Women's football reached new levels of excitement in 1999
(Agencies)
Updated: 2003-09-15 11:30

The 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup Championship reached new levels of excitement for the sport and surpassed expectations for attendance and television figures.

But the biggest surprise of the three-week event came from United States defender Brandi Chastain.

After blasting the winning penalty kick against China in the championship game, Chastain dropped to her knees and whipped off her jersey in a fitting final touch to a milestone tournament.

"Momentary insanity, nothing more, nothing less," Chastain called the gesture.

"I wasn't thinking about anything. I thought 'My God, this is the greatest moment of my life on the soccer field'."

With 16 countries competing over 21 days, Chastain's US team grabbed its second crown to go with their 1991 victory.

The 2003 edition, which kicks off in the United States on Saturday, promises to be somewhat less of an extravaganza largely because of the hasty relocation of the tournament from China because of the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

The 1999 final was played at the same venue that hosted the 1994 men's World Cup final, the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

It drew a record women's sporting-event crowd of 90,185 that included former US president Bill Clinton.

The host Americans beat China 5-4 on penalties after the teams were tied after 90 minutes of regular play and 30 minutes of overtime.

"This World Cup was a world-class, world-calibre, stand-alone event for women like none other," said US organizing committee chief executive Marla Messing.

Said Clinton at the time: "The whole country is caught up. It's going to have a bigger impact than people ever realized, and it will have a far-reaching impact not only in the United States but also in other countries."

The sport reached new levels of popularity in 1999 and new heights for attendance, television coverage and media exposure.

There were over 660,000 spectators, including 40 million viewers in the US that watched the final. All 32 games were broadcast live on television.

The US beat Brazil 2-0 in the semi-finals while China blanked defending champion Norway 5-0 in the other semi-final.

China had entered the final with the tournament's most potent offence, outscoring their opponents 19-2.

They almost won it in overtime against the US, getting three shots on goal but couldn't put it home.