By: Hannah Zhang

Jamaica’s female soccer team was ruled by many to be incompetent enough to come out of its World Cup match with France victorious. However, with an astounding turn of events last Sunday, Jamaica’s team was miraculously able to hold its ground, with the game ending in a draw.

Jamaica’s female soccer team defied expectations and achieved an unexpected draw against France in their World Cup match. The odds were stacked heavily against them, as Jamaica was ranked almost 40 places lower than France in the pre-tournament standings, as reported by the New York Times. This raises the question of how Jamaica managed to hold its ground and resist France’s attacks.

The stats turn out to be even more shocking. According to the New York Times, “it [Jamaica] was ranked almost 40 places lower than France in the pre-tournament standings.” The NYT also considered France’s plays in the match ‘disjointed’ and stated that although France had many chances to make up for it, Jamaica still got the better of them.

Ironically, France’s national team was ranked 5th as of June 9th, 2023, even though their highest placement in the World Cup was only 4th place (achieved in 2011).

Fox Sports reported that France made five attempts at goal, each narrowly missing the target. On the other hand, Jamaica’s goalkeeper, Rebecca Spencer, delivered an outstanding performance in the first half, successfully stopping all of France’s numerous advances. Her exceptional saves were crucial in maintaining Jamaica’s defensive strength throughout the match.

This was not all to the match, though. The game between Jamaica and France was not lacking in either physicality or intensity. The first yellow card belonged to Clara Mateo of France after knocking an opponent down. Evening out the gap, Jamaica earned its first yellow card when a player grabbed the jersey of a French player.

The game ended with a draw, resulting in Jamaica’s victory.