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Marta tries to continue brilliance against Equatorial Guinea

Jul 5, 2011 - 10:19 PM Frankfurt, Germany (Sports Network) - "Thank god Marta is Brazilian. Thank god she is part of our squad. She is down to earth and humble and yet she is a genius."

Those were the words of Brazil coach Kleiton Lima following his team's impressive 3-0 win over Norway to secure a spot in the quarterfinals of the Women's World Cup.

And they also likely reflect the way the rest of the people in the South American country feel about the five-time Women's World Player of the Year.

After a sluggish performance in Brazil's Group D opener, a 1-0 win over Australia, Marta was back to her brilliant self, scoring two goals and setting up another in the dominant win over the Norwegians.

"We are pleased to qualify for the next stage. We have a long to go but we will keep up our hard work," Marta said following the match. "Our aim is to get to the final and be crowned champions."

Brazil clearly has bigger things in mind than just finishing on top of Group D, but they can't afford to overlook an Equatorial Guinea side on Wednesday that has been one of the biggest surprises in Germany.

A hard-fought 1-0 loss to Norway was followed by a 3-2 defeat to Australia for the African side, which is making its debut at the Women's World Cup.

Equatorial Guinea was expected to have a tough time staying competitive with the other three sides in the group prior to the tournament, but coach Marcello Frigerio's team has certainly not struggled, and Frigerio was pleased with his side even though their loss to Australia eliminates them from knockout round play.

"The most important thing is that we played the way we played and we made a good impression," Frigerio said following the match with the Matildas.

Equatorial Guinea as a whole has certainly made a good impression, but one player in particular, Anonman, has stood out.

Marta may be the best player on the field on Wednesday, but the 22-year-old Anonman has gone from virtual unknown to one of the breakthrough stars of the tournament, scoring two goals in her last match against Australia while creating a host of scoring chances in the defeat to Norway.

Anonman and Equatorial Guinea may be playing their final game of the competition on Wednesday, but they have one last chance to leave a lasting impression.