The Round of 16 of the Women’s World Cup is complete and we are now down to just eight teams battling it out for international glory. The shocks continued with USA bowing out after they were beaten on penalties by Sweden. England also scraped through on penalties after grinding out a draw with 10 players after Lauren James was dismissed. France thumped Morocco 4-0, Columbia beat Jamaica 1-0 and hosts Australia won 2-0 against Denmark. Spain put five past Switzerland on their way to a 5-1 victory, Japan beat Norway 3-1 and the Netherlands defeated South Africa 2-0.
Zecira Musovic (Sweden) – 8.68
Zecira Musovic received the highest rating of any goalkeeper in the Round of 16. The Chelsea stopper had a game to remember against the reigning champions USA. She made a total of 11 saves in the game which is a record for most saves in a single match at this World Cup. With a WhoScored.com rating of 8.68 she gets the nod in goal.
Ellie Carpenter (Australia) - 7.44
Australia progressed into the Quarter Finals with a 2-0 victory over Denmark. Ellie Carpenter was one of the stand out performers on the day with her all-round showing. She made two tackles, won two aerial duels and two dribbles. Going forward she also contributed one key pass and attempted one shot. She was a vital part of a clean-sheet keeping defence and makes the best XI of the round.
The first of an all-England centre back partnership is Jess Carter. England also kept a kept a clean sheet and Carter played a big part in that back line. She had a 100% tackle success rate, winning all five of her attempted tackles. She also won four aerial duels and made seven clearances and one interception. Her rating of 7.96 see’s her deservedly make the cut.
Alex Greenwood (England) – 8.54
Alex Greenwood was another vital defensive figure in England’s Round of 16 success. Not only was she rock solid at the back with three aerial wins and one tackle but she was also one of England’s top creative outlets with a total of three key passes, the most of any England player.
Greenwood has been the stand out passer in the competition so far, she made the most passes of any player against Nigeria with 65, and is topping the overall charts for average passes per game (105).
Ashleigh Plumptre (Nigeria) – 8.55
Despite defeat to England in the Round of 16 it was a performance to be proud of from Ashleigh Plumptre. She was awarded the WhoScored.com Player of the Match award for her efforts with a rating of 8.55. It’s easy enough to see why too, with the Nigerian defender winning a massive 11 aerial duels, making three tackles, completing two dribbles and having four shots.
The only perfect ten in the Round of 16 was awarded to Spain’s Aitana Bonmati for her staggering performance in the 5-1 romping of Switzerland. The midfielder stole the show finding the net on two occasions as well as providing two assists. She had a total of five shots, a pass success rate of 90% and made four key passes. It was one of the performances of the tournament so far, and she is the only player of the round with a WhoScored.com rating of 10.0.
USA may have been eliminated but that didn’t stop Andi Sullivan from taking away the plaudits. She was the player of the match with a rating of 9.01 and is therefore included in the rounds best XI. She was emphatic in both attack and defence completing three successful dribbles and eight successful tackles, as well as winning three aerial duels and providing three key passes.
Eugenie Le Sommer (France) – 9.27
France put on a clinic against Morocco in the Round of 16 and went through on the back of a 4-0 triumph. The player of the match, with two goals and a rating on 9.27 was Eugenie Le Sommer. Not only did she get herself on the scoresheet twice but she also made three tackles and four successful dribbles, on her way to winning the player of the match award.
Another French stand out player was Kenza Dali. She found herself on the scoresheet when she doubled France’s lead in the 20th minute. She made one key pass, one dribble and one tackle alongside two aerial wins on the way to helping France progress.
Kadidiatou Diani (France) 8.36
Kadidiatou Diani is the third French representative in the best XI and she was also fundamental to their success. She broke the deadlock in the 15th minute with her one goal of the game and then provided assists for the second and third goal. She had a total of four shots and made three key passes.
Salma Paralluelo (Spain) – 8.36
Completing the side is Spain’s Salma Paralluelo. She didn’t manage to get on the scoresheet in the 5-1 win, but contributed in lots of other ways to the victory. She managed a total of five key passes against Switzerland more than any other player in the fixture. She also attempted three shots and made two tackles on her way to an 8.36 rated performance.
