1991 FIFA Women's World Cup
| 1st FIFA World Championship for Women's Football for the M&Ms Cup 1991 | |
|---|---|
|
Official logo | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | China |
| Dates | 16 – 30 November |
| Teams | 12 (from 6 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 6 (in 4 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |
 United States (1st title) |
| Runners-up |
 Norway |
| Third place |
 Sweden |
| Fourth place |
 Germany |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 26 |
| Goals scored | 99 (3.81 per match) |
| Attendance | 510,000 (19,615 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |
Michelle Akers-Stahl (10 goals) |
| Best player |
Carin Jennings |
The 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup was the inaugural FIFA Women's World Cup, the world championship for women's national association football teams.[1][2] It took place in Guangdong, China from 16 November to 30 November 1991. FIFA, football's international governing body selected China as host nation as Guangdong had hosted a prototype world championship three years earlier, the 1988 FIFA Women's Invitation Tournament. Matches were played in the state capital, Guangzhou, as well as in Foshan, Jiangmen and Zhongshan. The competition was sponsored by Mars, Incorporated. With FIFA still reluctant to bestow their "World Cup" brand, the tournament was officially known as the 1st FIFA World Championship for Women's Football for the M&M's Cup.[3]
It was won by the United States,[4] whose captain April Heinrichs formed a forward line dubbed the "triple–edged sword" with Carin Jennings and Michelle Akers-Stahl. Jennings was named player of the tournament while Akers-Stahl's ten goals won the Golden Shoe.[5] The United States beat Norway 2–1 in the final in front of a crowd of 65,000 people at Guangzhou's Tianhe Stadium.[6] Total attendance was 510,000, an average per match of 19,615. In the opening match at the same stadium, Norway had been defeated 4–0 by hosts China. Chinese defender Ma Li scored the first goal in Women's World Cup history, while goalkeeper Zhong Honglian, also of China, posted the first official "clean sheet" in the tournament.
The 12 qualified teams were divided into three groups of four (A to C). The top two teams and the two best third-place finishers from the three groups advanced to the knockout round of eight teams.
Venues
| Yuexiu, Guangzhou | Tianhe, Guangzhou | Panyu, Guangzhou | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guangdong Provincial Stadium | Tianhe Stadium | Ying Tung Stadium | ||
| Capacity: 25,000 | Capacity: 60,000 | Capacity: 15,000 | ||
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 |
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| Foshan | Jiangmen | Zhongshan | ||
| New Plaza Stadium | Jiangmen Stadium | Zhongshan Stadium | ||
| Capacity: 14,000 | Capacity: 13,000 | Capacity: 12,000 | ||
 | ||||
Teams
Twelve teams qualified for the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup final tournament. Each of the six FIFA confederations had at least one representative.
Squads
For a list of the squads that disputed the final tournament, see 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup squads.
Match officials
For the first time in FIFA competition, six female officials were included. All functioned as assistant referees, except for Cláudia Vasconcelos who took charge of the third place play–off; becoming the first woman to referee a match sanctioned by FIFA.[7][8]
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Tournament review
FIFA's technical report demonstrates that, after the tournament, players and officials were undecided whether to persist with 80 minute matches, or to change to 90 minutes in line with men's football. Opinion was also divided about the suitability of using a size five football. Some teams reported difficulty in sourcing good quality equipment in the correct size.[9]
The tournament was considered a major success in the quality of play and attendances at the games. FIFA president João Havelange wrote that:[10]
| “ | "As president of FIFA it was a special pleasure for me to watch these young ladies playing with such flair and such elegance, and according to the reports of the many media representatives present, making the game truly into a celebration ... women's football is now well and truly established." | ” |
The perceived success of the tournament was a significant factor in the subsequent inclusion of women's football in the 1996 Summer Olympics.[11] Sue Lopez reported that although attendances were very high, many tickets were complimentary. The "novelty factor" of women from foreign lands playing football also encouraged local people to attend.[12]
Group Stage
Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 China PR |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Norway |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
 Denmark |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
 New Zealand |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 11 | −10 | 0 |
November 19, 1991 15:30 |
| Norway |
4–0 | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
Campbell  30' (o.g.) Medalen 32', 38' Riise 49' |
(Report) |
November 21, 1991 19:45 |
| Norway |
2–1 | Denmark |
|---|---|---|
| Svensson 14' (pen.) Medalen 56' |
(Report) | Thychosen 54' (pen.) |
Group B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 6 |
| Sweden |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 4 |
 Brazil |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 2 |
 Japan |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | −12 | 0 |
November 17, 1991 19:45 |
| Sweden |
2–3 | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Videkull 65' I. Johansson 71' |
(Report) | Jennings 40', 49' Hamm 62' |
November 19, 1991 19:45 |
| Japan |
0–8 | Sweden |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | Videkull 1', 11' Andelen 15', 60' Lundgren 25' Nilsson 27' Sundhage 35' Yamaguchi 70' (o.g.) |
November 19, 1991 19:45 |
| Brazil |
0–5 | United States |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | Heinrichs 23', 35' Jennings 38' Akers-Stahl 39' Hamm 63' |
Group C
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 6 |
 Italy |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
 Chinese Taipei |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 2 |
 Nigeria |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | −7 | 0 |
November 17, 1991 19:45 |
| Chinese Taipei |
0–5 | Italy |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | Ferraguzzi 15' Marsiletti 29' Morace 37', 52', 66' |
Knockout stage
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 24 November — Zhongshan | ||||||||||
| United States |
7 | |||||||||
| 27 November — Guangzhou | ||||||||||
| Chinese Taipei |
0 | |||||||||
| United States |
5 | |||||||||
| 24 November — Foshan | ||||||||||
| Germany |
2 | |||||||||
| Germany |
2 | |||||||||
| 30 November — Guangzhou | ||||||||||
| Denmark |
1 | |||||||||
| United States |
2 | |||||||||
| 24 November — Guangzhou | ||||||||||
| Norway |
1 | |||||||||
| China PR |
0 | |||||||||
| 27 November — Panyu | ||||||||||
| Sweden |
1 | |||||||||
| Sweden |
1 | Third place | ||||||||
| 24 November — Jiangmen | ||||||||||
| Norway |
4 | 29 November — Guangzhou | ||||||||
| Norway |
3 | |||||||||
| Sweden |
4 | |||||||||
| Italy |
2 | |||||||||
| Germany |
0 | |||||||||
Quarterfinals
November 24, 1991 15:30 |
| Germany |
2–1 (a.e.t.) |
Denmark |
|---|---|---|
| Wiegmann 17' (pen.) Mohr 98' |
(Report) | MacKensie 25' (pen.) |
November 24, 1991 19:45 |
| Norway |
3–2 (a.e.t.) |
Italy |
|---|---|---|
| Hegstad 22' Carlsen 67' Svensson 96' (pen.) |
(Report) | Salmaso 31' Guarino 80' |
November 24, 1991 19:45 |
| United States |
7–0 | Chinese Taipei |
|---|---|---|
| Akers-Stahl 8', 29', 33', 44' (pen.), 48' Foudy 38' Biefield 79' |
(Report) |
Semifinals
November 27, 1991 15:30 |
| Sweden |
1–4 | Norway |
|---|---|---|
| Videkull 6' |
(Report) | Svensson 39' (pen.) Medalen 41', 77' Carlsen 67' |
November 27, 1991 19:45 |
| United States |
5–2 | Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Jennings 10', 22', 33' Heinrichs 54', 75' |
(Report) | Mohr 34' Wiegmann 63' |
Third place
Final
Awards
| 1991 Women's World Cup Winners |
|---|
United States First title |
| Golden Shoe Winner | Golden Ball Winner | FIFA Fair Play Trophy |
|---|---|---|
| Michelle Akers-Stahl |
Carin Jennings |
Germany |
Goal scorers
Michelle Akers-Stahl of the United States won the Golden Shoe award for scoring ten goals. In total, 99 goals were scored from 45 different players with two of them credited as own goals.
- 10 goals
- 7 goals
- 6 goals
- 5 goals
- 4 goals
- 3 goals
- 2 goals
- 1 goal
- Own goals
- Julia Campbell (for Norway)
- Sayuri Yamaguchi (for Sweden)
References
- ↑ "Raising Their Game: An introduction". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
- ↑ "Raising Their Game: Passing the test". YouTube. 2012-06-05. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
- ↑ Mattei, Al. "WUSA opening a feast for the eyes -- and ears". TopOfTheCircle.com. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
- ↑ Ciapala, Derek (2012-06-18). "History of the FIFA Women's World Cup, 1991-present - World Soccer - Yahoo! Sports". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
- ↑ "CNN/SI - Women's World Cup - Women's World Cup History - Thursday February 11, 1999 06:04 PM". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
- ↑ "Raising Their Game: Blazing the way in 1991". YouTube. 2012-06-12. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
- ↑ Lopez 1997, p. 195
- ↑ "FIFA Women's World Cup - China PR 1991". FIFA. Archived from the original on 11 March 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
In keeping with the true spirit of the celebration, six female referees or assistant referees were appointed among match officials for the first time in FIFA history. Claudia de Vasconcelos of Brazil, the referee for the 3rd-place match, became the first woman to officiate at this level for FIFA.
- ↑ "FIFA Women's World Cup China '91 - Technical Report & Statistics" (PDF). FIFA. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
- ↑ Lopez 1997, p. 173
- ↑ Lopez 1997, p. 175
- ↑ Lopez 1997, p. 207
Bibliography
- Lisi, Clemente Angelo (2010). The U.S. Women's Soccer Team: An American Success Story. Plymouth, England: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0810874156.
- Lopez, Sue (1997). Women on the Ball: A Guide to Women's Football. London, England: Scarlet Press. ISBN 1857270169.