Day 3 of the FIFA Women’s World Cup saw two-time reigning champions United States take its bow at this tournament, but it wasn’t so straight forward for the Stars and Stripes.
The Americans were expected to blow out Vietnam, but the World Cup debutantes kept things close against the No. 1 ranked team in the world who were made to work for the victory.
Also on Friday, former World Cup winners Japan put the hammer down against tournament newcomer Zambia, European champions England edged Haiti in its World Cup debut, and Denmark snatched a late goal to beat China.
The Results
Group E: United States 3, Vietnam 0 (in Auckland) – Game stats || Report
Group B: Zambia 0, Japan 5 (in Hamilton) – Game stats || Report
Group D: England 1, Haiti 0 (in Brisbane) – Game stats || Report
Group D: Denmark 1, China 0 (in Perth) – Game stats || Report
Main Talking Points
Next generation comes up big for the U.S.
Rather than heavily rely on his veterans, U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski turned to his youngsters on Saturday and was handsomely rewarded for showing faith in them. Per Opta stats, the U.S. team that took to the pitch had an average of 74.2 caps, making it the least experienced American starting 11 in a World Cup match since 1995.
Most notably, 22-year-old forward Sophia Smith bagged a brace and collected an assist in her World Cup debut. Midfielder Savannah DeMelo, 25, is the first player in team history to play in a World Cup match in one of her first two appearances for her country. Forward Alyssa Thompson became the second-youngest player to appear for the U.S. at the World Cup (18 years, 257 days). Defender Naomi Girma, 23, looked like a veteran, and not someone who was playing in her first tournament.
“I don’t want to say ‘relief’ or ‘surprise.’ I wholeheartedly [believed] that these players are capable of doing what they did,” Andonovski told reporters after the game.
Newcomers Zambia no match for heavyweights Japan
At No. 77, Zambia is the lowest-ranked team at this tournament, and the Copper Queens looked every bit of it on Saturday in their first ever World Cup match. The 5-0 loss to Japan, ranked No. 11, rather flattered the Africans, who were badly outplayed and outclassed by the former World Cup champions on the day. Honestly, the damage could have been far worse for Zambia.
The Japanese registered 26 total shots, 11 of which were on target. The Zambians? Zero. Japan’s free-flowing attack was simply too much for Zambia to deal with, as Futoshi Ikeda’s side created a slew of scoring opportunities with their sharp and quick ball movement, and their sublime passing display (the Japanese completed a remarkable 602 passes).
It’s difficult to see a way forward for Zambia at this tournament, especially after backup goalkeeper Catherine Musonda was sent off late vs. Japan, which means she’ll be suspended for the team’s next game. Musonda started in place of Hazel Nali, who was ruled out of the World Cup due to injury.
Tough time for England vs. newcomers Haiti
England kicked off its World Cup campaign by earning three points, but it was far from easy for the European champions against World Cup debutantes Haiti.
The Lionesses needed a retaken penalty by Georgia Stanway to put away Les Grenadières — goalkeeper Kerly Theus stopped Stanway’s first attempt but was judged to have come off her line before the Bayern Munich player fired her attempt on goal, thus necessitating a do-over.
England sits 49 spots above fledgling Haiti in the current FIFA rankings, but the tiny Concacaf nation gave as good as it got against the Europeans, causing plenty of problems for the English team’s high-pressing fullbacks with their speed down the wings on the counterattack.
Goal of the Day
Some patient buildup play by the Americans resulted in them opening the scoring against Vietnam in the 14th minute. Lindsey Horan played a raking ball for Alex Morgan, whose no-look flick pass released Sophia Smith into the penalty area. Smith took a touch before beating Vietnam goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh through her legs.
Moment of the Day
Vietnam kept the game closer against the U.S. than most expected, thanks in small part to goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh’s save on Alex Morgan’s first-half penalty attempt.
Quote of the Day
“[Our starting 11 had] never been on the field together in a game scenario for one minute and to see some of the connections and some of the combinations that they were able to do was very positive.” — U.S coach Vlatko Andonovski
Three Stars of the Day
1. Sophia Smith, United States: The 22-year-old forward marked his tournament debut by becoming the second-youngest U.S. women’s player to score two goals in a World Cup match. She also had an assist on co-captain Lindsey Horan’s goal in the second half.
2. Hinata Miyazawa, Japan: The young midfielder broke Zambia’s resistance with a goal just before halftime and then scored Japan’s third in the 62nd minute to put the game away.
3. Alessia Russo, England: The Arsenal forward didn’t score, but she put in a solid, hard-working shift by winning back possession in the final third six times vs. Haiti.
Looking Ahead
Three European giants will kick off their World Cup campaigns on Sunday. Sweden, ranked No. 3 in the world, faces South Africa in the Group G opener in Wellington, New Zealand. The Netherlands (No. 9) tangles with Portugal in Group E play from Dunedin. The day finishes off with France (No. 5) taking on Jamaica in Group F action from Sydney.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic can be found here.
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