The United States of America have started off their 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup title defence off with a 3-0 victory over Vietnam at Eden Park on Saturday, 22 July.
The match was always going to be a challenge for the World Cup newcomers, who put in an almighty shift on their tournament debut.
The Stars and Stripes made their early dominance felt when 22-year-old Sophia Smith broke the deadlock with a tidy finish under Vietnamese goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Than after just a quarter of an hour.
Vlatko Andonovski’s side would continue to push and could have doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time when Alex Morgan stepped up from the spot, but she saw her spot-kick well saved by Tran. Smith would find the second in first-half stoppage time, though, drilling home to double her – and her nation’s – tally.
Vietnam did well to repel USA’s onslaught after the break until Lindsey Horan was teed up in the penalty area by Smith, and finished confidently to make it three.
Japan Stamp Authority with Convincing Victory
In the second match of the day, a last minute penalty edged Japan to a 5-0 victory over World Cup debutants Zambia at FMG Stadium Waikato.
A brace from Hinata Miyazawa and goals from Mina Tanaka, Jun Endo and Riko Ueki, headlined a top-class performance from the 2011 champions.
England Hold On for Narrow Win
A determined Haiti team turned up at Suncorp Stadium in search of their first victory at a FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament, however Georgia Stanway’s penalty led England to a narrow 1-0 win.
Late Winner for Denmark
In the final #FIFAWWC match of the day, substitute Amalie Vangsgaard secured three points for Denmark, scoring the only goal of the match in the 90th minute against China.
Fixtures: Sunday, 23 July (in SA time)
Sweden vs South Africa 07h00
Netherlands vs Portugal 09h30
France vs Jamaica 12h00
Stay tuned to gsport.co.za and @gsport4girls across social media for the latest FIFA Women’s World Cup coverage!
Photo 1 Caption: The United States of America have started off their 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup title defence off with a 3-0 victory over Vietnam at Eden Park on Saturday, 22 July. Photo: FIFA Women’s World Cup (Instagram)
(0 rating, 0 votes, rated)
Loading...
