Happy U.S. women's national team gameday! We are officially in the business end of the Women's World Cup group stage, which means teams are clinching knockout berths -- and confirming their group stage exits. I'm Pardeep Catty, and here's the latest on the World Cup action ahead of the USWNT's major matchup against the Netherlands.
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📺 Women's World Cup latest results
- Group C: Japan 2, Costa Rica 0
- Group C: Spain 5, Zambia 0
- Group B: Canada 2, Ireland 1
📺 Footy Fix
Wednesday, July 26
- Group E: USWNT vs. Netherlands, 9 p.m. ➡️ Fox
Thursday, July 27
- Group E: Portugal vs. Vietnam, 3:30 a.m. ➡️ Fox Sports 1
- Group B: Australia vs. Nigeria, 6 a.m. ➡️ Fox Sports 1
- Group G: Argentina vs. South Africa, 8 p.m. ➡️ Fox Sports 1
⚽ World Cup today: What to know
Japan and Spain continue to dominate: Japan and Spain both picked up straightforward wins over Costa Rica and Zambia, respectively, clinching knockout berths in the process. Jennifer Hermoso scored twice for Spain and Alexia Putellas marked her first start of the World Cup with an assist before coming off at halftime. Meanwhile two first-half goals in two minutes were enough for Japan to beat Costa Rica.
Canada survive Ireland Olimpico: Later, Canada earned their first win of the tournament with a come-from-behind performance against Ireland. A fourth minute Olimpico from Ireland's Katie McCabe was the highlight of the match, but it wasn't enough as Canada equalized thanks to an own goal just before halftime before Adriana Leon put them ahead for good just before the hour mark. Canada head coach Bev Priestman dropped Christine Sinclair from the lineup after an unimpressive performance in the team's 0-0 draw against Nigeria, but she was one of three halftime subs as the reigning Olympic gold medalists picked up the three points.
Costa Rica, Zambia, and Ireland were officially eliminated from the tournament after failing to earn a single point so far.
USWNT return to action: World Cup play resumes with the USWNT's matchup against the Netherlands, which will require the reigning champions to quickly improve upon their offensive performance against Vietnam. As Alex Morgan described it, "some of the plays that we had were forced or rushed" and the team needs to be more patient. Vlatko Andonovski may tinker with his lineup for game two, and the big question is around Rose Lavelle's fitness -- the midfielder played for the first time since April against Vietnam, but Andonovski said he is managing her minutes at the World Cup.
Later, Portugal and Vietnam duke it out for a chance to advance out of the group, while Australia hopes to clinch a knockout berth against Nigeria. The Matildas are already without Sam Kerr, and will be missing two more players for game two -- forward Mary Fowler and midfielder Aivi Luik picked up concussions during training.
Norway's internal strife: With only one point and zero goals after two games and an injury to Ada Hegerberg, Norway's World Cup campaign is not going according to plan at all. To make matters worse, there appears to be tension in the camp after forward Caroline Graham Hansen criticized the decision not to start her against Switzerland, per The Guardian: "I feel I have been stepped on for a whole year – everyone says all the time that we have to stand together as a team and as a nation, but I feel I've been on the receiving end [of a raw deal]."
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🔗 Link Play
Now, for a few more stories to keep you in the know on the World Cup:
🔗 Here are three things to look out for ahead of the USWNT's clash with the Netherlands.
🔗 Morning Footy asked: Who will start for the USWNT against the Netherlands, and should Rose Lavelle get the start?
🔗 The Box to Box crew chatted about the room for improvement from the USWNT's forwards.
🔗 The Women's World Cup has already shattered records for attendance and viewership around the world.
🔗 Here's a recap of Colombia forward Linda Caicedo's journey to the World Cup, which includes overcoming ovarian cancer at age 15 and scoring in three World Cups in the last year.
🔗 Box to Box also recapped the Philippines' history-making win over New Zealand.
