|
 Women's
football celebrated its true coming of age in November of
1991 when the Women's World Championship was brought to life
on the ambitious initiative of Dr. João Havelange, FIFA
President at that time.
The first
competition kicked off in the People’s Republic of China to
large and enthusiastic crowds. With twelve nations
competing, it proved to be a resounding success.
In keeping
with the true spirit of the celebration, six female referees
or assistant referees were appointed among match officials
for the first time in FIFA history. Claudia de Vasconcelos
of Brazil, the referee for the 3rd-place match, became the
first woman to officiate at this level for FIFA.
 The
American team, led by a dominating forward line dubbed “The
Triple-Edged Sword” by the Chinese media, tore through the
tournament to win the first-ever world championship for
women’s football.
Michelle
Akers, Carin Jennings and April Heinrichs combined to score
20 of the 25 goals for the U.S., including all five
(Jennings 3, Heinrichs 2) in a 5-2 semifinal victory over
Germany and both goals (Akers) in a 2-0 win over Norway to
win the title.
In Group A,
Norway rebounded from a stunning 4-0 loss to host China in
its opening match to advance all the way to the Women’s
World Cup Final, sneaking past Italy in overtime of the
quarterfinals, before crushing Sweden in the semifinals,
4-1, on two goals by Linda Medalen. China had the opposite
fortune, drawing Denmark, 2-2, in group play before going
out in the quarterfinals to Sweden, 1-0, in one of the most
disappointing results in their history.
 Group B was dominated by the
United States. The USA built a 3-0 lead over Sweden before
holding on for the 3-2 victory to open group play. A 5-0
victory over Brazil and a 3-0 win over Japan set the stage
for a dominating series of results in the knockout rounds.
The Americans
crushed the Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals, 7-0, on
five goals from Akers, before Jenning’s hat trick dispatched
Germany in the semifinals, 5-2. Sweden picked up two wins in
Group B play and defeated China in the quarterfinals for a
historic win on a third-minute goal from Pia Sundhage, but
got steam-rolled by Norway in the semifinals.
In Group C,
Germany routed Nigeria, 4-0 then defeated Chinese Taipei,
3-0. The Germans then defeated Italy, 2-0, to earn first
place in the Group. It took Germany overtime to defeat
Denmark in the quarterfinals, before falling to the
Americans in the semifinals.
The final
match was the perfect finish for the inaugural tournament.
The Americans claimed the first-ever Women’s World Cup title
over Norway, 2-1, before a crowd of 65,000 at Guangzhou’s
Tianhe Stadium.
The match
seemed destined for overtime, until Akers scored the winning
goal in the waning minutes. With three minutes remaining,
Akers pounced on an errant back pass from Norway’s Tina
Svensson to goalie Reidun Seth. Akers touched the ball past
Seth and slotted a right-footed shot into the untended goal,
giving U.S. Soccer their first world championship of any
kind.
Of those last
few minutes, U.S. coach Anson Dorrance later said, "I felt
like I was creating diamonds in my lower intestines from the
pressure."
|
Group A |
G |
W |
L |
D |
GD |
PTS |
|
x-China PR |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
7 |
7 |
|
x-Norway |
2 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
|
Denmark |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
|
New Zealand |
4 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
-10 |
0 |
| |
|
Group B |
G |
W |
L |
D |
GD |
PTS |
| x-United
States |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
9 |
9 |
|
x-Sweden |
2 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
9 |
6 |
|
Brazil |
3 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
-6 |
3 |
|
Japan |
4 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
-12 |
0 |
| |
|
Group C |
G |
W |
L |
D |
GD |
PTS |
|
x-Germany |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
9 |
9 |
|
x-Italy |
2 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
6 |
|
Chinese Taipei |
3 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
-6 |
3 |
|
Nigeria |
4 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
-7 |
0 |
|
|
