Lauren James has set the Women's World Cup alight! Winners & losers of the group stages as USWNT boss Vlatko Andonovski faces tough questions

The United States women's national team has never recorded a lower points tally in the group stages of a Women's World Cup than it did this year, raising serious questions of head coach Vlatko Andonovski. His starting line-ups and substitutions have been criticised throughout the group stages, and without the results to back the decisions up, that noise has only grown louder and louder.

A much tougher path has now emerged through the knockout stages for the USWNT, starting with a Sweden side in the last 16 that has real pedigree on the big stage and emerged 3-0 victors when the two teams met at the Olympics two years ago. The pressure, and the scrutiny, is about to get even bigger.

The star of the tournament so far, Lauren James had to wait patiently for her chance to shine at a major tournament. After coming to the fore with Manchester United in England's second-tier as a 16-year-old, many would've expected her to have been starring for her country sooner rather than later.

But a couple of years of niggling injuries meant she didn't make her Lionesses debut until she was 20 - and she's spent the last 12 months making up for lost time. While taking her game to the next level at Chelsea, she's translated that form onto the international stage to stake a real claim for a starting role at this World Cup.

After not starting England's first game, James came into the line-up for the clash with Denmark and proved to be the match-winner - but it was the third outing that she really made her mark on this tournament. The Lionesses ran out 6-1 winners against China, with James directly involved in five of the goals - her two goals truly exceptional. She's been the player of the group stages, no doubt.

The biggest shock in the history of the Women's World Cup. That's what Germany's group-stage exit was. Facing a South Korea side in their final match that were all-but-mathematically out, the two-time champions were caught cold from kick-off and then looked incredibly lost for ideas as they tried to get the win they needed to progress.

Defeat to Colombia in their second match was shocking, but they were still in control of their destiny. It was incredible that they failed to get the job done. Instead, the South American side progressed in top spot and debutantes Morocco, who lost 6-0 to Germany in their first game, also went through.

Big questions will now be asked of Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, who renewed her contract just a few months ago to run until 2025. There were injury absences, sure, but this squad was still a very strong one and it's certainly fair to question whether the system Germany set up in best masked their lack of defensive depth.

That analysis is now for Voss-Tecklenburg, her staff, her players and the German Football Association, as they ponder what on earth to do after this stunning elimination.

Have Japan been the most impressive team of the group stage? It's hard to argue otherwise. Futoshi Ikeda has got his team set up in a 3-5-2 formation (sound familiar?) that is getting the best out of his players, particularly Jun Endo, the Angel City star who has thrived at left wing-back.

The Nadeshiko are dominating the ball and playing the attractive football that they have long been associated with, that which helped them become world champions in 2011 and reach the Women's World Cup final four years later. They're doing it all while being clinical and clever, too.

Going into the top-of-the-table decider with Spain, Ikeda knew his team wouldn't have the lion's share of possession against the creators of tiki-taka and opted to change his team and his tactics to catch them out in transition instead. It worked a treat, resulting in an incredible 4-0 victory that asserted them as a serious force in this tournament.

In the build-up to Brazil’s must-win match with Jamaica, the Reggae Girlz weren’t necessarily written off, but the expectation was that the South American champions would find the result they needed. Surely, surely, Jamaica couldn’t actually knock them out?

But they defied the expectations, the odds even further stacked against them due to a lack of support from the federation, and caused an incredible, almost unthinkable shock: Brazil had been knocked out in the group stages of a World Cup.

It’s a massive, huge failure. There’s no other way to put it. This is a team that features some of the best players in the world. Indeed, in Marta, they have the best player ever to grace the women’s game. But breaking down Jamaica’s defence was too difficult a task, in part due to how well their opponents defended, but also because of how lost for ideas Brazil looked.

Head coach Pia Sundhage is very highly respected and she is not short of admirers in Brazil, that’s for sure, but is she the right fit for this team? Can she help them take the next step and become a genuine contender for a World Cup title? Not on this evidence.

This is the first time that the Women’s World Cup has featured 32 nations, expanding from the 24 that participated in 2019. There were fears that it could result in some ridiculous scorelines – such as the 13-0 that we saw when the U.S. faced Thailand four years ago – but fortunately that has not been the case.

There has been the odd one, of course. That’s common in any major tournament. But generally the group stages showed that the gap is closing between the elite nations and those on the rise.

Not only have we seen encouraging signs from several debutantes – Morocco, Philippines, Portugal and Zambia all securing wins in their first experiences of the competition – but we’ve seen huge upsets.

Jamaica drew with France and then did the same against Brazil to knock out the South American giants, Colombia stunned Germany in an incredible win on their way to topping their group, and Portugal took a point from the United States. That three African teams have reached the knockout stages for the first time speaks of the development of the game in that part of the world that needed to be recognised.

With expansion also increasing the jeopardy of each group, removing the third-place qualification spots, it’s certainly been a successful change.

The first reigning Olympic champions ever to be eliminated in the Women’s World Cup group stages. A blunt attack, a defensive capitulation and a lingering battle with the federation all resulted in Canada picking up that unwanted milestone this week.

Gold medallists in Tokyo two years ago, Bev Priestman’s team didn’t come into this tournament in blistering form, but a strong display at the back against Nigeria and some clever subs in the win over Ireland meant they went into their final match, against co-hosts Australia, with it in their hands. All they had to do was avoid defeat.

But when that defensive solidity was most needed, it disappeared. Balls into the box caused uncharacteristic chaos and, less surprisingly, Canada couldn’t create anything at the other end to make amends as they succumbed to a catastrophic 4-0 result.

What happens next will be interesting. Interim general secretary Jason de Vos has suggested that Canada Soccer is at risk of bankruptcy, the iconic Christine Sinclair has likely played her last World Cup and Priestman’s future will come into question.

One of the stories of the group stage has concerned the underwhelming displays of Norway. They might have pulled out a big result in their final group game to qualify for the last 16, but there has been drama at every turn of their journey to the knockouts.

After a really disappointing defeat to co-hosts New Zealand in the opening game of the tournament, a goalless draw with Switzerland might not have been chaotic on the pitch but it was off it. Barcelona winger Caroline Graham Hansen had plenty to say after being benched for the game, not just about the team selection but about attitudes within the set-up, though she did come out and apologise the following day.

Then, before Norway’s crunch clash with the Philippines in the final game, NRK released a detailed report of discontent within the squad with regards to head coach Hege Riise’s management. If their information is anything to go by, Riise doesn’t appear to be the right match for this team and her future is sure to be a story to keep an eye on beyond this World Cup.

The Netherlands were absolutely outstanding as they beat the U.S. to top spot in Group E. There were some big questions around this team going into the tournament, with Andries Jonker electing to leave Eredivisie top scorer Fenna Kalma and the prolific Romee Leuchter at home despite also missing Arsenal star Vivianne Miedema through injury.

Add in the fact he's recently switched to a 3-5-2 system that incorporates just two out-and-out defenders and there were concerns that they could be easily opened up at the back - but things have worked out brilliantly.

The wing-back set-up proved to be a strength rather than a weakness when they took on the U.S. and the way they picked apart Vietnam was impressive in terms of how sharp and clinical they looked. No one will want to face them in the knockouts - with a potential match-up with Spain in the quarter-finals certainly a mouth-watering prospect.

This was meant to be Sam Kerr's tournament. The poster girl for her home World Cup, she appeared ready to take it by storm and help Australia enjoy an incredibly memorable run. However, all of that went out of the window when she suffered a calf injury the day before the Matildas' opening game.

The Chelsea star was ruled out of the first two matches and her team were on the brink of disaster without her, but a wonderful performance against Canada saved their tournament. It meant they didn't even need to use her from the bench, after she had declared herself fit enough to be involved.

After a disappointing and, frankly, heart-breaking group stage phase, Kerr will certainly hope she can set foot on the pitch in the knockouts and make her mark at what is an historic event for her country.

It was always plausible that Colombia would ruffle a few feathers at this tournament. There are some really exciting things going on in the women’s game in this football-mad nation, one which reached the final of its home Copa America last year and the same stage of the Under-17 Women’s World Cup, too.

Linda Caicedo, the 18-year-old who signed for Real Madrid a few months ago, was at the forefront of both of those runs, and with players like her, Catalina Usme, Mayra Ramirez and Leicy Santos, the feeling was that they could get out of Group H. But Colombia haven’t only qualified for the last 16 - they’ve topped the group, beating two-time winners Germany, one of the favourites for this title, in a thrilling, dramatic encounter in Sydney en route.

Looking defensively strong and a real threat in attack, absolutely no one will want to come up against this team in the knockout stages. They’re a serious problem.

For all the uplifting stories we’ve had at this tournament so far, there have also been some heart-breaking ones. At 40 years old, this was almost certain to be Canada icon Christine Sinclair’s final World Cup. The greatest goalscorer in the history of international football got the glory she deserved two years ago when she and her team won Olympic gold. Could she have a memorable last dance at the biggest competition in the sport, then?

Three years her junior, this would also be the final World Cup for Marta. The Brazil legend is widely recognised as the game’s GOAT and, after recovering from an ACL injury earlier this year, she was hoping to give the biggest stage a fond farewell.

But Sinclair’s career in this competition ended in her being subbed off at half-time as Priestman made tactical adjustments in the eventual 4-0 thrashing dealt to Canada by Australia. Marta, meanwhile, couldn’t conjure up the magic Brazil needed to unlock Jamaica’s defence and had to watch the final moments of her final World Cup from the sidelines, subbed off midway through the second period.

Both bow out in devastating fashion that doesn’t do their careers justice. Football can be cruel.