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As the world of football counts down to the reveal of the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 official emblem and slogan – in Paris on 19 September – we are counting down the 10 Most Memorable Moments in FIFA Women’s World Cup history.

The background There was no doubting the star of the show on 27 September 2007 at the Dragon Stadium in Hangzhou, as Brazil took on USA in the semi-final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup China™. And not for the first time, it was Brazilian legend Marta who took all the plaudits. Every time the ball arrived at her feet, the striker had the crowd on the edge of their seats, anxious to see what magic she would conjure up next.

Why so special? One of her ‘victims’ that evening, Carli Lloyd, looked back at the performance of the opposition’s No10: “She raised the stadium, all on her own”. And it was not just because of the two goals that helped her side to a 4-0 victory, at the time the heaviest defeat ever suffered by the American national team. Marta treated those present to her full repertoire of dribbles, bursts of speed, deft touches and interplay. And she even scored in samba style – quite literally! – as she left a helpless Tina Ellertson in a spin and weaved through the defence to notch A Seleção’s fourth goal. Marta’s performance on the night was a football masterclass, and one that bears watching again and again. What’s more, it saw the Brazilians through to the first World Cup Final in their history.

What she said “My favourite Women’s World Cup memory is from 2007, when we beat the United States in the semi-final. I think that match was not only my best moment as a footballer, but also the Brazilian team’s best moment at a World Cup. On that night, I scored what I consider to be the best goal of my career . So it really is a perfect memory.”

Relive Marta’s goal on video, and click here for more on this historic moment.