Happy Saturday! We're here with your daily dose of Women's World Cup coverage. Higher-ranked teams are still winning, but not all victories are created equal. The big winners on Friday and Saturday? Sophia Smith after her Player of the Match performance, Haiti goalkeeper Kerly Theus for making 10 saves against England in a close loss, and clean sheets. Each match at this World Cup has finished with at least one team earning a clean sheet, outlasting the penalty streak that ended with Denmark's win over Chile. I'm Pardeep Cattry, and here's your World Cup recap.
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📺 Women's World Cup latest results
- Group E: USWNT 3, Vietnam 0
- Group C: Zambia 0, Japan 5
- Group D: England 1, Haiti 0
- Group D: Denmark 1, China 0
📺 Footy Fix
Sunday, July 23
All times U.S./Eastern
- Group G: Sweden vs. South Africa, 1 a.m. ➡️ Fox Sports 1
- Group E; Netherlands vs. Portugal, 3:30 a.m. ➡️ Fox Sports 1
- Group F: France vs. Jamaica, 6 a.m. ➡️ Fox
⚽ World Cup today: What to know
The favorites win: Despite Sophia Smith's heroics and a winning start to their World Cup campaign, the U.S. women's national team left a bit to be desired in attack against Vietnam. The team was not as clinical as expected, with Alex Morgan missing a penalty and Trinity Rodman failing to register a single shot, and will need to correct course before the quickly-approaching match against the Netherlands on Wednesday.
Japan's offensive exploits, though, were on full display as the team scored the most lopsided victory of the World Cup so far later in the day. The goals dried up by the time Group D got underway -- England were held to a 1-0 victory by a resilient and impressive Haiti team in their World Cup debut, while Denmark scored a late winner against China after a bland first half performance.
Soccer Sunday: A trio of European giants headline tomorrow's action, including the USWNT's next group stage opponent, the Netherlands. The Dutch are expected to beat World Cup first-timers Portugal, but will compete without injured star Vivianne Miedema and may face an uphill battle to reach back-to-back finals as a result. Perennial World Cup bridesmaid Sweden kick off Sunday's slate as the favorites against African champions South Africa, while France and in form striker Kadidiatou Diani are also tipped to defeat Jamaica.
Pros and cons: The USWNT underperformed on their expected goals tally of 4.3 against Vietnam, but the stat also allows for an optimistic read on the team's offensive performance. The reigning champs boast the third-highest xG of the tournament so far (Spain posted an xG of 4.7 against Costa Rica, while Japan's was 5.6 against Zambia), which could signal that it's only up from here if the USWNT's well-respected attackers hit their best form later in the tournament.
For more coverage of the Women's World Cup be sure to tune into CBS Sports Golazo Network where Morning Footy, Box 2 Box and Attacking Third will be bringing you all the highlights, analysis and coverage you need of the action Down Under.
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Here are some more World Cup stories to catch up on:
🔗 From a brace to a post-match celebration with her dad, Smith marked her World Cup debut in style.
🔗 Our first batch of USWNT player ratings have officially dropped and to absolutely no one's surprise, Smith earned a perfect score.
🔗 Before the USWNT's win, Attacking Third talked about Smith's potential.
🔗 The Attacking Third crew also discussed the importance of Naomi Girma and Crystal Dunn.
🔗 Attacking Third also previewed the rest of the weekend's World Cup action.
🔗 Ex-New Zealand international Rosie White broke down her team's first-ever World Cup win on Attacking Third.
🔗 Despite Ireland's 1-0 loss to Australia, the Attacking Third team is still optimistic about the World Cup newcomers' chances.
🔗 Don't miss any action from Down Under with CBS Sports Golazo Network's daily Morning Footy podcast for all the latest news, previews, analysis and more!
