#FIFAWWC | Reggae Girlz earn historic draw with mighty France

Jamaica's Reggae Girlz made good on their threat to make life difficult for the mighty France when they held the world number five to a 0-0 draw in the opening game of their Group F World Cup encounter at the Sydney Football Stadium in Australia earlier this morning.

As expected, France started the brighter of the two and showed Jamaica were vulnerable to crosses, however, Jamaica would leave very little to chance.

Half an hour into the contest though, and Reggae Girl custodian, Rebecca Spencer, was forced into action to keep things level. On the stroke of half-time, Spencer again breathed a sigh of relief when a deflection, which left her stranded going in the wrong direction, inched passed her left upright.

But Jamaica weren't without teeth, Khadija Shaw, who would later be red carded, struck a fierce free kick that forced France goalkeeper, Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, into a hurried finger-tip save. So thin was the save, that France were given a goal kick and only slow motion replays showed that the custodian's vital touch is what kept the game in the balance at 0-0.

In the second half, France striker, Kadidiatou Diani, continued to show herself a real threat, heading onto the underside of the bar from a cross. Crosses seemed the bane of the Reggae Girlz existence.

Jamaica then had to live life without their captain for the last few moments of the game as, Shaw, who was on a yellow card was deemed to have run afoul of the law when her slide tackle caught a French defender.

Though it may have been assumed Shaw would have been given a second yellow card, the referee, reached into her back pocket and issued a straight red, despite the skipper's exclamation of innocence.

The draw made history for the Reggae Girlz, who were earning their first point at a World Cup.

The Reggae Girlz will now turn their attention to Panama, who they go to battle with on Saturday.

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