Women's football legend retires

[Doraemon]

So one of the all time greats of women's football has just retired.

Homare Sawa played her final game today. It was the Empress Cup final and over 20,000 people turned up (last year the attendance was 6,000). The game finished 1-0 and no prizes for guessing who scored the winning goal.

A great end to a fabulous career.

[jason voorhees]

Women's football legend retires

True player and inspiration to any aspiring team or program of how to win at the highest level.

[Bizarre Löw Triangle]

Women's football legend retires

The Nadeshiko team in the 2011 World Cup is probably my favourite tournament team ever, the 2011 World Cup final is one of my favourite football matches.

Sawa's equaliser in that match was such a beautiful and unlikely moment.

[I don't know if, in hindsight, that moment (and that win) was as unlikely as it seemed to me - the Japanese squad was obviously packed with world-class talent and has reached successive world cup/Olympic finals - but it certainly stood out, and felt wildly unlikely on the balance of play].

[linus]

Women's football legend retires

Second that, BLT, that was the best women's team I've seen play, great teamwork and panache.

[Furtho]

Women's football legend retires

Bizarre Löw Triangle wrote: Sawa's equaliser in that match was such a beautiful and unlikely moment.

Yes indeed. It was certainly my favourite footballing moment of the last few years - a tremendous piece of skill produced by an outstanding player in circumstances of extreme tension. Thrilling, dramatic sport.

[Janik]

Women's football legend retires

May not have beaten Hope Solo without the deflection, though. Which, co-incidentally, was off Abby Wambach, who also retired in December as the leading Women's International goalscorer of all time. With rather more fanfare and self-importance, and after a much less serious game.

[linus]

Women's football legend retires

Wambach is the women's game Horst Hrubesch, who incidentally was only 7kg heavier than her.

[Kevin S]

Women's football legend retires

Furtho wrote:

Sawa's equaliser in that match was such a beautiful and unlikely moment.

Yes indeed. It was certainly my favourite footballing moment of the last few years - a tremendous piece of skill produced by an outstanding player in circumstances of extreme tension. Thrilling, dramatic sport.

https://youtu.be/xbYtKkd9-OE

[Sits]

Women's football legend retires

What a fantastic, delicate finish.