the Netherlands in Wellington.
Best team: Unquestionably Spain. They beat four European sides in the knockout stages, defying constant predictions of an implosion over internal tensions. Scored a tournament-high 18 goals, including some absolute beauties and played sumptuous football. Bonus points for spending three weeks in Palmerston North.
Best emerging team: Colombia. Beat world No 2 Germany with some joyous goals and came close to upsetting England in the quarter-final, in a coming of age for Las Cafeteras.
Best goal: Not easy to narrow down, as plenty of contenders among the 164 goals. Linda Caicedo’s wondrous strike against Germany deserves a mention, as does just about every one of Hinata Miyazawa’s delicious arsenal for Japan. Olga Carmona notched a brilliant late winner in the semifinal, then topped that with her decisive goal in the final.
But Sam Kerr’s incredible solo effort against England will live longest in the memory, a moment that stopped a nation, even if England’s reply came far too soon. With the odds against her – given the distance from goal and the presence of multiple defenders – Kerr’s ability to create the opportunity, then execute it with incredible technique – will never be forgotten.
Sam Kerr scores a worldie against England. Photo / Getty Images
Best player: Aitana Bonmati. Could do it all – and usually did. The heartbeat of the Spanish midfield, she also chipped in with three goals and just shaded her teammate Jennifer Hermoso. For Australia, Mary Fowler wasn’t far behind, with a confidence and assurance beyond her years, shown by the 107km/h penalty against France.
Best Ferns player: Jacqui Hand. Shone like a beacon in the New Zealand side, upstaging many of her more experienced colleagues.
Jacqui Hand thought she had equalised against the Philippines. Photo / Photosport
Best moment: From a New Zealand perspective, the final whistle – after 11 minutes of added time – at the opening game. That performance against Norway lit the spark that burned throughout the entire event, such was the reaction across the country. For the tournament, the series of record crowds at Eden Park, which showed the sport had truly arrived in our rugby-mad nation.
Worst moment: The VAR verdict that cancelled out Jacqui Hand’s goal against the Philippines, bringing an end to joyous celebrations in Wellington. The subsequent 1-0 loss to 46th ranked team came with an uneasy feeling. The Herald predicted at the time that it was the end of the road, though it was no satisfaction to be proven right with the frustrating 0-0 stalemate with Switzerland in Dunedin.
Biggest surprise: The early exit of Germany. Losing to Colombia was one thing but failing to beat South Korea doubled down on the shock. Surely the only team in tournament history to miss the second round after starting with a 6-0 win. Off the field, the attendances, especially in this country.
Biggest flop: Megan Rapinoe. In three substitute appearances, Rapinoe’s best moment was one dangerous cross delivered against Portugal. Aside from that there were miscues, shots blazed over and passes falling short. A strange fall from grace for a media darling and former world player of the year. Fellow high-profile teammate Alex Morgan also had a wobbly tournament, epitomised by her nervous penalty miss against Vietnam in their opening game.
Megan Rapinoe of USA reacts after missing her team's fourth penalty in the penalty shootout between Sweden and USA at Melbourne.
Unluckiest team: While the Matildas grabbed the headlines, it was hard not to feel sorry for France after that epic quarter-final in Brisbane. They were the better team across the 120 minutes – without taking their chances – then spurned several opportunities in the subsequent penalty shootout.
Best atmosphere: The toughest category, with so many phenomenal crowds. The constant noise and cheers for the Ferns’ finale in Dunedin was special, amplified by the roof. The final 30 minutes of the quarter-final between Japan and Sweden was also incredible, as the entire crowd seemed to ride every Japanese attempt while the USA and Vietnam contingents created a great feeling in their match. But nothing topped the fervour on display for the opening game, when Kiwis, even just for a night, turned into tribal football fans.
Award for perseverance: Winter hit with a vengeance for the final night of group matches in this country, which included Argentina’s clash with Sweden in Hamilton. The polar blast brought rain and an icy wind to Waikato Stadium but that didn’t deter a massed group of South American support on the terraces, who continued with their inimitable chants and songs until the final whistle.
Best fans: The predicted USA invasion didn’t disappoint, as the thousands of supporters draped in Stars and Stripes were loud, colourful and fun. The expatriate support for the Philippines in Auckland was amazing, as was the Vietnamese contingent.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino. Photo / Photosport
The ‘Don’t you know who I am’ award: Fifa president Gianni Infantino, whose request for a police escort was turned down by the local authorities.
The ‘nothing to see here’ award: Eden Park’s glacial slow response to the fire alarm during the USA versus Portugal match, as the messages to evacuate were replayed over the public address speakers for almost five minutes, with no clarification. It left the 40,000-strong crowd confused and a little stressed, especially as the game continued and the incident was picked up by international media. The Herald later revealed it was caused by a (very expensive) burnt sausage.
‘Overhyped and over here’ award: The USA brought back memories of Corey Hart’s 1983 hit ‘Sunglasses at night’, as they stepped out of their team bus in suits and dark shades, even for evening games. It was a sign, however subtle, that heads were not in the right space.
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.
