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| Women’s World Cup: our awards of the tournament | Women’s World Cup: our awards of the tournament |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Team of the tournament (4-2-3-1) | Team of the tournament (4-2-3-1) |
| Hope Solo (USA); Lucy Bronze (England), Julie Johnston (USA) Kadeisha Buchanan (Canada), Claire Rafferty (England); Amandine Henry (France), Aya Miama (Japan); Jill Scott (England), Lady Andrade (Colombia), Nahomi Kawasumi (Japan); Eugénie Le Sommer (France) | Hope Solo (USA); Lucy Bronze (England), Julie Johnston (USA) Kadeisha Buchanan (Canada), Claire Rafferty (England); Amandine Henry (France), Aya Miama (Japan); Jill Scott (England), Lady Andrade (Colombia), Nahomi Kawasumi (Japan); Eugénie Le Sommer (France) |
| Best performance | Best performance |
| USA v Japan in the final. There were many good games but to perform at your absolute best in the most important is something special. Some teams freeze at the biggest stage, Jill Scott’s didn’t. They were superb, beating the reigning champions, Japan, 5-2. | USA v Japan in the final. There were many good games but to perform at your absolute best in the most important is something special. Some teams freeze at the biggest stage, Jill Scott’s didn’t. They were superb, beating the reigning champions, Japan, 5-2. |
| Best match (I saw live) | Best match (I saw live) |
| England v Canada quarter-final BC Place, Vancouver. In terms of speed, tempo, skill and sheer unpredictability, the best match was the technically superior quarter-final in which Germany beat a desperately unlucky France in a penalty shootout. | England v Canada quarter-final BC Place, Vancouver. In terms of speed, tempo, skill and sheer unpredictability, the best match was the technically superior quarter-final in which Germany beat a desperately unlucky France in a penalty shootout. |
| But, and it is a big but, there was nothing to beat the sound of 54,000 fans packing Vancouver’s BC place a long goal kick from the Pacific to cheer Canada on. The wall of noise when Christine Sinclair scored to reduce the deficit to 2-1 must surely have been heard in the United States. The atmosphere was incredible and offered proof that women’s football can provide some of the most memorable big occasions. England swiftly took a two-goal lead through Jodie Taylor and Lucy Bronze but after that it took an amalgam of the Lionesses’s sheer determination and Mark Sampson’s clever tactics to hold Canada off. | But, and it is a big but, there was nothing to beat the sound of 54,000 fans packing Vancouver’s BC place a long goal kick from the Pacific to cheer Canada on. The wall of noise when Christine Sinclair scored to reduce the deficit to 2-1 must surely have been heard in the United States. The atmosphere was incredible and offered proof that women’s football can provide some of the most memorable big occasions. England swiftly took a two-goal lead through Jodie Taylor and Lucy Bronze but after that it took an amalgam of the Lionesses’s sheer determination and Mark Sampson’s clever tactics to hold Canada off. |
| Best Goal: Mizuho Sakaguchi (for Japan against Holland) | Best Goal: Mizuho Sakaguchi (for Japan against Holland) |
| Following a compelling preamble featuring intricate passing, a cute backheel and a clever dummy from team-mates, Mizuho Sakaguchi showed off seamless, adhesive control before curving the ball into the top corner with her left foot from the edge of the area. | Following a compelling preamble featuring intricate passing, a cute backheel and a clever dummy from team-mates, Mizuho Sakaguchi showed off seamless, adhesive control before curving the ball into the top corner with her left foot from the edge of the area. |
| Best player: Kadeisha Buchanan (Canada) | Best player: Kadeisha Buchanan (Canada) |
| It’s impossible to pick a winner from the obvious suspects – Carli Lloyd, Amandine Henry, Aya Miama, Hope Solo et al – so I’m going for Canada’s 19-year-old central defender Kadeisha Buchanan. Watching her composure and assurance on the ball it was impossible to credit she is so young. The baby of seven sisters brought up by a single mother, much of Buchanan’s play belonged on a different planet to several team-mates. Her vision and reading of the game is so exceptional it will be intriguing to see if she ends up being relocated to central midfield. A Canada side struggling to score goals would have struggled to make the quarter-finals without her. John Herdman, their English coach, dubs her the “Christine Sinclair of my defence.” Praise does not come higher than that. | It’s impossible to pick a winner from the obvious suspects – Carli Lloyd, Amandine Henry, Aya Miama, Hope Solo et al – so I’m going for Canada’s 19-year-old central defender Kadeisha Buchanan. Watching her composure and assurance on the ball it was impossible to credit she is so young. The baby of seven sisters brought up by a single mother, much of Buchanan’s play belonged on a different planet to several team-mates. Her vision and reading of the game is so exceptional it will be intriguing to see if she ends up being relocated to central midfield. A Canada side struggling to score goals would have struggled to make the quarter-finals without her. John Herdman, their English coach, dubs her the “Christine Sinclair of my defence.” Praise does not come higher than that. |
| Coach: Mark Sampson (England) | Coach: Mark Sampson (England) |
| The 32-year-old Welshman could not quite end “49 years of hurt” but he guided England to their first Women’s World Cup semi-final. It was also the first time an England side of either gender had got to the final four of a World Cup since 1990. | The 32-year-old Welshman could not quite end “49 years of hurt” but he guided England to their first Women’s World Cup semi-final. It was also the first time an England side of either gender had got to the final four of a World Cup since 1990. |
| There is legitimate cause for concern regarding the shortage of female coaches at Canada 2015 but Sampson deserves immense credit for camouflaging his team’s limitations with some extremely clever, seriously streetwise tactics. A coach who really does his homework also helped create an extraordinarily strong camaraderie among the Lionesses. | There is legitimate cause for concern regarding the shortage of female coaches at Canada 2015 but Sampson deserves immense credit for camouflaging his team’s limitations with some extremely clever, seriously streetwise tactics. A coach who really does his homework also helped create an extraordinarily strong camaraderie among the Lionesses. |
| Best hat-trick: Carli Lloyd | Best hat-trick: Carli Lloyd |
| It was fast, it was furious – and it was in the final. Lloyd scored in every knockout game and got six at the finals altogether. No wonder someone changed her playing position on Wikipedia to read: “President of the United States.” | It was fast, it was furious – and it was in the final. Lloyd scored in every knockout game and got six at the finals altogether. No wonder someone changed her playing position on Wikipedia to read: “President of the United States.” |
| Best referee: Carol Anne Chenard (Canada) | Best referee: Carol Anne Chenard (Canada) |
| A welcome exception to some poor officiating. Refereeing needs to improve significantly before the next World Cup in France in 2019. Too many games have been blemished by baffling, blatantly incorrect decisions. The women’s game is evolving fast and it seems the officials are struggling to advance at similar pace. | A welcome exception to some poor officiating. Refereeing needs to improve significantly before the next World Cup in France in 2019. Too many games have been blemished by baffling, blatantly incorrect decisions. The women’s game is evolving fast and it seems the officials are struggling to advance at similar pace. |
| Friendliest Venue: Moncton | Friendliest Venue: Moncton |
| Vancouver was more beautiful, Montreal more chic, Ottawa more interesting and Edmonton – well Edmonton had more tall buildings – but Moncton in New Brunswick was the most charming venue of Canada 2015. Virtually everyone, everywhere, was friendly but in Moncton people are super friendly. If drivers see you hesitating on the pavement (sorry, sidewalk) and think you might want to cross the road, they stop for you. It also had by far the best newspaper of any read at breakfast in the five cities I visited – so hats off to the Times and Transcript. | Vancouver was more beautiful, Montreal more chic, Ottawa more interesting and Edmonton – well Edmonton had more tall buildings – but Moncton in New Brunswick was the most charming venue of Canada 2015. Virtually everyone, everywhere, was friendly but in Moncton people are super friendly. If drivers see you hesitating on the pavement (sorry, sidewalk) and think you might want to cross the road, they stop for you. It also had by far the best newspaper of any read at breakfast in the five cities I visited – so hats off to the Times and Transcript. |
| Best quote: England’s Lucy Bronze | Best quote: England’s Lucy Bronze |
| Bronze issued Julie-Stewart Binks, a Fox sports reporter, with a reminder of the established order of things in the Commonwealth ahead of the quarter-final with Canada “The Queen’s on the [Canadian] coin for a reason,” said England’s right-back. | Bronze issued Julie-Stewart Binks, a Fox sports reporter, with a reminder of the established order of things in the Commonwealth ahead of the quarter-final with Canada “The Queen’s on the [Canadian] coin for a reason,” said England’s right-back. |
| Best cliche upgrade | Best cliche upgrade |
| Mark Sampson’s catchphrase was “We’re in a good place” but it upgraded to “We’re in a great place” by the semi-final. English journalists talked about having special T-shirts printed with the slogan “We’re in a good place” in order to wear them at his triumphant post-match conference, but it wasn’t to be. | Mark Sampson’s catchphrase was “We’re in a good place” but it upgraded to “We’re in a great place” by the semi-final. English journalists talked about having special T-shirts printed with the slogan “We’re in a good place” in order to wear them at his triumphant post-match conference, but it wasn’t to be. |
| Biggest Upset: Colombia 2 France 0 | Biggest Upset: Colombia 2 France 0 |
| A group-stage day to remember in Moncton. Colombia arrived at Canada 2015 having never scored a World Cup goal, let alone won a game in the tournament. France, though, had no answer to their counter-attacking tactics or the individual brilliance of Lady Andrade and Yoreli Rincon. In Colombia’s goal Sandra Sepúlveda played the game of her life. Admittedly the referee missed a blatant handball which should have earned France a penalty but that would have spoilt the fun. | A group-stage day to remember in Moncton. Colombia arrived at Canada 2015 having never scored a World Cup goal, let alone won a game in the tournament. France, though, had no answer to their counter-attacking tactics or the individual brilliance of Lady Andrade and Yoreli Rincon. In Colombia’s goal Sandra Sepúlveda played the game of her life. Admittedly the referee missed a blatant handball which should have earned France a penalty but that would have spoilt the fun. |
| Worst moment: Laura Bassett’s own goal | |
| People often talk about football being a cruel game but this was particularly harsh on the Lionesses and one of their best defenders. Significantly that miscued attempted clearance was forced by an immaculate cross from Nahomi Kawasumi. It served to emphasise the enduring importance of high-calibre crossing ability. | People often talk about football being a cruel game but this was particularly harsh on the Lionesses and one of their best defenders. Significantly that miscued attempted clearance was forced by an immaculate cross from Nahomi Kawasumi. It served to emphasise the enduring importance of high-calibre crossing ability. |
| Villains of the tournament: Fifa | Villains of the tournament: Fifa |
| They were queueing in the rain outside Moncton Stadium for England’s opening group game against France while bags and backpacks were inspected. The overriding suspicion is that it was less about security than confiscating non-Fifa branded food and beverages. Many fans attending the England v France, Colombia v Mexico double-header had come equipped with picnics and it was sad to see hampers abandoned outside as a condition of entry. Fans were instead instructed to invest their dollars on the overpriced, generally unhealthy and unappetising Fifa-branded refreshments on sale inside. | They were queueing in the rain outside Moncton Stadium for England’s opening group game against France while bags and backpacks were inspected. The overriding suspicion is that it was less about security than confiscating non-Fifa branded food and beverages. Many fans attending the England v France, Colombia v Mexico double-header had come equipped with picnics and it was sad to see hampers abandoned outside as a condition of entry. Fans were instead instructed to invest their dollars on the overpriced, generally unhealthy and unappetising Fifa-branded refreshments on sale inside. |
| If, as Moncton’s Times and Transcript pointed out, the confiscation of liquid meant shorter queues for the “Porta-Potties”, dehydration still became a real problem for journalists. No food or drink was provided for reporters inside stadiums anywhere during the tournament. If you wanted some water you had to find a vending machine supplying Fifa-branded bottles and pay for it. If you wanted chocolate you had to dream on as stadium vending machines selling non-Fifa branded confectionery had all been disabled for the duration of the tournament. | If, as Moncton’s Times and Transcript pointed out, the confiscation of liquid meant shorter queues for the “Porta-Potties”, dehydration still became a real problem for journalists. No food or drink was provided for reporters inside stadiums anywhere during the tournament. If you wanted some water you had to find a vending machine supplying Fifa-branded bottles and pay for it. If you wanted chocolate you had to dream on as stadium vending machines selling non-Fifa branded confectionery had all been disabled for the duration of the tournament. |
| Most heartfelt social media posting | Most heartfelt social media posting |
| Laura Sesselman, the Canada centre-half, on Instagram in the wake of her poor display in the quarter-final against England and error which led to Jodie Taylor’s goal. Sesselman received a barrage of abuse on Twitter, Facebook et al and finally answered back. “Yes, I slipped, yes they scored and you can blame me all you want,” she wrote. “If it makes you feel better, fine. For all you classless people with your negativity and your threats – you know absolutely nothing.” Good for her. It needed saying. | Laura Sesselman, the Canada centre-half, on Instagram in the wake of her poor display in the quarter-final against England and error which led to Jodie Taylor’s goal. Sesselman received a barrage of abuse on Twitter, Facebook et al and finally answered back. “Yes, I slipped, yes they scored and you can blame me all you want,” she wrote. “If it makes you feel better, fine. For all you classless people with your negativity and your threats – you know absolutely nothing.” Good for her. It needed saying. |
| Only real disappointment | Only real disappointment |
| Not being able to see more games due to the logistical difficulties of covering a tournament in a country virtually the size of Europe. England played in five of the six host cities and in four of Canada’s six distinct time zones, traversing the country from Moncton near the Atlantic coast to Vancouver on the Pacific. | Not being able to see more games due to the logistical difficulties of covering a tournament in a country virtually the size of Europe. England played in five of the six host cities and in four of Canada’s six distinct time zones, traversing the country from Moncton near the Atlantic coast to Vancouver on the Pacific. |
| Biggest shock | Biggest shock |
| Boarding a five-and-a-half hour flight from Ottawa to Vancouver and noting that the Canadians on the plane treated it as a short hop. | Boarding a five-and-a-half hour flight from Ottawa to Vancouver and noting that the Canadians on the plane treated it as a short hop. |
| Best place visited | Best place visited |
| Sunset Beach, Vancouver. Redefined the phrase “unparalleled natural beauty”. | Sunset Beach, Vancouver. Redefined the phrase “unparalleled natural beauty”. |
| Best moment | Best moment |
| Lucy Bronze’s spectacular long-range goal in the round of 16 against Norway which secured England’s quarter-final place – and meant they had finally managed to win a knock out game at a World Cup. It seemed a new “Bronze Age” really was upon us. | Lucy Bronze’s spectacular long-range goal in the round of 16 against Norway which secured England’s quarter-final place – and meant they had finally managed to win a knock out game at a World Cup. It seemed a new “Bronze Age” really was upon us. |