Women's World Cup team of the Group Stage: James features
GK - Rebecca Spencer (Jamaica) 7.87
While it's true that Costa Rican goalkeeper Daniela Vega received the highest mark in the Flashscore ratings, her team was eliminated in the group stage without earning a point, so we simply had to include Jamaica's Spencer in the best lineup. She didn't concede once in the three matches and her excellent performance contributed to the sensational progression to the knockouts at the expense of Brazil, thus rewriting the history of the Caribbean country.
DEF - Amanda Ilestedt (Sweden) 8.0
The Swedes won Group G by a landslide, winning all three games and conceding just one goal. Ilestedt, who even scored three times, can say that she played a significant part.
DEF - Alex Greenwood (England) 8.07
The England women were also perfect in picking up all nine points, putting in an excellent display in the last game against China. Greenwood was superb, supporting the attack well in addition to her defensive work. The Manchester City player notched up one assist and played a full 270 minutes.
DEF - Manuela Vanegas (Colombia) 7.9
Colombia's defence was really strong, even though they conceded two goals and lost against Morocco. However, both goals they conceded were penalty kicks. She even scored the winner in added time against Germany.
MID - Esmee Brugts (Netherlands) 8.07
The great hope of Dutch football is already giving great performances as a 20-year-old. She starred against Vietnam, but was also excellent against the USA and Portugal. With seven points, the Europeans topped the group ahead of the defending champions.
MID - Jill Roord (Netherlands) 8.23
The mainstay of Wolfsburg - one of the best teams in Europe - Roord fully demonstrated her quality. With a vital goal against the USA, alongside two against Vietnam, she has been one of the players of the tournament. The Dutch midfield and offensive quality will cause big problems in the knockout phase.
MID - Teresa Abelleira (Spain) 8.27
Superstar Alexia Putellas has been getting minutes sporadically after a serious injury, so Spain came into the tournament without a major midfield mainstay. However, she has been well replaced by Abelleira. Against both Costa Rica and Zambia, she dominated and scored one goal. But against Japan, she, like the whole team, had a less-than-ideal game.
MID - Lindsey Horan (USA) 8.2
The American women failed to top their group. The winners of the last two World Cups have disappointed badly, with criticism pouring in from every side. However, their brightest star is Horan, who has shone on the biggest stage, scoring half of her team's goals.
FWD - Hinata Miyazawa (Japan) 8.2
The most confident team of the group stage was Japan, who were able to lean on the offensive strength led by Miyazawa. She scored twice against Zambia, but her crowning glory was her performance against Spain, in which she bagged a brace and provided an assist in a 4-0 win.
FWD - Alexandra Popp (Germany) 8.17
After three matches, two players have four goals. The first is Miyazawa and the second is Germany's Popp - only she won't be able to add any more after their exit from the group. The footballing legend was the only one to score in each of her three appearances at the World Cup, striking twice against Morocco and beating the goalkeepers of both Colombia and South Korea.
FWD - Lauren James (England) 8.2
England scored eight goals at the World Cup, with the rising star of world women's football having a hand in six of them. She was decisive in the win over Denmark, but against China she was immense, scoring twice and proving three assists. Her technical maturity, great ball control and success in one-on-one duels suggests that she can singlehandedly take England far in this tournament.
