Brazil, Aussies win at women’s World Cup

Associated Press

AUGSBURG, Germany

Marta made the World Cup tournament her own for a day, scoring two goals and assisting on another to lead Brazil into the quarterfinals with a 3-0 win over Norway on Sunday.

The biggest star of the women’s game brought samba heat to the rain-swept, 55-degree Wolfsburg stadium with stunning moves, speed, vision, finishing and even some rough play. The win puts the Brazilians alongside the United States as the biggest favorites for the title based on their play in the first week of competition.

“Thank God, Marta is Brazilian,” coach Kleiton Lima said.

Brazil’s performance took attention away from a huge refereeing blunder in the other Group D game, during which Equatorial Guinea defender Bruna carried the ball in her hands for a couple of seconds in front of her own goal without being penalized. It didn’t hurt Australia, which beat the African rookies 3-2 to maintain its shot at joining Brazil in the next round.

No one seems a match for Brazil in the group, and Marta wants to finally give her nation the biggest cup of all. While the men’s team has won five, the women have done no better than finishing as runners-up.

They are big favorites now to top Group D, an added incentive for the United States to beat or tie Sweden on Wednesday and avoid having to play Brazil in the quarterfinalss.

Marta, the five-time FIFA player of the year, showed off every side of her personality, even the tough part.

She opened Sunday’s one-woman show by shoving Norwegian defender Nora Holstad Berge in the back, but followed with a series of sidesteps that would make even Cristiano Ronaldo proud. Once another defender was down from the blur of moves, she showed how unforgiving she was with a wicked drive inside.

“We had to use our bodies, me and my opponent,” she said of the initial challenge. “I think she stumbled. I would have to see it again.”