Al-Ahram Weekly 15 - 21 July 1999 Issue No. 438
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875

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A save in time

By Abeer Anwar

It was an intense and scoreless match -- until US goalkeeper, Briana Scurry turned the tables on the Chinese, paving the way for the US to win back the Women's Soccer World Cup title. The turning point did not come too soon, bringing to a close as it did fully 120 minutes of grueling soccer at a "packed-to-the-gills" Rose Bowl stadium.

If anything, the match was proof of the fact that women's football is no longer an obscure side show. The closing match of the tournament, it drew droves of fans, scoring a record attendance for a women's sporting event,

The move that made all the difference to the 5-4 shoot-out came with China's third penalty when US goalkeeper Briana Scurry dived to the right, barring an attempt by Liu Ying. A moment later, Brandi Chastain lined up for what was potentially the winning kick of the championship, and slipped the ball past Chinese goalkeeper Gao Hong unphased, thus ending the tournament.

The shoot-out had begun with China's Xie Huilin scoring to the left. She was followed by Carla Overbeck, who put the ball neatly past Hong to the right. Qiu Haiyan then beat Scurry to give the Chinese team a 2-1 advantage, only to have the score made even once again by Joy Fawcett. China's third attempt, by Liu Ying, went to the right, but Scurry had anticipated the move and was able to save. Her success sparked off a chorus of loud applause from the largely pro-American crowd numbering some 90,185 fans.

This coup boosted the confidence of the American players and Kristine Lilly stepped forward to score, giving the US the lead for the first time in the shoot-out. Zhang Ouying of China and US forward, Mia Hamm, then traded goals. Sun Wen was brought in for the Chinese team, which was in dire need of a point to keep their hopes alive. She beat Scurry to the left, thus setting the stage for Chastain's dramatic winning goal.

American fans cheering their fellow women soccer players. The American nation spent a sleepless night celebrating their women's victory in penalty shoot-out against China in the final match of the Women's Soccer World Cup in USA (photos:AP, AFP)

The drama of the finale uncorked the tension which had built up throughout a game that was played throughout with controlled aggression. Both teams pushed forward and attacked, but were careful not to expose themselves to counterattack. The US had some early opportunities that did not come to fruition, and while China pressured the American defence, the Chinese players completely failed to test the skills of goalkeeper Briana Scurry in the first half. In the eighth minute, Cindy Parlow was fouled, giving Mia Hamm a free kick from about 30 yards to the left of the goal. Hamm sent the ball towards the far post, where Michelle Akers' sliding touch pushed it over the line, unfortunately wide of the goal.

In the twelfth minute, it was again Akers who put pressure on the Chinese defence, this time with a powerful long-distance blast towards goal that was saved by Gao Hong. Despite these attempts, though, neither team was able to find the back of the net in the first half, and the same syndrome repeated itself in the second. The game thus proceeded to golden goal overtime.

In the closing seconds of full time, Michelle Akers was injured in front of the US goal, as her team cleared the ball from a Chinese attack, and had to be replaced by Sara Whalen.

China nearly brought the game to an end, when Fan Yunjie got a header in off a corner, which Briana Scurry had no chance of saving. However, Kristine Lilly was positioned perfectly to clear the ball off the line.

Play during overtime was intense, as both teams pushed for the winning goal. But perhaps the effort came to late in the game, as several players were noticeably tired after an afternoon spent running around under the hot California sun.

Last week's match was the third consecutive FIFA World Cup championship match at the Rose Bowl to be drawn scoreless at full time. Earlier in the day, Brazil had defeated Norway on penalties to take third place in the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. The 1994 Men's World Cup final likewise ended in a no-score draw before Brazil emerged as champion, defeating Italy on penalties.

The match was also the fourth encounter in 1999 between the US and China, and each time the opponents have been well matched. The three prior matches were decided by a lone goal, and twice the winning goal came after the 90th minute. Twice in one week last April, the teams entered stoppage time with the score tied at one all, and each time the result was a 2-1 victory.

Commenting on the outcome of the match, United States head coach, Tony DiCiccio, said, "There were two champions out there today. The Chinese are a credit to women's soccer. Certainly they could be carrying the trophy. The other thing that comes to mind is the courage of the American players. The game was back and forth, it was a credit to both teams." Similar sentiments were expressed by China's head coach, Ma Yuanan. "Today both teams made a great performance. The fans really wanted the US to be the champions. Our defence did a very good job today, our attack also did a great job. I am happy with the players' performance." However, as the Americans walked away with the cup, he added, "We were really disappointed."

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