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Marta crestfallen after missing shot against Germany

Fleet-footed Marta might have been voted player of the tournament, but she was crestfallen after missing a vital penalty in the World Cup final against Germany.

The wonder striker, who is often compared to Ronaldinho and called "Pele in a skirt" by the great Brazilian himself, skipped and danced her way through defenses here before the rock-solid Germans blunted her edge.

But some of the gloss was taken off when she missed a second-half penalty to level Sunday's match at 1-1. Germany went on to win 2-0.

"We fought really hard to reach this final and just getting there was a historic step for us. Unfortunately we paid a heavy price for our mistakes," she said.

"We weren't clinical in front of goal, my luck deserted me from the penalty spot, we hit the woodwork two or three times and we didn't manage to dictate the tempo of the game," she said.

"But that's football," she said. "Sometimes, however good you are, you don't get what you want and today just wasn't our day."

Marta arrived in China with a host of accolades to her name. After being named the Women's World Player of the year last year, she followed up by helping the Canarinhas to gold at the Pan-American Games.

True to the swaggering style of her compatriots, the 21-year-old lived up to all expectations in China.

Her efforts were rewarded with the Golden Ball award for the tournament's best player.

"We've proven that we're getting better every year despite not having a national league championship in Brazil," she said.
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