Marta Cox scores Panama's first-ever Women's World Cup goal against France

SYDNEY (AP) — Awarded a free kick on the 30-yard line, Panama captain Marta Cox launched a shot that curled into the top-right corner of the net against France. With the goal, in just the second minute of the group finale in Panama's first Women’s World Cup, Cox made history.

If anyone was going to score Panama’s first Women’s World Cup goal, it was almost destined to be Cox.

“That’s just one of her specialties,” Panama forward Riley Tanner said. “To put that in the back of the net was just crazy.”

The 26-year-old Cox slid onto her knees, bursting into tears after giving her team the early lead. Her teammates piled onto her in celebration. As she stood up, she sent a kiss to the sky – a gesture toward her late mother.

“I always do it,” Cox said of the kiss, adding, “I will always be grateful.”

In May 2022, Cox’s mother, Rubiela Del Carmen Villareal, died from stomach cancer. The loss came just before Panama’s stretch of World Cup qualifying matches began.

Cox assisted on teammate Lineth Cedeño’s goal that secured Panama’s spot in the Women’s World Cup. The 1-0 victory over Paraguay made Panama the 32nd and final team to qualify, and it happened just a year after Villareal’s death.

Her mother dreamed Cox would someday play in the Women’s World Cup. She led a team full of fight and pride.

Cox’s second-minute stunner Wednesday was the first of Panama’s three goals in a 6-3 loss to France. Panama already had been eliminated, after losing 4-0 to Brazil and 1-0 to Jamaica. France took top spot in the group with the win.

“Tonight just proved that we deserve to be here,” defender Carina Baltrip-Reyes said.

With each goal Panama scored, Las Canelaras celebrated with the 40,498 fans in Sydney Football Stadium. When the final whistle marked the end of Panama’s campaign, the players sprinted toward a nearby section of Panamanian fans, jumping into the stands to sing and dance with them.

“We’ve been defeated during the three games,” coach Ignacio Quintana said. “But we have the excitement, as well as the 40,000 people who want to see Panama in four years.”

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Tori Newman is a student at the University of Georgia's Carmical Sports Media Institute.

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AP Women’s World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup