- One goal enough for the Oranje
- Rust to shake off after tournament opener
- Portuguese look a little toothless
TELL ME MORE: The Dutch, with current England boss Sarina Wiegman at the helm, fell at the final hurdle four years ago as they came unstuck against the all-conquering USWNT. The plan is to go one step further in Australia and New Zealand.
And they made a perfect start to that quest after edging out plucky Portuguese opposition in a contest that the Oranje dominated for long periods, but also looked rusty at times. They recorded the earliest goal of the Women’s World Cup so far, breaking the deadlock in the 13th minute.
Stefanie van der Gragt rose highest to meet a corner from the right, with her powerful header nestling in the back of the net. The flag initially went up for offside but, following a VAR review, it was determined that Jill Roord had not impeded the goalkeeper and the effort stood.
The Dutch created a number of half-chances from there, as they largely kept Portugal at arm’s length, with Danielle van de Donk squandering a decent opportunity early in the second-half as she fired straight at Ines Pereira when presented with a clear sight of the target. There were to be no more goals, with Portugal losing their first ever World Cup game.
THE MVP: Netherlands skipper Sherida Spitse was winning her 217th cap, which is some achievement in itself. The Ajax star is still only 33 years of age, so there may be many more outings to come. She helped to keep the Dutch ticking over in the middle of the park, but it was her delivery from set-pieces that really caught the eye. It was her corner that was hung up for Van der Gragt to nod home, and at least one other set-piece could have been converted had more been made of her pinpoint crosses.
THE BIG LOSER: Jessica Silva and namesake Diana Silva have 35 international goals and close to 200 caps between them, with the pair expected to carry Portuguese hopes. They were, however, starved of service throughout a difficult 90 minutes against the well-drilled Dutch, and often found themselves running down blind alleys when making rare forays into the final third of the field. Portugal will need to find a way of getting their forwards involved in more dangerous areas if they are to make any kind of impact Down Under.
MATCH IN THREE PHOTOS:
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GettyWHAT NEXT? The Netherlands are set to be reunited with the United States in their second Group E encounter on July 27, with Portugal facing Vietnam on the same day as they seek to kick-start their World Cup campaign.
MATCH RATING: ⭐⭐