Women's World Cup Results 2019: Group Scores and Monday Twitter Reaction

France, Norway, Germany, Spain and China all booked their places in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup round of 16 on Monday.

Les Bleues were controversial 1-0 winners over Nigeria after they were allowed to retake an originally missed penalty due to Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie being adjudged to have stepped off her line. 

Nigeria were aggrieved not to have taken something after they played the last 25 minutes (including 11 minutes injury time) with 10 women on the pitch. The African representatives could still qualify for the last 16 as one of the best third-place finishers.

Norway clinched the second automatic qualifying spot in Group A after they glanced by South Korea 2-1 to eliminate the Asian outfit, per Match of the Day:

Die Nationalelf won all three of their group-stage fixtures and signed off the first round with a 4-0 hammering of South Africa, in which they managed to score more than once in a match for the first time this tournament.

Spain and China played out a dull 0-0 stalemate at the Stade Oceane in Le Havre, France, as the former made it to the Women's World Cup knockout stage for the first time in their history.

Monday's Results

China 0-0 Spain

South Africa 0-4 Germany

Nigeria 0-1 France

South Korea 1-2 Norway

France, Germany Top Groups to Sail Through

The video assistant referee (VAR) was at the centre of attention during France's close-fought win against minnows Nigeria, called into action twice for the penalty incident that ended up deciding the fixture.

First the VAR made the decision to award a penalty with 10 minutes left, but the controversy came when Nnadozie looked to have been harshly judged too far off her line when Renard hit the post:

France's star centre-back made no mistake with her second attempt and sent in the only goal of the game, via Fox Sports (U.S. only):

Ngozi Ebere was given her second caution for the foul that led to the spot-kick, and the one-woman disadvantage made Nigeria's job even more difficult in holding the hosts at bay.

Even a draw would have been enough for France to guarantee first place in Group A, and it's worth noting Nigeria had two shots at goal over the course of the match, neither of which were on target, per Flashscores.com.

Nevertheless, another point for the Super Falcons could be the difference between them exiting at the group stage or making it through to the last 16 for just the second time.

Much of the attention focused around penalties in Norway's win over South Korea, too, as Norway triumphed despite failing to score from open play. Norway were more effective in taking the initiative against South Korea, and Caroline Hansen converted a penalty of their inside five minutes (UK only):

That early pressure also led to Norway entering the record books, per OptaJoe:

Isabell Herlovsen took over penalty duties for the second spot-kick and followed Hansen's lead by scoring from 12 yards.

Yeo Min-ji halved the deficit to get South Korea on the board with 12 minutes remaining, which handicapper Nick Borrman highlighted was just reward for their efforts:

Germany took most of the early attention during Monday's vaunted Women's World Cup schedule and impressed with three first-half goals against South Africa to take control of their qualifying fate.

Two 1-0 victories over China and Spain didn't capture Martina Voss-Tecklenburg's side at their best, but the floodgates opened against South Africa, who ended their maiden World Cup appearance with three losses.

Presenter Andre Leslie praised the Germans as they showed signs of getting back to top form:

There was a confidence oozing throughout their play on Matchday 3 that hadn't been present in some of their recent World Cup fixtures, per OptaJoe:

South Africa hit the target once in 90 minutes and rarely looked as though they were capable of the kind of upset needed to rescue any kind of hope for this tournament.

Presenter Mpho Letsholonyane‏ stood proud with her country despite the loss, however, as South Africa bowed out with an aggregate goal record of one for and eight against:

That clash at the Stade de la Mosson in Montpellier, France, at least excited neutrals more so than Spain's bore draw against China.

A one-sided meeting saw La Roja govern most of the possession and chances on goal, but there was no end product needed to finish.

American sportswriter Jeff Kassouf pointed out how tilted the matchup was:

China goalkeeper Shimeng Peng also deserved special praise for her performance, rejecting the shots from Jennifer Hermoso and Lucia Garcia on multiple occasions:

The point from the draw proved crucial as China secured a spot as one of the best third-place finishers; they were the first among those to reach four points.

La Roja will face the Group F winners in the next round—which will be the United States or Sweden—while Germany and China's opponents are yet to be decided.

The Chinese will face either the winners of Group C or Group D in the next stage of the competition.