Sports activities Information
The US will play the Netherlands in a 2019 Ladies’s World Cup rematch.
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AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — The US and the Netherlands meet once more on the Ladies’s World Cup stage — with smaller stakes than the 2019 title sport received by the People — and the Dutch group gathering accidents at a horrible time of the match.
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The Netherlands will almost certainly be with out ahead Lineth Beerensteyn, who was damage early in her group’s 1-0 victory over Portugal to open the match, after they play the People on Thursday in New Zealand’s capital metropolis of Wellington.
The People are the two-time reigning World Cup champions and Netherlands coach Andries Jonker mentioned on the eve of the match “we would wish a miracle” for Beerensteyn to be able to play.
”And if that doesn’t occur, then she received’t take part,” he mentioned.
The Netherlands got here to the match in Australia and New Zealand already lacking main scorer Vivianne Miedema, who ruptured her ACL whereas taking part in for Arsenal in December. The ahead is the Netherlands’ main scorer with 95 objectives.
Simply earlier than the group’s first match towards Portugal in Dunedin, Miedema posted a photo of herself on social media as a bit of lady cheering for her group. She’s cried, she mentioned, watching the Netherlands play with out her.
“Though I’ve recognized I received’t be capable of play on this World Cup for about seven months now, it’s nonetheless been fairly powerful and emotional,” she wrote.
Jonker mentioned the group is contemplating shifting gamers to shore up its assault, and he might strive a one-to-one substitute with Katja Snoeijs.
Thursday’s sport is a rematch of the 2019 World Cup last, which america received 2-0 for the group’s second straight title and fourth general.
The US is undefeated in all however considered one of its conferences with the Dutch — the primary sport in 1991.
“America has been among the finest groups in world for a very long time. I feel they nonetheless have a lot high quality on the pitch,” Netherlands midfielder Jackie Groenen mentioned. “However I feel we’re rising, too. And that makes the gap perhaps completely different now than it was earlier than.”
The US, a 3-0 winner over Vietnam within the opener, and the Netherlands are even on factors atop Group E. However the People maintain the sting with extra general objectives. The outcomes of Thursday’s match will probably be essential to find out placement within the spherical of 16.
The highest finisher within the group opens the knockout spherical in Sydney towards the second-place finisher in Group G, which incorporates Sweden, South Africa, Italy and Argentina.
The second-place finisher heads to Melbourne towards the highest Group G group.
AUSTRALIA-NIGERIA
Australia opened the match with star participant Sam Kerr out injured for no less than two matches, and now Kerr’s substitute is damage, too, heading right into a Group B match towards Nigeria.
Mary Fowler joined Kerr on the harm record someday earlier than the Thursday match in Brisbane. Fowler, a striker who additionally performs for Manchester Metropolis, suffered a concussion in a latest follow.
The Matildas pulled out a 1-0 victory over Eire of their opening match and now their depth will probably be examined.
“I feel we might play any considered one of us proper now within the beginning 11 and it might be the identical as what we do on the coaching pitch,” midfielder Tameka Yallop mentioned earlier this week. “I feel everybody has that potential and functionality to step up and be a star at any level.”
Constructing depth has been a precedence for Tony Gustavsson all through his first three years accountable for the Matildas. Shortly after he was employed, a December 2020 efficiency report launched by Soccer Australia confirmed this system had the least general depth of the 12 main nations analyzed.
The Matildas’ struggles to exchange injured defender Clare Polkinghorne throughout the 2019 Ladies’s World Cup contributed to their exit within the spherical of 16, their worst end since 2003.
Nigeria was happy with its 0-0 draw towards Canada within the opening match, and the Tremendous Falcons have saved a clear sheet in three of their final 4 matches. The large second for Nigeria was when goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie stopped Canada star Christine Sinclair’s penalty kick.
PORTUGAL-VIETNAM
One group might earn its first ever victory within the Ladies’s World Cup when Portugal and Vietnam meet in Group E.
Odds have been stacked towards each groups after they landed in the identical group as america and 2019 runner-up the Netherlands. It’s the primary look on the World Cup for each Portugal and Vietnam, and each have been losers within the opening matches towards the 2 powerhouses.
Portugal’s match began with a 1-0 loss to the Dutch and Vietnam dropped a 3-0 match to the People. Each groups now have an opportunity to attain their first World Cup objectives within the match performed in Hamilton, New Zealand, and, maybe even seize a win.
The loser of this match will doubtless be eradicated from advancing within the match with a sport remaining in group play.
“Once you come to the World Cup on this state of affairs every thing is new — first purpose, first sport, first winner, first draw, every thing is new,” Portugal coach Francisco Neto mentioned. “We labored so much to offer this happiness to the Portuguese individuals. We felt so much the help of the Portuguese, and we wish to give that to all our supporters so we’ll strive our greatest.”
Portugal with play with out midfielder Fatima Pinto, who’s injured.
The Selecao are an honest defensive group and have given up solely two objectives of their final 4 matches. The Vietnam match provides Portugal its first shot at a group ranked decrease on this planet — Portugal is ranked twenty ninth; Vietnam is ranked thirty second — however Neto isn’t overlooking the opponents. He was impressed with how Vietnam performed the U.S. in defeat.
“I feel the Vietnam group have been very courageous. They’d a fantastic efficiency towards the world champions,” Neto mentioned. “It’s the first time that we’re taking part in with a group that’s decrease than us within the rating. That doesn’t have an effect on something — the strain, or the accountability of representing our nation. None of that modifications, relying in your opponent.”
Despite the fact that Vietnam was not steamrolled by america, its squad didn’t get a single shot off and have been dominated in time of possession as Vietnam managed the ball simply 34% of the sport.
Vietnam has not scored in its final three video games.
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