Jeff Kassouf has filed his report from Auckland. That’s my cue to wrap this blog up, but please join Sarah Rendell for the (other) big game: England v China, kick off in precisely 79 minutes.
Thanks for your company and emails. Congratulations to Portugal, commiserations to the USA. Bye!
Match report: Vietnam 0-7 Netherlands
Alex Morgan’s reaction
It’s tough to finish second. We gave everything; we just didn’t put the ball in the back of the net. In the last few minutes we just had to hold it down, get the result and move on. It’s not the result we wanted, but we move forward.
It’s just not going in the back of the net. We had so many corners, so many opportunities, we got the crosses in. We’ve been unlucky, at times we haven’t followed through with shots or made the right decisions in front of goal – all that combined.
“The FOX chuckleheads are blaming youth,” says Robyn Schelenz, “but I thought Morgan and Rapinoe were pretty ineffectual ... and again if the youth don’t know what they’re doing, who is to blame?”
I thought Morgan looked quite sharp in the second half, though Rapinoe was ineffectual when she came on. It probably didn’t help that the team was so disjointed. Apart from a dominant spell around the hour mark, the USA were almost bewilderingly poor.
“I stayed up all night for this?” sniffs Lance Berc. “Sheesh!”
Watch Capeta hit the post for Portugal
The reaction on the sideline is beautiful/heartbreaking.
#POR were inches away from taking the #USA's place in the knockout rounds of this #FIFAWWC 😫 pic.twitter.com/lZ5yndOHa8
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) August 1, 2023
Portugal was this close 😬 pic.twitter.com/UMIZnAqyib
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) August 1, 2023
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Full time: Vietnam 0-7 Netherlands
The Netherlands have won Group E after hammering Vietnam. You can get reaction to that game with Sarah Rendell.
This is the USA’s worst performance in the group stage of a World Cup, and it means they will almost certainly face Sweden in the last 16. They’ll know for sure this time tomorrow. If they get through that, Japan or Norway will be their quarter-final opponents.
Read more about Ana Capeta, the former goalkeeper who came this close to scoring one of the most famous goals in Women’s World Cup history. She’d been on the field for less than two minutes.
Full time: Portugal 0-0 USA
Peep peep! The USA have gone through with a whimper. At least they reached the last 16, but this was an awful night for the holders. They were disjointed, listless and increasingly grumpy. The body language at the final whistle says it all. After a 0-0 draw, both teams look they have lost.
Some of the Portugal players are in tears. In time, they will reflect on their World Cup debut with immense pride. Failure doesn’t come much more glorious, and they were inches away from a seismic shock when the substitute Ana Capeta whistled a shot against the post in injury-time.
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90+7 min Double substitution for the USA Alyssa Thompson and Kelley O’Hara replace Alex Morgan and Crystal Dunn.
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90+6 min Rapinoe completely mishits a volley from the edge of the area. The USA – and I can’t quite believe I’m typing this – are hanging on against Portugal.
90+5 min: Another half-chance for Portugal! Marchao drives a free-kick into the USA area from the halfway line. Naeher charges off her line, gets nowhere near the ball and is extremely relieved to see it bounce through everyone and wide of the far post. That was awful goalkeeping.
90+2 min What a moment! Ana Capeta, who has just come onto the field, almost caused an earthquake with her first two touches. Pinto’s speculative long ball was headed on by the stretching Encarnacao towards Capeta. She anticipated it better than the USA defenders, knocked the ball into space and whistled a fierce low drive from the edge of the area. It beat the diving Naeher and thumped the base of the post.
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90+1 min: Capeta has hit the post! I do not believe it.
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90+1 min Rapinoe puts Morgan through in the inside-left channel, but the angle is tight and she sprays wide of the near post under pressure.
90 min There will be e-i-g-h-t minutes of added time.
90 min: Double substitution for Portugal Ana Capeta and Joana Marchao replace Catarina Amado and Diana Silva.
87 min Lavelle drops a corner under the bar, where Pereira is flattened by Sonnett. She might have been booked for that.
A Portuguese player was booked just before the corner; I think it was Amado.
While Pereira receives treatment, the USA have another team meeting on the touchline.
86 min “Possibly the most impressive thing that Portugal has done so far today, and it’s a long list, is riding out the storm of American attacks without panicking,” writes Kári Tulinius. “They just kept playing, regained control of the midfield, and now we’re back as we were.”
In the first half, certainly, I thought they worked the ball really neatly through midfield. The second half has been pretty one-sided.
85 min The Netherlands are now 7-0 up.
84 min Morgan cuts inside from the left and drives a low shot that is held to her right by Pereira. A decent save, though I think Morgan was offside in the build up.
84 min: Double substitution for the USA Trinity Rodman and Emily Sonnett replace Lynn Williams and Lindsey Horan.
83 min “The only person who knows what buttons to push for this team seems to be Daniëlle van de Donk,” says Robyn Schelenz. “And she’s indisposed at the moment.”
That game is still 6-0 (I think), so even if the US score here they will finish second in Group E.
82 min A heartstopping moment for the US. The free-kick reaches Costa beyond the far post on the left. She smashes a cross that is fumbled by Naeher, but there are no Portugal players around to put away the loose ball.
81 min: Portugal substitution Telma Encarnacao, who scored against Vietnam, replaces Andreia Norton.
81 min Girma is booked for a cynical foul on Jessica Silva 35 yards from goal.
80 min According to the English commentary I’m listening to, Kika Nazareth went off because of a hamstring injury.
79 min “Props to Aly Wagner in booth: told truth about Megpoe’s touches v Vietnam and lack of defensive prowess for current dilemma,” says Mike Chiropolos. “Speaks volumes coming from a former teammate. Think another former teammate weighed in with essentially the same sentiment from outside the booth.”
78 min Jessica Silva shoves Sullivan over the touchline, a gratuitous foul for which she might have been booked. I’m not sure the referee even gave a free-kick.
77 min The USA are still miles short of their best, but they have had more control of this game in the second half. And ultimately, for all Portugal’s heroism, Alyssa Naeher hasn’t had a save to make.
74 min It’s still 0-0…
73 min “Is it just me or is there a real size disparity between the two teams?” writes Ursolin Waxoh. “The Americans seem much taller than their opponents. Whenever I see Lindsey Horan, she looks twice as big as any Portuguese midfielder.
“It’s somewhat significant (I predict it will make a difference later in set pieces) but not much: one of the most wonderful things about football is that, unlike other sports, genius comes in all shapes and sizes. Still, if Portugal do manage an upset, it will be a giant-slaying in more than one sense.”
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72 min Diana Gomes gets a yellow card for a foul on Morgan, whose movement in the second half has been much sharper. Gomes will miss the next match if Portugal do get through.
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71 min Portugal are looking tired now. They have played heroically, but with Nazareth off the field they are struggling to create openings never mind chances.
69 min “Whenever I see this team play I remember a few things,” writes Sérgio. “There are only 10,000 registered players in the Portugal, in all age groups. No more than four fully pro teams in the league. Not a single player plays for a top club in the big five leagues. Our manager is the same from 10 years ago, when 99.9% of Portuguese people weren’t aware this team existed.
“Most of these players started when practice was at 10pm and women’s football wasn’t even an afterthought, and even players didn’t watch women’s games. They play for them, and above all for all the generations that have come and gone dreaming of this day. Only by channelling their collective love of football can they put up this incredible performance against a country with pretty much infinite resources and history.”
They’re already had an outstanding World Cup debut. Imagine if they win this game!
68 min Diana Silva is okay to continue.
67 min Diana Silva has been down for a couple of minutes. She ran into Williams’s elbow while defending that Rapinoe corner, although I’d like to see a replay to be sure there was no funny business. Either way, she’s still down.
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66 min “Are you sure,” writes Peter Oh, “the alarm bells weren’t coming from the USWNT ivory tower?”
65 min Here’s more on the alarm at the start of the second half.
Stadium PA: "The reason for the earlier alarm was a false alarm and it is clear to return to your seats." https://t.co/hYEz65nDMO
— Jeff Kassouf (@JeffKassouf) August 1, 2023
64 min Rapinoe and Morgan combine to win a corner for the USA, who are well on top now. Rapinoe’s driven corner is flicked on and wide of the near post by Ertz.
62 min: Portugal substitution Andreia Jacinton replaces Kika Nazareth. That must be due to injury because Nazareth, though quieter in the second half, has been Portugal’s most dangerous attacker.
61 min: USA substitution Sophia Smith is replaced by Megan Rapinoe, who barks encouragement in every direction as she runs onto the field.
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60 min Lavelle dinks a golf shot of a free-kick towards Williams, who heads wide from a tightish angle.
60 min Lavelle, whose dribbling is suddenly causing Portugal all sorts of problems, seems to be tripped on the edge of the area. The referee waves play on but moments later the USA get a free-kick 35 yards from goal.
59 min It’s now Vietnam 0-6 Netherlands in the other Group E game.
58 min For the first time in the game, it feels like a USA goal is in the post. Lavelle wins the ball just inside the Portugal half, beats two players through sleight of hip but then overhits a simple pass to Smith. That was a chance.
57 min Lavelle floats the resulting free-kick towards Morgan, who heads over from six yards. She was jumping backwards and couldn’t get over the ball.
56 min Carole Costa is booked for pulling back Morgan on the right edge of the area.
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53 min: Gomes clears off the line! That’s much better from the USA. Horan collects a loose pass on the halfway line, surges forward and angles a through pass to Morgan in the area. She moves smoothly around the outrushing Pereira, and screws a lot shot towards goal from a very tight angle. Diana Gomes, perfectly positioned, boots it behind for a corner. Replays show that Morgan’s shot would probably have hit the outside of the post anyway.
52 min Smith is booked for hoofing Diana Silva in the face. That makes it sound worse than it was; she was going for the ball, albeit a little clumsily, and caught Silva in the process. A yellow card was fair enough.
52 min “Am I missing Vlakto’s secret genius?” asks Robyn Schelenz. “Because when an extremely talented group doesn’t cohere that’s usually blamed on one person, in any sport.”
I’m always loath to judge at this stage, because teams can suddenly click during a World Cup. That’s happened a few times in the men’s game. But at the moment they look pedestrian at besat.
50 min A slow start to the second half, with a couple of niggly fouls on both sides. There’s an alarm going off in the stadium complex, though nobody seems too oh lord where’s my thesaurus this is going to be bad alarmed.
48 min Lavelle tries a shot on the turn from 20 yards. Over the bar.
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47 min “If the USWNT loses to Portugal,” says Kurt Perleberg, “what happens to USWNT manager Vlatko Andonovski & USWNT general manager Kate Markgraf?”
That’s not really for me to say, but in the UK it’s known as a P45.
46 min Peep peep! Portugal get the second half under way.
“Astonishing match,” writes João André. “This is the female equivalent of Bolivia going to their first WC in 1994 and playing on equal footing against an (admittedly weaker) Germany.
“This is a curious situation. The Portuguese players do not have the same physical levels as the Americans, but as the latter have hardly been substituted, who knows who will come out top physically at the end of the match. The Portuguese are obviously expecting to freshen things up in the second half with fresh legs.
“Love Nazareth, but I do believe you are missing the wonderful stitching job Andreia Norton (#8) is doing in midfield against the (somewhat tame) American press. Can’t wait for the second half.”
You’re probably right – it’s a peculiarity of these liveblogs that you don’t see all of the football, because you spend half the time either typing or reading/editing emails. That means the subtler players like Norton often go unnoticed, whereas highlights players (for want of a better phrase) like Nazareth get more attention.
Half time: Portugal 0-0 USA
Another uncomfortable half of football for the USA. Lynn Williams had a couple of good chances, but that aside they really struggled in attack. Portugal dominated possession, with Kika Nazareth outstanding, and missed an early chance of their own through Jessica Silva.
With the Netherlands beating Vietnam 5-0, the USA’s chances of winning Group E are almost non-existent. Of far greater importance is that they finish second and qualify for the last 16. As things stand, they are through, but a Portugal goal would change all that.
45+2 min: Chance for Williams! Lynn Williams almost scores on the stroke of half-time. Girma dumped a routine ball in the Portugal box, where Williams came on the blindside of Borges to control the ball on the thigh. It bounced up slightly awkwardly and she hooked a shot straight at Pereira.
45 min Two minutes of added time.
43 min Physician…
WAKE UPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) August 1, 2023
IT'S TIME FOR KICKOFF!!!!
📺 FOX / Telemundo, Peacock pic.twitter.com/IrfucY5OAB
42 min Portugal are dominating possession, as they have for most of the first half. The longer this stays at 0-0, the more the USA will think the unthinkable.
40 min Nazareth, the best player on the pitch in the first half, cuts across a drive from 25 yards that swirls just over the bar. Naeher had it covered but it was a lovely effort.
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39 min Lavelle is booked for a lunge at Dolores Silva. That’s bad news for the USA: Lavelle will be suspended for their last-16 game. If there is one.
38 min That spell of US pressure has passed. They really are struggling here.
35 min Nazareth plays another dangerous through ball towards Jessica Silva. This time Girma reads it well and sweeps up. Nazareth is a lovely footballer.
33 min As things stand, the USA’s probable route to the semi-finals would be Sweden in the last 16, then Japan or Norway in the quarter-finals.
31 min For the first time in the game, the USA are starting to build some pressure. This is fascinating stuff – all logic suggests they will be okay, but as things stand we’re only one goal away from possibly the biggest shock in Women’s World Cup history.
28 min In real time it looked like Morgan ran the ball out of play but replays suggest it was extremely tight.
Another big chance for the @USWNT! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/KZvHLzxoY9
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) August 1, 2023
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27 min: Great chance for Williams! Morgan gets round the back of on the left and moves into the area. She’s surrounded by defenders and seems to run the ball over the goalline but play continues. Her cutback takes a deflection and is blocked by Pereira, who then makes a brilliant follow-up save from Williams. The ball bounces back to Williams, who lifts it over from five yards. She should have scored, though whether it would have counted we don’t know.
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25 min The goalkeeper Pereira is down after being clattered by Morgan. She’s fine.
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23 min It’s now 4-0 in Dunedin. Breaking news: the USA aren’t going to win Group E.
22 min Sullivan’s corner is punched away well under pressure by Pereira.
22 min Smith turns Borges neatly on the left, eventually forcing Pinto to concede a corner…
20 min The US are struggling here. Portugal have probably been the better team in the first 20 minutes; they have certainly been the tidier team in possession.
18 min The Netherlands are already 3-0 up against Vietnam. Esmee Brugts has just scored a spectacular goal.
15 min: Chance for Portugal! This isn’t going to plan for the USA. The centre-back Diana Gomes fires an excellent pass into Nazareth in the centre circle. She plays an even better ball to put Jessica Silva through on goal in the inside-right channel, but she shoots tamely wide from the edge of the area. That was the best chance so far.
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14 min Smith drives a very deep, angled cross towards Williams. She strains her neck muscles to head back across goal towards Morgan, but Pereira is quickly off her line to claim.
12 min Make that two early goals in Dunedin. As things stand, the USA will go through as runners-up in Group E.
11 min Nazareth plays a give-and-go with Pinto on the edge of the area, forcing Sullivan (I think) to make an important tackle.
10 min There’s been an early goal in Dunedin. You will believe the score!
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9 min Portugal have made a pretty composed start, in and out of possession. Pinto, on the right, slides a nice ball back towards Norton on the edge of the area. She runs onto the ball with purpose but spanks a first-time drive over the bar.
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6 min Horan’s cross from the left is blootered wide on the volley by Morgan. She did well to get across Costa at the near post, but it was a very difficult angle from which to score.
4 min Lavelle’s inswinging corner is headed on by Williams and claimed by Pereira.
3 min: Chance for the US Williams finds space on the right and slides a low cross towards the near post. Morgan gets in front of Diana Gomes and stabs a shot that deflects off the stretching Gomes and behind for a corner.
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2 min Portugal have started with a back four and a midfield diamond. Something like this.
Portugal (4-D-2) Pereira; Borges, D Gomes, C Costa, Amado; Dolores Silva; T Pinto, Norton; Nazareth; J Silva, Diana Silva.
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1 min Peep peep! The US get the game under way.
The anthems As in previous games, some of the USA players didn’t sing. There’s a calm, rational, two-eyed discussion of the subject on Twitter right now.
Here come the players. These players, to be precise.
Portugal (possible 5-2-1-2) Pereira; T Pinto, Borges, C Costa, D Gomes, Amado; Dolores Silva, Norton; Nazareth; J Silva, Diana Silva.
Substitutes: Morais, R Costa, Alves, Rebelo, Marchao, Jacinto, Rute, F Pinto, Seica, Mendes, Capeta, Encarnacao.
USA (possible 4-1-2-3) Naeher; Fox, Ertz, Girma, Dunn; Sullivan; Lavelle, Horan; Williams, Morgan, Smith.
Substitutes: DeMelo, Rodman, Sanchez, Huerta, O’Hara, Thompson, Cook, Sonnett, Rapinoe, Murphy, Kingsbury, Mewis.
Referee Rebecca Welch (England).
If Portugal are to cause an almighty shock, chances are the brilliant Kika Nazareth will have something to do with it.
Vietnam v Netherlands will take place simultaneously in Dunedin. You can follow that game with Sarah Rendell.
Bring ‘em on out 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/adCv82Qage
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) August 1, 2023
Portugal team news: six changes from Vietnam victory
Francisco Neto has changed more than half the team that beat Vietnam 2-0 on Thursday.
In Ines Pereira, Diana Gomes, Catarina Amado, Andreia Norton, Dolores Silva, Diana Silva.
Out Patricia Morais, Ana Seica, Lucia Alves, Andreia Jacinto, Joana Marchao, Telma Encarnacao.
Portugal (possible 5-2-1-2) Pereira; T Pinto, Borges, C Costa, D Gomes, Amado; Dolores Silva, Norton; Nazareth; J Silva, Diana Silva.
Substitutes: Morais, R Costa, Alves, Rebelo, Marchao, Jacinto, Rute, F Pinto, Seica, Mendes, Capeta, Encarnacao.
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USA team news: Lavelle and Williams start
The US make two changes from the draw with the Netherlands. Lynn Williams and Rose Lavelle replace Savannah DeMelo and Trinity Rodman. It’s Lavelle’s first start of this World Cup; she has been eased into the tournament by Vlatko Andonovski as she recovers from a knee injury.
We’ll have the Portugal team news shortly.
USA (possible 4-1-2-3) Naeher; Fox, Ertz, Girma, Dunn; Sullivan; Lavelle, Horan; Williams, Morgan, Smith.
Substitutes: DeMelo, Rodman, Sanchez, Huerta, O’Hara, Thompson, Cook, Sonnett, Rapinoe, Murphy, Kingsbury, Mewis.
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Preamble
Hello and welcome … to live, minute-by-minute(ish) coverage of Portugal v USA in Auckland. Life is binary these days, and there are broadly two ways today’s match can go. Either the USA will proceed to the last 16 as expected, or Portugal will cause one of the greatest earthquakes in the history of the women’s football.
Assuming the Netherlands beat Vietnam in the other Group E game, this is a straight shootout for a last 16 place: Portugal need a win, the USA will go through with a draw.
The USA have never failed to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup, never mind the last 16. They’re chasing a third consecutive World Cup win and a fifth overall. A defeat today would be entirely without precedent.
Realistically they should have too much for Portugal; they’ve won all ten meetings between the sides, scoring 39 and conceding none. If so, the USA will then become involved in a shootout with the Netherlands to decide who wins Group E. It won’t be confirmed until tomorrow, but the likelihood is that the runners-up will meet Sweden in the last 16, with the winners facing either Italy or South Africa.
The group winners could also face Spain in a mouthwatering quarter-final. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves now. Before we can talk about tomorrow, there is rather important business to attend to.
Kick off 7pm in Auckland, 3am EST, 8am BST.
Rob will be here shortly, in the meantime here’s Jeff Kassouf with a preview of today’s match:
Four years ago, the United States steamrolled their way through the Women’s World Cup, scoring in the opening 12 minutes of their first six games on their march to a second straight title.
Their start to the 2023 World Cup has been less dominant. A 3-0 victory over Vietnam in their opener was satisfactory for a brand-new starting 11, even if they were wasteful in front of goal. Then came a horrendous first-half against the Netherlands. USA captain Lindsey Horan eventually salvaged a point for her team against the Dutch, but the mood was one of disappointment not only at the result, but also the performance.
Now the Americans are in unfamiliar territory: they must pick up at least a point against Portugal on Tuesday in Auckland to secure passage to the knockout round. They are heavy favorites to win the game, but their performances thus far have only raised further questions of a team that has not looked this unsure of itself in a long time.
“I think being on the US women’s national team kind of always feels like this,” said Megan Rapinoe, who is playing in her fourth and final World Cup. “When was the last time anybody wrote a headline that was like: ‘They played the best game and that’s exactly what we were expecting them to’? No. When you’re at the top, you’re always looking to get better.”
You can read the full article below:
