MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) 鈥 Before leaving the Women鈥檚 World Cup as a player for the sixth and last time, Marta embraced Jamaica captain Khadija 鈥淏unny" Shaw.
and Shaw shared emotional words with one hand resting over her heart and the other holding Marta鈥檚 hand.
鈥淚 just told her that she鈥檚 not just an inspiration for me, but for a lot of young girls in the Caribbean and around the world,鈥 Shaw said.
With the win, Jamaica became the first Caribbean nation to advance to the Women鈥檚 World Cup knockout rounds.
鈥淪he just said that she鈥檚 watched our journey, ever since we qualified,鈥 Shaw said, 鈥渁nd she credits us because every time we got knocked down, we still get up and keep pushing.鈥
Marta, 37, holds the record for the most World Cup goals scored, women or men, with 17. She was the first player to score in five consecutive Women鈥檚 World Cups, debuting at the 2003 tournament.
鈥淗er legacy continues, it doesn鈥檛 end here,鈥 Brazil鈥檚 Ary Borges said. Marta 鈥渋s a woman who will continue to inspire not only my generation, but (new) generations.鈥
Brazil failed to advance out of the group stage for the first time since 1995, and Marta couldn't capitalize on the chance to become the first player, woman of man, to score in six World Cups.
But her pending retirement means neither that, nor a Women鈥檚 World Cup title, will be a part of her remarkable legacy.
Marta admitted she started getting sentimental as she looked at the moon in Melbourne, trying to summon a way to create or score the goal that Brazil needed to keep progressing at the World Cup. She saw her younger teammates looking for inspiration, and knew she had to dig deep.
鈥淓specially because it was their first World Cup and it鈥檚 just the beginning 鈥 I won鈥檛 play in another World Cup, but they will have other opportunities,鈥 she said. 鈥淪o I had to stop lamenting. It鈥檚 football, we tried from start to finish, we tried to score but the ball didn鈥檛 want to go in."
Marta knows there'll be critics who'll have plenty to say about Brazil's performance here. She's also reassured there's enough support for women's soccer to keep the game growing.
鈥淲omen鈥檚 football doesn鈥檛 end here. Women鈥檚 football in Brazil doesn鈥檛 end here,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e need to understand this.鈥
On the eve of what became her final World Cup game, Marta shed tears as she recalled what it was like two decades ago when she started out. She feels like she's leaving it in better shape for the next generation.
鈥淚 always said that the World Cup wasn鈥檛 just about Marta, the World Cup belonged to the national team,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e started it together and ended it together. Winning or losing, it makes no difference. I鈥檒l stay with the good times, with the work that鈥檚 been done so far.鈥
The Sele莽茫o started off strong in their tournament opener, beating Panama 4-0. A 2-1 loss to France set up a must-win situation against Jamaica in their Group F finale.
Marta came off the bench in Brazil鈥檚 first two group-stage matches but returned to the starting lineup against Jamaica. She was subbed off in the 81st minute, making way for a fresher, younger teammate to take up the challenge.
鈥淪he鈥檚 a trailblazer for us women,鈥 Jamaica forward Cheyna Matthews said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 thank her enough. I hate that it had to be this way, but this is what she鈥檚 been fighting for, is for us all to be able to play this game and play it well and get the recognition.鈥
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Savannah Hernandez is a student at the University of Georgia's Carmical Sports Media Institute.
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