Brazil's Borges says World Cup hat-trick 'beyond wildest dreams'

ADELAIDE, Australia -- Ary Borges called it beyond her wildest dreams after hitting the first hat-trick of this Women's World Cup as Brazil crushed Panama 4-0 in a scintillating start to their campaign on Monday.

Far tougher challenges lie ahead -- the team faces France next -- but this was an impressive start for a Brazil side who have featured at all eight previous Women's World Cups but never won it.

The stylish victory in Adelaide sent Brazil top of Group F after Jamaica surprisingly held France 0-0 on Sunday.

The 23-year-old attacking midfielder Borges, who plays for Racing Louisville in the United States, was the undoubted star of the show, scoring three goals and setting up the other.

"Today is one of the happiest days of my life," she said. "I could not have imagined this in my wildest dreams.

"Just being here was special... it was very special to get a hat-trick in my first game at a World Cup.

"The day was full of emotions, I was emotional even beforehand," added Borges, who covered her face with her hands after her first goal and appeared to break down in tears.

"I don't think the pin has dropped yet," she said.

A constant threat coming in off the right, Borges pounced twice from close range in the first half to leave Brazil in total control at the break and Panama never looked like getting back in it.

- 'Typical Brazil goal' -

Some of the Panama players and fans were in tears during their national anthem, underlining what it means to them to be at the World Cup for the first time.

But this was a debut they will probably want to forget as Swedish coach Pia Sundhage's Brazil put on an exhibition of flowing, attacking football.

They racked up five attempts on goal in the opening 10 minutes and the pressure told in the 19th minute when Borges nodded in unmarked at the back post for a simple close-range header.

Six minutes before the break she scored her second. Panama goalkeeper Yenith Bailey saved her initial downward header but the rebound went right back to Borges and she slammed the ball into the net.

Any hope Panama had of getting back into the match was extinguished only three minutes into the second half and it was the best goal of the tournament so far.

A fluid team move took the ball to the ever-dangerous Borges, who rolled the ball behind her with her studs, allowing Bia Zaneratto to fire into the back of the net.

Borges put the seal on a hugely impressive personal and team performance by nodding in her third -- and Brazil's fourth -- 20 minutes from time, the ball flying through the middle of Bailey's legs.

The 37-year-old forward Marta, arguably the greatest women's footballer of all time, came off the bench for Brazil in the closing stages but will have to wait a while longer if she is to become the first player to score at six World Cups.

Sundhage was particularly pleased with the third goal, calling it a "typical Brazilian goal".

"The third goal was beautiful," said the coach.

"It was not one we taught them because this is a typical Brazilian goal, where it's so much emotion and so unpredictable."

Agence France-Presse

Football: Mewis named U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year

Midfielder Samantha Mewis has been named the 2020 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year, capping a year in which she excelled for clubs in the U.S. and England, in addition to the U.S. National Team.

Mewis, 28, played in eight of the nine games for the U.S. National Team, starting six and scoring four goals, all coming at the 2020 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying tournament, where she posted consecutive two-goal games against Costa Rica and Mexico.

She also played well in the NWSL Challenge Cup for the North Carolina Courage before moving to England, where she joined Manchester City in August. 

She played 17 matches for Manchester City and scored six goals -- three in the FA Women's Super League, two in the FA Cup and one in the Champions League.

Mewis helped lead Manchester City to a 3-1 win over Everton to claim the FA Cup, becoming just the second American woman -- and third American -- to score in an FA Cup final, joining Carli Lloyd (2017) and Christian Pulisic (2020).

"It's obviously a huge honor to be a part of the list of players that have won this award in the past," Mewis, the 17th member of the U.S. National Team to win the honor, said in a statement.

"It should go without saying that it's the team that does the work on the field and I just have so much respect for the other nominees this year and all my teammates."

-reuters-

Football: Courage take second consecutive NWSL title with 4-0 win

CARY, North Carolina - North Carolina Courage won their second successive NWSL championship on Sunday with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over the Chicago Red Stars in front of a sell-out home crowd in Cary.

The home side, who were the best team in the regular season and topped the standings five points clear of second-placed Chicago, coped best with the heat and humidity in front of 10,227 fans at Sahlen’s stadium.

"It was a hotter today than we expected and we needed to share the load and you know we had four different goal scorers," said Crystal Dunn, who scored Courage's third. "I always said this team is so hard to beat because who are you going to stop on our team?"

"We got up on them early and I think that really helped us in the end."

Brazilian midfielder Debinha gave the Courage the perfect start when she fired home after four minutes before striker Jessica McDonald doubled their lead with a header 22 minutes later.

Dunn completed a dominant first half when she battled her way through the Chicago defence to score the third on the stroke of halftime.

Samantha Mewis completed the rout with a header after 61 minutes.

The team from Cary became the second club in NWSL history to win back-to-back titles and the first to win the league in front of their own fans.

"It is a final and we are playing against a top team this year and we obviously did not think the score would be four-zero," Dunn said. "So we are really proud of our effort."

Debinha, who had been controversially left off of the NWSL's best XI lists, was named the MVP of the season. 

(Reporting by Andrew Downie, Editing by Christian Radnedge and Ed Osmond)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

US women footballers' equal pay lawsuit to go to trial in 2020

LOS ANGELES -- The equal pay lawsuit filed by US women footballers against the US Soccer Federation has been scheduled to go to trial on May 5, 2020, the players' spokesperson said Monday.

The gender discrimination lawsuit regarding unequal pay and working conditions was filed on March 8 by 28 players, and Monday's trial date, set by US District Judge R. Gary Klausner in Los Angeles, comes a week after the players and the federation reached an impasse in mediation.

"We are pleased with the expeditious schedule that has been set by the Court and we are eager to move forward with this case," Molly Levinson, a spokesperson for the US women players, said in a statement. "We very much look forward to the trial in May 2020 when the players will have their day in court.

"We have every confidence that these world champion athletes will get what they legally deserve -— nothing less than equal pay and working conditions."

The May date will put the jury trial amid the team's build up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, although it remains possible a settlement could be reached before then.

The issue was center stage as the United States triumphed in the Women's World Cup in France in July, chants of "equal Pay" raining down on the champions after they defeated the Netherlands in the final.

US lawmakers have proposed legislation that would block federal funding for the 2026 Men's World Cup -- to be hosted jointly by the United States, Mexico and Canada -- until the federation pays its women's national team "fair and equitable wages".

A US Soccer spokesman said the federation was "continuing to work to find a resolution" to the dispute.

Federation president Carlos Cordeiro issued figures last month that he said showed US Soccer had compensated women more than men over the past decade, but the women players said the figures were misleading, noting they included salaries for National Women's Soccer League play.

source: news.abs-cbn.com