It’s finally here! The U.S. are ready to begin their World Cup vs. Vietnam. PLUS: Nigeria goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie kept Canada scoreless and Spain’s Aitana Bonmati put on a show vs. Costa Rica.
The 2023 Women’s World Cup is in full swing, and these daily files will give you the latest reporting from around the 2023 World Cup as well as betting lines, what-to-watch-for information and best reads. Check in with ESPN throughout the tournament as we bring you the latest from Australia and New Zealand.
It’s finally here! After much anticipation, coach Vlatko Andonovski’s side will face Vietnam on Friday night (U.S. time) and get its World Cup underway. It’ll be a vastly different team to previous tournaments — fully 14 of this squad are making their first appearances at the World Cup — but the talent, depth and determination is there to put on a show.
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Every elite team knows a strong start is vital at this level, and at the 2019 edition, the U.S. opened proceedings in France with a 13-0 thrashing of Thailand, with Alex Morgan scoring five times. What will Friday night bring? Anything less than a comfortable victory might have fans feeling nervous.
USWNT stars Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle will open the 2023 World Cup on limited minutes as Andonovski looks to ensure everyone stays fit and available for selection.
Canada forward Christine Sinclair missed a chance to become the first men’s or women’s player ever to score in six World Cups when her second-half penalty against Nigeria was saved.
England have struggled with injuries of late, but received a big boost when defender and new captain Millie Bright was passed fit to start the Lionesses’ opener vs. Haiti.
A tough blow for Zambia as key midfielder Grace Chanda was hospitalised and ruled out of the World Cup.
« We’re preparing to see the best Vietnam team that has ever been on the field, and if that is the team that we saw against Germany, that’s what we’re preparing for. »
— U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski is taking nothing for granted against Vietnam as Jeff Carlisle previews the moment every USWNT fan has been waiting for: the first U.S. game of this 2023 World Cup.
Reaction from both sides as Canada were denied a win at the Women’s World Cup by a penalty save from Nigeria’s Chiamaka Nnadozie.
MELBOURNE/NAARM, Australia — You could sense the narrative building almost as soon as Francisca Ordega brought Christine Sinclair to the turf at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on Friday afternoon.
After being repelled by the Nigerian defence across the first 45 minutes of their opening World Cup match, a VAR review meant Canada’s living legend had the chance to bypass all that scoring-from-open-play nonsense just minutes into the second stanza, and could have provided her resolute backline with a one-goal lead to defend from the penalty spot.
Grab a penalty and defend — it wasn’t the most attractive of approaches, but one that had already delivered Bev Priestman’s side a gold medal in Tokyo two years prior.
Chiamaka Nnadozie, though, didn’t get the memo. Diving down low to her left, the 22-year-old stuck out a strong hand to deny Sinclair’s initial effort and quickly sprung across to scramble away any potential follow-up, sending Sinclair once again to the turf, where she remained ruefully on the grass for a few extra seconds, processing, as the young keeper — who went on to be named player of the game — was mobbed by teammates above her.
« She’s one of the best young goalkeepers in the world right now, » Nigeria coach Randy Waldrum proclaimed postgame. — Joey Lynch
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Aitana Bonmati pulled the strings as Spain opened their campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win against Costa Rica at a cold and wet Wellington Regional Stadium. The talk before the game was about whether Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas would be fit to start — she didn’t, though she came on to a good reception from the crowd with 15 minutes to play — but it was her Barcelona teammate who took home the player of the match award.
Bonmati scored Spain’s second, cutting on to her left foot and finishing neatly, but it was her timing and technique that stole the show. She seemed to be playing a different game to her opponents, driving forward gracefully and delivering passes which were both weighted and timed to perfection.
With her in this form and Putellas getting valuable minutes off the bench, Spain deserve to be considered among the favourites. But they will face tougher tests than Costa Rica, who kept the scoreline down thanks to their overworked goalkeeper Daniela Solera — she was so busy she ended up getting cramp. Solera made nine saves, including one from Jenni Hermoso’s first-half penalty. She couldn’t keep out Bonmati’s effort, though, which was sandwiched between a Valeria Del Campo own goal and an Esther Gonzalez strike. — Marsden
Sam Marsden praises Aitana Bonmati’s performance in Spain’s 3-0 win over Costa Rica at the Women’s World Cup.
It was nearly a debut to remember for the Philippines when playmaker Katrina Guillou stroked the ball into the back of the net a quarter of an hour into the tie, only for it to be called back for an offside call. In the end, it ended up being the brightest moment for the debutantes, who dug deep but ultimately succumbed to the far more experienced Swiss team who, after taking the lead in first half stoppage time for the spot, wrapped the win up with a scrappy goal after Oliva McDaniel had made a double-save but failed to fully clear the danger.
