Vietnam lose 0-3 to US in Women’s World Cup debut game

Vietnam had quite a tough game with the U.S., but losing 0-3 against the defending champions is a result better than expected by many fans for their Women’s World Cup debut game.

The U.S. put immense pressure on Vietnam from the start. Vietnam defended well in the first 10 minutes, but could not keep the sheet clean against powerful attacks from the opponent.

In the 14th minute, Sophia Smith, in her first World Cup game, opened the scoring with an accurate finish after receiving the ball from Alex Morgan. Aside from that amazing assist, Morgan, one of the best players of the U.S., failed to find the net in this game. After a volley that almost went in, her second scoring chance was stopped by goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh, Vietnam’s best player in this game.

Thanh also denied Morgan on the penalty spot in the 44th minute.

It did not take long for the U.S. to find the second goal after Morgan’s miss. In the seventh additional minute of the second half, Smith completed her double with a shot outside the box that deflected off a player before going in.

In the second half, the U.S. maintained the same pressure while Vietnam pulled more players to the backline to strengthen the defense. Kim Thanh continued her consistent form and denied many chances from the opponent.

Vietnam conceded one more goal in the 77th minute when Smith set up Lindsey Horan for a tap-in.

The Southeast Asian representative had zero shots in this game, while the U.S. had 28 (seven on target) and 66% of possession.

On July 27, Vietnam will play the second group stage game against a more suitable opponent, Portugal.