Marta leaves the Women’s World Cup with Brazil’s group-stage exit, but her legacy lives on

By SAVANNAH HERNANDEZ
Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Marta embraced Jamaica captain Khadija “Bunny” Shaw before leaving the Women’s World Cup as a player for sixth and last time. The Reggae Girlz had just sent Brazil and Marta home by holding them to a 0-0 draw in the group-stage finale. Shaw says “I told her that she’s not just an inspiration for me, but for a lot of young girls … around the world.” Brazil failed to advance out of the group for the first time since 1995 and the 37-year-old Marta ended her World Cup career with a tournament record 17 goals. She had a farewell message, though: “Women’s football in Brazil doesn’t end here. We need to understand this.”