Portugal Secures Face-Off with Reigning Champions United States for Women's World Cup Last 16 Spot with Impressive Victory over Vietnam.
The debutants secured their first-ever victory in the Women's World Cup with goals from Telma Encarnacao and Kika Nazareth.
Portugal will advance to the knockout stages if they manage to cause a major upset and defeat the four-time winners, the USA.
With this loss at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton, New Zealand, Vietnam's journey in the World Cup comes to an end as they are eliminated from the tournament.
Portugal will face the United States in their final Group E match on Tuesday at 08:00 BST, while Vietnam will be looking to earn their first World Cup point and goal against the Netherlands at the same time.
Earlier on Thursday, the USA drew 1-1 with the Netherlands in Wellington.
Portugal Secures Historic First Win
Ranked 21st among the eight World Cup debutants in the FIFA rankings, Francisco Neto's Portugal displayed a combination of defensive experience and promising young talent in their squad, along with considerable depth demonstrated by making seven changes to the starting lineup for this match.
In contrast, Vietnam appeared disorganized and vulnerable in defense, allowing Portugal to capitalize on their weaknesses. Portugal showed exceptional precision and creativity on the flanks, resulting in two goals within the first 21 minutes. They maintained dominance throughout the game and could have added more goals due to their complete control of the play.
Portugal's historic first Women's World Cup goal came in the seventh minute, courtesy of Lucia Alves' well-placed low cross finding Encarnacao, who calmly converted from six yards out.
Kika Nazareth, a mere 20 years old and already boasting seven goals for Portugal, furthered their lead with a clever finish past Vietnam's goalkeeper Kim Tranh.
It is evident that the United States will present a more defensively adept and organized challenge compared to Vietnam. However, with their young, skilled, and fast squad members, Portugal will be determined to cause the most significant upset in the history of women's football.
Outclassed Vietnam Exits
For Vietnam, the exit from their first-ever World Cup is a disappointing outcome, especially after their commendable defensive display against the USA.
Mai Duc Chung's team found themselves in a dilemma, torn between aiming for a maiden World Cup victory and sticking to their defensively solid 5-4-1 system.
The result was a confused and vulnerable defense, easily exploited by the Portuguese, who could have scored more goals in the second half. Joana Marchao even hit the crossbar twice, while goalkeeper Kim Tranh managed to make several impressive saves.
Despite the defeat, Vietnam can find some consolation in achieving their first shot on target at a World Cup, which came through Bich Thuy on the 43rd minute. They can also take pride in managing to get a touch in the opposition box, something they were unable to accomplish against the Americans.
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