The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup has reached the championship match in New Zealand and Australia.
Keep track of results you may have missed each night with our list of match scores and information from the soccer tournament, which started off with 32 teams competing for the World Cup title and is now down to the final two: Spain and England.
The third-place game between Australia and Sweden is on Aug. 19 and the World Cup Final between Spain and England is on Aug. 20.
How to watch:FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 schedule, television channels
Lauren Hemp didn’t let the Women’s World Cup semifinal between Australia and England become the Sam Kerr show.
Hemp scored to restore England’s lead and then provided a perfect pass for the clincher as the Lionesses moved into their first World Cup championship game with a 3-1 victory Wednesday over Australia.
Thanks to eight minutes of madness, Spain will be playing for its first World Cup title.
La Roja, which overcame last year’s near mutiny by its players against coach Jorge Vilda, beat Sweden 2-1 in Tuesday’s semifinal in Auckland, New Zealand.
Olga Carmona’s goal in the 89th minute capped a late scoring flurry that saw Sweden tie the game before Spain won it 90 seconds later on the surprise score.
Australia edged France on penalty kicks Saturday to reach the Women’s World Cup semifinals for the first time.
Cortnee Vine took Australia’s 10th penalty from the spot and calmly converted to give the Matildas a 7-6 win in the shootout after the quarterfinal match finished 0-0 after regulation and extra time.
The Australians missed two earlier chances to clinch a dramatic shootout but ultimately it didn’t matter as they ended a long curse for tournament hosts. The Australians became the only team other than the United States to advance past the quarterfinals of a Women’s World Cup as the host nation.
Australia will play either England or Colombia next Wednesday in Sydney for a spot in the final.
Australian goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold kept the Matildas in the game in extra time and made a string of clutch saves in the shootout – before and after missing with her own attempt that could have sealed the win.
Alessia Russo fired England into the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup in a 2-1 win against Colombia on Saturday.
The Arsenal striker’s second-half goal completed a come-from-behind win for the Lionesses after Leicy Santos had given the Colombians a first-half lead.
Lauren Hemp equalized before halftime and Russo struck the winner in the 63rd minute as England advanced to the semifinals for the third straight time. It will face co-host Australia for a spot in the final.
Sarina Wiegman is also a step closer to her second consecutive Women’s World Cup final after her Netherlands team was runner-up to the United States in 2019.
Sweden first knocked off the United States and then bounced Japan to snag a spot in the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup.
The Swedes, the World Cup runners-up in 2003 and three-time third-place finishers, eliminated previously unbeaten Japan 2-1 in Friday’s quarterfinal. With Japan out of the tournament, this year’s World Cup will crown a first-time winner.
The sold-out crowd at Eden Park, where Sweden will play in the semifinals on Tuesday against Spain, danced to songs by Swedish rock band Abba as it was played throughout the stadium after the win.
Amanda Ilestedt scored a first-half goal and Filippa Angeldal converted a second-half penalty to give Sweden the mild upset and send the Swedes to the semifinals for the fifth time.
Jorge Vilda was more interested in the aftermath back in Spain if his team won its Women’s World Cup quarterfinal than he was about a rattling 5.0 magnitude earthquake that shook Wellington an hour before kickoff against Netherlands.
Salma Paralluelo was unshaken by the tremblor or the high-pressure stakes, scoring late in extra time Friday to give Spain a 2-1 victory and a place in the Women’s World Cup semifinals for the first time.
“We were so concentrated,” Spain coach Vilda said, recalling how his team prepared for the game even as the ground shook. “Yes, it was a middle (moderate) shake, an earthquake, but not today. The earthquake was the victory of Spain.”
The 19-year-old Paralluelo started the match on the bench for the first time at this World Cup and made her entry just in time to make history. Spain dominated a scoreless first half and 2019 finalist Netherlands had a penalty scrubbed out by the VAR in the 62nd minute after a tussle between Irene Paredes on Dutch forward Lineth Beerensteyn.
Mariona Caldentey scored from the spot in the 81st minute after defender Stefanie van der Gragt was penalized for hand ball as a cross was fired into the area.
Then van der Gragt, moving up front, scored in stoppage time to equalize at 1-1 and send the match into extra time.
Paralluelo broke down the left off Jennie Hermosa’s pass in the 111th minute, swiveled past one defender, propped and sent her left-foot shot into the far corner of the net.
France coach Herve Renard high-fived his staff on the sideline as it became clear his team was on its way to the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Cup.
Only 23 minutes had been played at Adelaide’s Hindmarsh Stadium on Tuesday, but France was already 3-0 up against Morocco and on course for a showdown with co-host Australia.
The French scored once more in the second half to win 4-0 and end Morocco’s historic debut run at the World Cup.
“The result speaks for itself,” Renard said. “We were able to score four times and now we’ve got a foot in the door for the quarterfinals. Things are getting a little bit heated. Only eight teams left in the running. The objective now is to pull off the best performance that the French team has ever done.”
Colombia’s players danced and sang on the field long after the team secured its historic first-ever trip to the Women’s World Cup quarterfinals.
Catalina Usme’s second-half goal gave Colombia a 1-0 win over Jamaica. Both teams were aiming for a first victory in the knockout stage, with the winner moving on to the last eight at soccer’s biggest tournament.
“After the goal went into the net, I had all sorts of emotions,” Usme said. “During all the years in women’s football, it’s such a beautiful moment, giving us the possibility to make history for our country. But we can go beyond. We came here to play seven finals. And we need to go step by step.”
Down a player after star forward Lauren James was ejected, England was facing the prospect of an upset against Nigeria and a round-of-16 exit at the Women’s World Cup.
The European champion Lionesses remained calm enough to get through regulation and extra time at 0-0 and won a penalty shootout 4-2 to scrape into the quarterfinals on Monday.
England became the title favorite after the two-time reigning champion U.S. was eliminated on Sunday in a penalty shootout loss to Sweden. No. 2-ranked Germany, Olympic champion Canada and Brazil didn’t even reach the knockout stage.
But the Lionesses struggled to create opportunities against Nigeria and, with five minutes remaining in regulation, an upset loomed when James received a red card after a VAR review.
But after a run of injuries to senior players and the loss of James, England coach Sarina Wiegman praised her team for adapting to every challenge.
Australia was already on course for the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Cup when Sam Kerr entered the field to wild celebrations on Monday.
With the star striker back from injury, the Matildas are confident contenders to win the tournament on home soil after beating Denmark 2-0 in the round of 16 at a raucous Stadium Australia.
“It’s a massive boost to have her back,” goal-scorer Caitlin Foord said. “For teams looking ahead it’s pretty scary to know she’s back in our team and she’s going to be a part of it with us.”
A crowd of 75,784 cheered as if Australia scored when Kerr was shown on the big screen preparing to come on. She had been sidelined since injuring her left calf on the eve of the tournament.
The United States played its best game of this Women’s World Cup and it wasn’t good enough to stop the two-time reigning champions from being eliminated in the round of 16.
The Americans’ bid to win an unprecedented third consecutive title ended Sunday on penalty kicks. It is the earliest exit in tournament history for the United States, four-time winners of the World Cup.
Megan Rapinoe, Sophia Smith and Kelley O’Hara missed with kicks from the penalty spot before Lina Hurtig converted to clinch the shootout 5-4 as Sweden knocked the United States out of the World Cup after a scoreless draw in regulation and extra time.
Netherlands had just advanced to the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Cup, yet star midfielder Danielle van de Donk looked inconsolable.
Her yellow card in the second half of the 2-0 win over South Africa on Sunday means she will serve a one-match suspension. Her tears were likely in realization that she may have played her final match of the tournament if the Dutch lose to Spain in the quarterfinals.
But Netherlands coach Andries Jonker had no time for any negativity.
“We’ve come with the conviction that we can beat everybody. And if you say we can beat everybody, it includes all teams, South Africa, but also Spain,” he said. “So it means it’s not the last game for Danielle. We want to beat Spain, then she can come back into the tournament.”
Japan scored its 14th goal of the Women’s World Cup and conceded its first Saturday, beating Norway 3-1 to reach the quarterfinals for the fourth time.
Hinata Miyazawa sealed the win with her fifth goal of the tournament in the 81st minute to remain the leading scorer. Risa Shimizu’s 50th-minute goal followed an Ingrid Syrstad Engen own goal in the first half to help give Japan its fourth straight win of the tournament.
With five goals the 23-year-old Miyazawa equals the record for a Japan player at a World Cup. Homare Sawa scored five in 2011 when Japan won the tournament. She won the Golden Boot that year.
Humiliated following a blowout loss to Japan in the group stage finale, Spain quickly recovered to show that La Roja should still be considered a contender to win the Women’s World Cup.
Aitana Bonmati scored twice on Saturday as Spain routed Switzerland 5-1 and became the first team to advance to the quarterfinals. La Roja had never before won a game in the knockout stage in any major tournament, and finally advanced in its third World Cup appearance.
Spain rolled through its first two games of the tournament — wins against Costa Rica and Zambia — but Japan dealt La Roja a humbling setback in a 4-0 defeat that forced the team to regroup.
Two-time champion Germany failed to reach the knockout stage for the first time ever at the Women’s World Cup after being held to a 1-1 draw by South Korea in a tense group finale. Morocco’s 1-0 win over Colombia in Perth added pressure on a German team that then needed to beat South Korea in Brisbane to advance. The last two group-stage games of the tournament kicked off simultaneously Thursday night on opposite sides of Australia. — Associated Press
Morocco beat Colombia 1-0 to make it to the Women’s World Cup knockout round, creating yet more history at the global tournament. Morocco is the first Arab or North African nation to go beyond the group stage at the Women’s World Cup, and the only one of eight tournament newcomers to advance. — Associated Press
Jamaica advanced to the knockout round for the first time following a 0-0 draw Wednesday that ended Brazil’s run in the group stage for the first time since 1995 at the Women’s World Cup. The scoreless game in Melbourne also ended Brazilian great Marta’s World Cup career. — Associated Press
France has had to roll with the punches at the Women’s World Cup. The No. 5-ranked team was held to a surprise draw against Jamaica in its opening game and on Wednesday had the shock of going a goal down to Panama inside two minutes. France recovered to win 6-3 and advanced to the round of 16 atop Group F, but celebrations were muted after being pushed by another underdog. — Associated Press
Player of the match Hildah Magaia called the moment “life-changing.” Coach Desiree Ellis flagged something deeper, though, after South Africa beat Italy 3-2 Wednesday to qualify for the round of 16 at a Women’s World Cup for the first time. — Associated Press
Rebecka Blomqvist’s second-half goal lifted Sweden to a 2-0 win over Argentina on Wednesday to advance the Blagult to a round-of-16 showdown with the United States in the Women’s World Cup. Argentina was eliminated from the tournament. — Associated Press
Denmark advanced to the round of 16 of the Women’s World Cup for the first time since 1995 after beating Haiti 2-0 on Tuesday in its last group-stage match. The win sets up a round of 16 matchup against tournament co-host Australia in Sydney next Monday. — Associated Press
Only VAR prevented England’s Lauren James from scoring a hat trick against China at the Women’s World Cup. China certainly didn’t know how to stop the inspirational forward as she scored two goals and provided three assists in a 6-1 rout on Tuesday at Adelaide, South Australia. — Associated Press
Netherlands scored four times in a torrid 15-minute first-half stretch, overwhelming Vietnam 7-0 in the Women’s World Cup on Tuesday and sealing first place in Group E. The Dutch went into the match in second place on goal differential behind the United States. But the blowout win combined with the Americans’ 0-0 draw with Portugal made Netherlands the group winner. The U.S. advanced in second place. — Associated Press
For just the second time in history, the United States did not win its group at the Women’s World Cup. The U.S. played to a 0-0 draw with Portugal in the final game of group play to finish 1-0-2 during the stage. The Netherlands claimed the top spot in the group. It is the first time since 2015 that the Americans failed to score during a World Cup match. The U.S. will play the winner of Group G on Sunday. — Associated Press
Nigeria used a scoreless draw against Ireland on Monday to advance to the round of 16 of the Women’s World Cup. The pre-tournament underdogs finished second in Group B behind co-host Australia. After a relatively quiet first half, the Nigerians picked up the intensity in hopes of scoring the goal that would move the them to the top of the group. A diving save from Ireland’s Courtney Brosnan in the 52nd minute kept her clean sheet intact and secured Ireland’s first point in its debut appearance at the tournament. — Associated Press
Haley Raso scored her first career Women’s World Cup goals at just the right time, with a first-half brace in Australia’s 4-0 win over Canada in Monday’s pivotal group-stage finale. The Matildas, who also got goals from Mary Fowler and Steph Catley in the second half, clinched top spot in Group B and a place in the round of 16 at the expense of the Olympic champion. — Associated Press
Lushomo Mweemba scored the fastest goal at this year’s Women’s World Cup, and Barbra Banda added the 1,000th goal in tournament history, as tournament newcomer Zambia earned its first ever win with a 3-1 victory Costa Rica on Monday. The victory sent Zambia home from its first World Cup on an emotional high. Both teams had already been eliminated from the knockout stage before the match. — Associated Press
Japan scored three times from lightning breaks in the first half, once in the second and defended resolutely to trounce Spain 4-0 on Monday and top Group C at the Women’s World Cup. Hinata Miyazawa scored twice, Riko Ueki scored once and both were instrumental in each other’s goals as Japan switched swiftly from defense to counter-attack and scored from its only three attempts on goal before halftime. — Associated Press
Believe the hype. Linda Caicedo is for real, and so are Colombia’s chances of going far at the Women’s World Cup. As for the country’s fans, who gave Sydney Football Stadium the feel of a Colombia home game on Sunday, their passionate support created a jubilant atmosphere that lingered long after a 2-1 win over two-time champion Germany provided one of the tournament’s great upsets. “This is something historic for us. We’ve been feeling the whole time the backing from the fans from our country,” Colombia assistant coach Angelo Marsiglia said. “Today we were playing as a home team.” Caicedo produced another moment of magic to put Colombia on course for back-to-back wins in Group H with her opening goal in the 52nd minute. She needed treatment late in regulation but stayed on the field and, five minutes later, Alexandra Popp equalized from the penalty spot. — Associated Press
Sophie Roman Haug’s hat trick kick-started Norway’s dormant offense and sparked a 6-0 blowout win over the Philippines on Sunday that moved the Norwegians into to the knockout stage of the Women’s World Cup. The Philippines’ debut run in the tournament came to an end as Norway scored early and often, netting three goals in the first 31 minutes. Norway’s spot in the round of 16 was secured when Switzerland and New Zealand simultaneously played to a 0-0 draw and the Norwegians. Norway and New Zealand were tied in Group A but Norway advanced on goal differential. New Zealand became the first host country to be eliminated in the group stage in tournament history. — Associated Press
New Zealand outshot Switzerland and even moved goalkeeper Victoria Esson into an attack position several times, but failed to break a 0-0 tie Sunday in the Women’s World Cup and became the first host nation to be eliminated in group play in tournament history.The Football Ferns are co-hosting the World Cup with Australia, which must win Monday against Canada to avoid its own early elimination. Switzerland advanced to the round of 16. The Swiss also played to a scoreless draw against Norway, but won the group with the draw against New Zealand, coupled with the Norwegians’ simultaneous 6-0 rout of the Philippines. — Associated Press
France proved it is still Brazil’s kryptonite. A 2-1 loss at the Women’s World Cup on Saturday stretched Brazil’s winless run against the French to 12 games. The result is all too familiar for Brazil, which lost to France in the quarterfinals the 2019 Women’s World Cup by the same score. Brazil then hired the experienced Pia Sundhage as its head coach in hopes of making the changes needed to defeat teams like France. Sundhage had coached the United States to two Olympic gold medals and a runner-up finish in the 2011 Women’s World Cup. This year’s team features 11 first-time World Cup players, but despite the changes Brazil is left still searching for its first win over Les Bleues. The best they’ve managed is five draws. France’s game-winning goal came in the 83rd minute off Wendie Renard’s header from a corner kick. — Associated Press
After leaving it to the last minute against South Africa, Sweden left nothing to chance Saturday in a 5-0 win over Italy which sealed its place in the knockout rounds of the Women’s World Cup. Sweden relied on Amanda Ilestedt’s 90th-minute winner to salvage a 2-1 win from a sub-par performance in its opener against South Africa. Ilestedt was Sweden’s first scorer Saturday, this time in the 39th, and her glancing header from a corner sparked a flood of four Swedish goals in 11 minutes on either side of halftime. Her second goal came in the 50th and was a mirror image of the first. Rebecka Blomqvist finished it off in stoppage time with Sweden’s fifth goal. “We are good at set pieces,” said Ilestedt, who is now the tournament’s leading scorer with three goals. “We have good shooters and we know we are good headers so it feels good the balls are coming where they should.” — Associated Press
Defender Allyson Swaby scored in the 56th minute and Jamaica hung on to edge Panama 1-0 on Saturday for its first-ever win at the Women’s World Cup. Swaby, who grew up in West Hartford, Conn., and played for Boston College, knocked in a header off Trudi Carter’s corner kick to clinch a win that moved the Jamaicans into a surprising share of top spot in Group F with France. The Reggae Girlz were without captain and leading scorer Khadija Shaw, who received a red card in second-half stoppage time of the team’s opening 0-0 draw against France. Born to a Jamaican father, Allyson and her younger sister Chantelle both are starting in their second Women’s World Cup. — Associated Press
Despite playing with 10 players for more than an hour, China defied the odds to secure a 1-0 victory over Haiti on Friday in its second game of the Women’s World Cup. Forward Wang Shuang scored her first-ever goal at a World Cup in the 74th minute, converting a penalty after VAR ajudged her teammate Zhang Linyan was fouled in the area. — Associated Press
In the end, it was worth the wait.With a flash of early brilliance, Lauren James ended England’s run of more than seven hours without a goal from open play to seal a 1-0 win against Denmark at the Women’s World Cup on Friday. The Chelsea star scored after six minutes of her first start at the tournament to put the Lionesses on course for back-to-back wins in Group D. — Associated Press
Argentina scored two game-saving goals in a flurry of five minutes during the second half Friday to salvage a 2-2 draw with South Africa at the Women’s World Cup. The draw gave both teams a single point in Group G. Sweden and Italy, the co-leaders of the group with three points each, play Saturday. — Associated Press
Asisat Oshoala had to watch from Nigeria’s bench for an hour, desperate to get into the action, before getting a chance to unleash all her pent up energy against co-host Australia at the Women’s World Cup. The Barcelona striker entered the game in the 63rd minute and Nigeria took the lead two minutes later for the first time, 2-1. Within nine minutes, Oshoala scored a goal that sealed an upset victory, sparked her jersey-shedding celebration and left Australia in a must-win scenario for World Cup survival. — Associated Press
Telma Encarnacao scored one goal and assisted on another as Portugal defeated Vietnam 2-0 on Thursday in the Women’s World Cup, a win that ensured Vietnam will not advance to the knockout stage. Portugal jumped ahead in the seventh minute following a quick series of decisive passes through the Vietnamese defense. Lucia Alves dropped in a perfect cross to Encarnacao at the top of the six-yard box for a simple finish. — Associated Press
Lindsey Horan scored on a thunderous header after a collision with Lyon teammate Danielle van de Donk on Thursday to salvaging a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands and keeping the U.S. women’s national team’s hopes of winning Group E alive. The two-time defending champs can claim the top spot – and a road to the final that likely wouldn’t include England, Germany or France – by beating Portugal and maintaining their plus-2 goal differential against the Netherlands. The Americans gave up a goal in the 17th minute, the first time since the 2011 quarterfinals they have trailed in a World Cup game. — Associated Press
Canada recovered from conceding directly from a corner kick to seal a come-from-behind 2-1 win against Ireland in the Women’s World Cup on Wednesday. Adriana Leon’s second-half strike at Perth’s rain-soaked Rectangular Stadium boosted Olympic champion Canada’s hopes of advancing to the round of 16 by moving to the top of Group B. — Associated Press
As she has many times before, Jennifer Hermoso answered the call for Spain on Wednesday night. She scored twice and assisted in her 100th international appearance to push La Roja past Zambia 5-0 on Wednesday, a victory that locked both Spain and Japan into the Women’s World Cup knockout round. — Associated Press
Hikaru Naomoto and Aoba Fujino scored two minutes apart in the first half to lead Japan to a 2-0 Women’s World Cup victory over Costa Rica on Wednesday, and the Japanese qualified for the knockout stage later when Spain beat Zambia. — Associated Press
Goalkeeper Gaelle Thalmann shielded Switzerland to a 0-0 draw against Norway on Tuesday at the Women’s World Cup, as the Norwegians played without star striker Ada Hegerberg because of injury. Hegerberg was initially listed to start, but the team announced during the match that the former Ballon d’Or winner was unable to play after experiencing “a feeling in the groin” toward the end of her pre-match warmups. — Associated Press
Philippines made history at its first Women’s World Cup with its first goal and first win Tuesday, holding on under pressure to upset co-host New Zealand. The New Zealanders only five days earlier had celebrated their first win in six trips to the Women’s World Cup. — Associated Press
Casey Phair has become the youngest player in soccer World Cup history at the age of 16 years and 26 days. Phair went on as a replacement in South Korea’s 2-0 loss to Colombia in Sydney at the Women’s World Cup on Tuesday. Phair has an American father and a South Korean mother and was raised in the United States. She says “It was a scary moment, but then going on and running around, I think it just settled in.” The record was previously held by the late Ifeanyi Chiejine, who was 16 years and 34 days old when she played for Nigeria in the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup. — Associated Press
Ary Borges scored a hat trick as Brazil made a flying start at the Women’s World Cup on Monday by beating Panama 4-0. An early contender for goal of the tournament had to be Bia Zaneratto finishing off a move full of Brazilian flair. And Borges, playing at her first World Cup, was right at the heart of it with a back-heeled assist following a brilliant team move. — Associated Press
Alexandra Popp scored twice in the first half and Germany added four more in the second in a 6-0 rout of a Morocco team on its debut at the Women’s World Cup on Monday. The margin of victory is the largest of the tournament so far as the two-time champions dominated throughout against Morocco, the first Arab and North African country to qualify for the tournament. — Associated Press
Cristiana Girelli’s goal in the 87th minute broke a stalemate and Italy kicked off the Women’s World Cup with a 1-0 victory over Argentina on Monday night. Italy put the ball in the back of the net twice in the opening half but both times were offside, before Girelli’s breakthrough header. Girelli came into the match as a substitute in the 83rd minute. — Associated Press
Hervé Renard knows all about World Cup shocks. He also knows an early setback can be overcome in international soccer. With that in mind, the France coach was not unduly concerned by his team’s 0-0 with Jamaica on Sunday, which was one of the biggest surprises so far at the Women’s World Cup. Renard led Saudi Arabia to a famous win against Argentina at the men’s World Cup in Qatar last year, before Lionel Messi’s team rebounded and went on to lift the trophy for their country. “There are lots of people, lots of teams that start with the fanfare and are not there come the final and others are maybe slow to get out of the starting blocks,” he said. While there is no need for France to panic, this was still an unexpected result for the fifth-ranked team in the world and one of the tournament favorites. — Associated Press
Sweden produced a drab opening Women’s World Cup performance on a gloomy night of mist and rain but managed to pull off a surprisingly difficult 2-1 victory to fend off plucky South Africa on Sunday. South Africa caught Sweden off guard when Hildah Magaia scored in the 48th minute to take a shocking lead in the Group G match while threatening to notch the first major upset of the tournament. Sweden got on the board in the 64th minute with Fridolina Rolfo’s equalizer. Amanda Ilestedt then produced a perfect header from a corner with a minute left in regulation to help Sweden escape at the end of an unimpressive opening game effort. — Associated Press
Stefanie van der Gragt scored on a header in the 13th minute, leading the Netherlands to a 1-0 win over Portugal at the Women’s World Cup on Sunday as the 2019 finalists began their tournament run. The Dutch defender gathered herself as teammate Sherida Spitse lofted a corner kick her way, then headed the ball across the goal into the far side of the net. An offside review delayed the celebration. The goal by the 30-year-old van der Gragt, who plans to retire after the Women’s World Cup, was the quickest first goal of the tournament. The Dutch controlled the tempo of the game — Portugal’s first shot of the match didn’t come until the 82nd minute. — Associated Press
Substitute Amalie Vangsgaard scored in the 90th minute as Denmark beat China 1-0 at the Women’s World Cup on Saturday. With time running out in a game of few chances, she rose to head home Pernille Harder’s late corner. Vangsgaard had only come on in the 85th and made a quick impact with her first goal for the country. It was also the first headed goal of the tournament and sparked joyous celebrations from Denmark’s players. — Associated Press
The champions of Europe had to struggle for a 1-0 win over a Haiti lineup feeding off Melchie Dumornay’s forays through the England defense and Kerly Theus’ series of athletic saves in its Women’s World Cup debut on Saturday. The difference between the world’s No. 4-ranked team and the unheralded, under-resourced, 53-ranked team from strife-torn Haiti came down to a handball. A retaken penalty from Georgia Stanway in the 29th minute was enough for England to earn three points, the primary objective in the Group D opener for England manager Sarina Wiegman. But it did expose some deficiencies in her injury-depleted team. — Associated Press
Hinata Miyazawa scored a pair of goals, while Mina Tanaka and Jun Endo each added a goal and an assist, as Japan shut out Zambia 5-0 to open Women’s World Cup play Saturday for both sides. Miyazawa found the back of the net with one-time finishes on either side of halftime to secure an easy win over the Copper Queens in what was their World Cup debut. Tanaka, denied goals twice on offside calls, scored in similar fashion in the 55th minute, assisted by Endo. Endo then scored in the 71st minute, finding herself alone on the left side of goalkeeper Catherine Musonda’s goal and slotting home a left-footed strike. — Associated Press
Sophia Smith scored twice for the United States in the opening half and the two-time defending champions kicked off the Women’s World Cup with a 3-0 victory over tournament first-timers Vietnam on Saturday. Lindsey Horan added a goal for the favored Americans, who have won four World Cups overall and are vying for an unprecedented three-peat at the tournament co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. Vietnam drew comparisons to the Americans’ opponent in the 2019 World Cup opener, Thailand, which the U.S. thumped 13-0. But Vietnam was surprisingly resilient and kept the game as close as possible. — Associated Press
They were outscored 3-0. They were outshot 12-1. And for a nightmarish first half a the Women’s World Cup, every ball seemed to find the wrong foot. Costa Rica had a difficult showing to start its Women’s World Cup effort, losing 3-0 to Spain on a cold and rainy Friday night. About the best thing to take away for Las Ticas was they didn’t quit. In the 22nd minute, a Spanish cross bounced off the leg of Costa Rica’s Valeria Del Campo and into her own net.Within six minutes of Del Campo’s error, Spain’s Aitana Bonmati and Esther González each scored. The match was out of reach before the half-hour mark. — Associated Press
Ramona Bachmann drilled her penalty kick into the left side of the net moments before halftime to set up Switzerland’s 2-0 win over Philippines on Friday in the Women’s World Cup opener for both teams. Switzerland’s Seraina Piubel added a second-half goal, scoring on the rebound from a missed shot by Coumba Sow that ricocheted off Philippines goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel. — Associated Press
Olympic champion Canada has been held to a 0-0 draw by Nigeria in its Women’s World Cup opener after Nigerian goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie made several key saves, including one on a penalty from Christine Sinclair. It was a crucial miss for the Canadian veteran, who is the leading all-time scorer in international soccer, men or women, with 190 goals. Sinclair lined up for the shot in the 50th minute but couldn’t beat a diving Nnadozie. — Associated Press
Rocked by the late withdrawal of Sam Kerr through injury, Australia needed time to settle before getting off to a winning start at the Women’s World Cup on Thursday with a 1-0 victory over Ireland. Steph Catley swept home a 52nd-minute penalty to end Ireland’s resistance and spark an eruption of joy from fans inside Stadium Australia.
Rocked by the late withdrawal of Sam Kerr through injury, Australia needed time to settle before getting off to a winning start at the Women’s World Cup on Thursday with a 1-0 victory over Ireland. Steph Catley swept home a 52nd-minute penalty to end Ireland’s resistance and spark an eruption of joy from fans inside Stadium Australia.
Rocked by the late withdrawal of Sam Kerr through injury, Australia needed time to settle before getting off to a winning start at the Women’s World Cup on Thursday with a 1-0 victory over Ireland. Steph Catley swept home a 52nd-minute penalty to end Ireland’s resistance and spark an eruption of joy from fans inside Stadium Australia. — Associated Press
Hannah Wilkinson scored in the 48th minute and New Zealand stunned Norway 1-0 to open the 2023 World Cup, The Ferns missed a chance to double the score in the 90th when Ria Percival’s penalty kick banged off the crossbar, but it hardly mattered to the raucous crowd of 42,137, the largest ever to see a soccer game in New Zealand. —Nancy Armour, USA TODAY Sports
Upcoming matches:FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 schedule, television channels
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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