Day five of World Cup action signalled the completion of the first round of group stage matches, with pre-tournament contenders USA and the Netherlands involved overnight.
NEW ZEALAND V NETHERLANDS
It was late heartbreak for New Zealand in their opening match of Group E, as the Netherlands found a stoppage-time winner to snatch the points in Le Havre.
Despite conceding the majority of possession, the Football Ferns nearly took the lead inside the opening stages. Olivia Chance tried her luck from just outside the box, being denied a glorious goal by the crossbar.
The counter-attacking strategy nearly provided dividends again in the 34th minute, with Rosie White’s incredible half-volley only kept out by a brilliant save from Dutch goalkeeper Sari van Veenendaal.
The Netherlands continued to press forward in the second half, with Vivianne Miedema forcing a fine reflex save from Erin Nayler in the 75th minute.
Substitute Jill Roord was the one to make the decisive contribution though, her composed header in the box handing the European champions a late victory.
ER IS MAAR 1️⃣ WOORD
Jill…
ROOOOOOOOOOOOORD 💪💪💪#FIFAWWC | #DareToShine | #NZLNED | #NED pic.twitter.com/ErVJyzpioh
— Emma Coolen, FIFA (@FIFAWWC_NED) June 11, 2019
New Zealand 0
Netherlands 1 (Roord 90+2′)
CHILE V SWEDEN
Two late goals gave Sweden three points in the first match of Group F, breaking down a resilient Chile side in Rennes.
The Swedes were relentless in their pressure during the first half, but a world-class save from Christiane Endler denied Nilla Fischer the opening goal in the 34th minute.
A second-half thunderstorm made conditions difficult for both sides, eventually forcing referee Lucila Venegas to delay the match in the 72nd minute due to the risk of lightning.
The chance to regroup seemed to favour Sweden, and they finally found a breakthrough in the 83rd minute through Kosovare Asslani.
Substitute Madelen Janogy would seal the result in stoppage time with a fantastic solo effort, dribbling past two defenders before blasting a shot past Endler.
Signed, sealed and delivered for #SWE courtesy of a brilliant Madelen Janogy solo effort.#FIFAWWC #OptusSport pic.twitter.com/1ZSgS51mpi
— Optus Sport (@OptusSport) June 11, 2019
Chile 0
Sweden 2 (Asslani 83′, Janogy 90+2′)
USA V THAILAND
A ruthless USA notched up a record-breaking victory in Reims, scoring ten goals in a brutal second half to secure a 13-0 win over Thailand.
Jill Ellis’ side were relentless from the start, opening the scoring after 12 minutes as Alex Morgan converted a free header at the back post. Morgan then turned provider for Rose Lavelle’s brilliant long-range strike in the 20th minute, before Lindsey Horan stabbed home a loose ball in the box after a Tobin Heath free-kick to make it 3-0 at half time.
The World Cup holders started the second half like the first, Samantha Mewis’ deflected shot finding the back of the net just five minutes after the break. In just a matter of moments, the rampant Americans had scored another three as Morgan, Mewis and Lavelle all picked up their second goals of the match.
There's strong starts, and then there's ꜱᴛʀᴏɴɢ starts…@USWNT | #USATHA | #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/Q9USN6AFA5
— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) June 11, 2019
After a brief lull in the scoring, Morgan picked up her hat-trick in the 74th minute and triggered another flurry of goals. Megan Rapinoe and substitutes Mallory Pugh and Carli Lloyd got on the scoresheet, while Morgan added her fourth and fifth goals of the match to make her an early favourite for the golden boot.
The result eclipses Germany’s 11-0 win over Argentina in the first match of the 2007 World Cup, while Alex Morgan also equalled Michelle Akers’ record of scoring five goals in a single match.
USA 13 (Morgan 12′ 53’ 74’ 81’ 87’, Lavelle 20′ 56’, Horan 32′, Mewis 50′ 54′, Rapinoe 79′, Pugh 85′, Lloyd 90+3′)
Thailand 0
