Abby Wambach pictured scoring her first FIFA Women’s World Cup goal in 2003

USA’s all-time leading scorer would go on to score 14 at the global finals

But this 2015 world champion blamed herself for the team’s failure in ‘03

Abby Wambach’s relationship with the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ developed into a tumultuous love story. Like so many tales of that genre, it had a happy ending, with the USA legend belatedly becoming a world champion at the age of 35.

But there was plenty of heartbreak in between that moment and the one captured in the image above: Wambach’s first Women’s World Cup goal. This 2003 strike came against Nigeria as USA – hosts, holders and heavy favourites – cruised to a 5-0 victory. In the two matches that followed at this, her debut World Cup, Wambach added two more to fire the Stars & Stripes into the semi-finals. By the end of the year, she would be picking up the first of six US Soccer Athlete of the Year awards.

Yet 2003 holds painful memories for the big striker, who blamed herself for Kerstin Garefrekes’ headed opener in USA’s last-four duel with Germany – and the shock 3-0 defeat that followed. "In my opinion, the reason we lost to Germany was because my mark scored the first goal on the corner kick," Wambach later reflected.