At the final whistle, goalkeeper Vanina Correa fell to her knees as her teammates embraced each other. Though they had not won, they had created history.
The scoreline would suggest that the goalless draw between Japan and Argentina was a dull stalemate, but that would not do justice to what Argentina achieved on a balmy Parisian evening in the Parc de Princes.
Argentina had lost all six of its previous World Cup games by an aggregate score of 33-2. Indeed, the underdogs were playing a Japan side ranked seventh in the world, 30 places above Argentina in FIFA's rankings.
An indefatigable spirit -- and Japan's bluntness in attack -- ensured that the South Americans came away from a Women's World Cup match with a point for the first time in their history.
Argentina's players celebrate securing their first ever point in Women's World Cup history
"First off, I congratulate my players," said coach Carlos Borrello. "The fact they see through your game plan makes you, as a coach, very satisfied. For all of female football in Argentina, I think it's great that Argentina is starting to flourish.
"We have started getting support now from the federation. Results in these situations often help a lot. It's going to allow us to continue to go down this great path we're going down."
The team played no games in 2016 and the majority of 2017 due to a lack of funding, but returned to action in last year's Copa America Femenina. Qualification for the World Cup -- Argentina's first since 2007 -- came via a playoff victory against Panama.
Historic result
Comfortable in possession, Japan dominated midfield but it wasn't until the second half that Argentina's defense was truly troubled.
For all of Japan's neat passes and Estefania Banini's flashes of brilliance during Argentina's rare forays into the opposition half, neither side managed a shot on target in the first 45 minutes.
There were cries of "Argentina, Argentina" from pockets of the 25,055 fans in the Parc des Princes, and decibels rose every time the Argentines entered opposition territory, but Argentina -- competing in a Women's World Cup for only the third time -- never looked like taking the three points.
A draw, however, was surprise enough.
The other game in Group D took place on Sunday, with England taking top spot after defeating Scotland 2-1 in Nice.
![[Pics] How Nike Lost Stephen Curry With Just One Word](https://images.outbrainimg.com/transform/v3/eyJpdSI6IjQ4YTI0OTZmZDgyYTIxMWJjMTYwZTY2YjE4OWFmYjM1MzJkNzhjYjBlNTdlMzk4NDFiN2U4MGFiNGRkYmRjNDciLCJ3Ijo1MDAsImgiOjMwMCwiZCI6MS4wLCJjcyI6MCwiZiI6MH0.jpg "[Pics] How Nike Lost Stephen Curry With Just One Word")
No comments:
Post a Comment