Portugal lost before facing Vietnam

*Score: van der Gragt 13'

The only goal of the game was scored early in the first half, from midfielder Stefanie van der Gragt. "Number 3" went up to participate in the corner, and bounced high to press Tatiana Pinto to head diagonally into the net of goalkeeper Ines Pereira. The line umpire raised the flag for offside as Jill Roord stood under the Portuguese defence. However, after consulting VAR, the referee recognized the goal for the Netherlands because "number 6" was not involved in the ball situation.

This defeat left Portugal empty-handed like Vietnam, before the two teams met in the second round of Group E on July 27. Both are rookies in the World Cup. In the opening match yesterday, Vietnam lost 0-3 to the defending champion USA.

This match, Portugal looks forward to Jessica Silva, the striker who won the Champions League with Lyon (France) in the 2019-2020 season and has just won a double with Benfica in Portugal. However, Silva - having played 100 games for Portugal - failed to show much in front of right-back Sherida Spitse's tackle. In the second half, Silva switched to the right wing. The 28-year-old striker cut into Dominique Janssen's position, but midfielder Stefanie van der Gragt always read the situation well, rushing to cover effectively.

Mainly attacking the left wing in the first 70 minutes, Portugal could not create any dangerous ball. Coach Francisco Neto then directed the students to switch to the right wing, cut into Dominique Janssen's position and started to have good attacking situations. In the 82nd minute, they got their first shot on target of the game, when new substitute Telma Encarrnacao slipped down, broke the ball into Dominique Janssen's grip, and shot wide that goalkeeper Daphane van Domselaar struggled to save.

This match the Netherlands excelled in terms of stats, holding the ball 57%, launching 12 shots, six times more than the opponent's. But the attacking performance of the orange shirt team is not high. Lineth Beerensteyn is arranged in the center of the ball, has a superior physique, presses and accelerates well, but always makes the decision to pass or shoot ineffectively.

In the 52nd minute, the Netherlands had another favorable opportunity to double the gap in a quick counterattack "two against two". However, Lineth Beerensteyn kept the ball too long, not passing it to a teammate who was waiting in a favorable position. Danielle van de Donk then got the ball from the second line, but due to high speed and being followed closely by the opponent's defender, he could only shoot right away, hitting the chosen goalkeeper position. Dutch fans will remember striker Vivianne Miedema. The 27-year-old striker is the highest scorer for the Netherlands in history, with 95 goals in 115 official matches. However, she broke a ligament in December 2022, so she missed the 2023 World Cup.

Winning 1-0, the Netherlands ranked second in Group E with the same three points as the United States, but with a goal difference (+1 versus +3).