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Panama captain Marta Cox scored a stunning free-kick against France, the World Cup career of a legend ended, and South Africa took down football giants.
Here are five quick hits from Wednesday.
1. Brazil legend Marta's career comes to a close
When Cristiano Ronaldo scored in Qatar last year, he was hailed as the first player to score goals at five successive World Cups.
Marta, and many others online, pointed out that was not true.
The legend of Brazilian football came off the bench for the first two games of this campaign but, needing a win to progress, she was put into the starting line-up for Brazil's final group match against Jamaica.
The 37-year-old didn't manage to extend her streak to six straight cups with a goal as Brazil was knocked out by a shock 0-0 draw against Jamaica to finish third in Group F with a win, a loss and a draw.
It ends the career of one of the greatest footballers the women's game has seen.
2. 'She was my inspiration': Jamaican love for Marta
The occasion was not lost on Jamaican star and captain Khadija "Bunny" Shaw after the whistle was blown in the deadlocked game against Brazil.
While Shaw had every right to celebrate the greatest moment in Jamaican women's football history, she instead made a beeline to Marta, embracing her in the middle of the pitch.
The two appeared to share some heartfelt words, with Shaw revealing what was said to journalists in the mixed zone after the match.
"I was just telling her congratulations on a wonderful career that she has had," Shaw said.
"She was my inspiration growing up. She still is. The way she carried herself, the way she played, the leader that she is … I just told her that she's not just an inspiration for me but for a lot of young girls in the Caribbean and around the world."
Shaw added that Marta had in turn expressed her admiration for the Reggae Girlz, who have faced a range of off-field issues over the years prior to the 2023 tournament.
In 2010, the Jamaica Football Federation disbanded its women's football program. It was only restored in 2014 thanks to a fundraising campaign that famously featured Cedella Marley (daughter of Bob Marley) among many others.
"Marta said that she has watched our journey ever since we qualified [for the first time in 2019], and she credited us because every time we got knocked down, we got up and kept pushing," Shaw said.
"She said to me that we are here for a reason, we just have to keep going, and now she's going to be supporting us."
3. Another Marta steals the show
It's being heralded as one of the goals of the tournament, and Panama's Marta Cox was at the centre of it in the game against France.
In just the second minute, Cox produced a stunning, curling free kick to claim her country's first World Cup goal and cue euphoric disbelief amongst the fans at the packed Sydney Football Stadium.
While those not familiar with the Panamanian captain might've been surprised by the effort, her teammates weren't.
"That is just her speciality," teammate Riley Tanner told ABC Sport.
"To put that in the back of the net in the first few minutes of the game is just insane.
"I'm so happy for her and it was so cool. I wouldn't say I was not expecting it, because she's so clinical at set pieces."
By the time Panama scored their second goal, from the penalty spot, they were already trailing world number five France 5-1. However, that Cox strike is one of the all-time "pick that out" moments and will be replayed for years to come.
4. Emerging South Africa roll football powerhouse out the door
It took a 90th-minute goal from Sweden to beat South Africa in their opening Group G game.
That was followed by a 2-2 draw with Argentina.
Then, the completion of the emergence of Banyana Banyana, a 3-2 victory over Italy to reach the knockout stage.
This time it was the South Africans who left it until late, with Thembi Kgatlana scoring in the 92nd minute to book their ticket to a round-of-16 showdown with The Netherlands.
It's their first trip past the group stage at either the men's or women's tournaments.
5. France looming as major Matildas challenge
There's plenty that still needs to happen before it becomes relevant, but after topping their group, the Matildas now have even more pressure on them to progress at their home World Cup.
That means we're allowed to cast our eyes further down the road to what may be coming up at the next exit, right?
Well, if Australia gets past Denmark, they may face France in the quarter-finals due to Les Bleues having finished at the top of Group F with two wins and a draw.
So, after hopefully watching a Matildas win on Monday night, cast your eye over France's knockout clash with the second-placed finisher from Group H the following night.
The six goals they scored against Panama are equal for the second most in a game in the tournament, so Steph Catley, Alanna Kennedy, Clare Hunt and Ellie Carpenter had best be on their game if this showdown does eventuate.
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