Canada, the reigning Olympic champions, drew 0-0 with Nigeria this Friday, while Spain and Switzerland confirmed their favoritism against Costa Rica and the Philippines respectively in their first games at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Striker Christine Sinclair could have given the Canadians an expected victory but missed a penalty in the 50th minute in a match in Melbourne (Australia), in which Benfica’s Christy Usheibe totaled in the center of the field of Nigeria, whose squad was reduced to 10 players due to the removal of Deborah Abiodun, 90+8.
Striker Chloe Lacasse, who moved from Benfica to Arsenal this summer, was a substitute in Canada, second in Group B, level with an African side, both two points behind leaders and co-hosts Australia, who beat Ireland 1-0 on Thursday, still in the Whites.
Spain, even with striker Alexia Putellas, is recognized as the best player in the world in 2022 starting from the bench, beating Costa Rica 3-0 thanks to an own goal by Valeria del Campo in the 21st minute and accurate shots by Aitana Bonmati in the 23rd minute and Esther González in the 27th minute.
The Spanish team still missed a penalty in the 34th minute by Jenifer Hermoso in the match played in Wellington, but quite naturally rose to a Group C team that also includes Japan and Zambia, who face each other on Saturday.
In Group A, Switzerland beat the Filipinos 2-0, but only broke the resistance of the opponents in the 45th minute and with the help of a penalty kick converted by Ramona Bachmann, while Seraina Piubel increased the advantage of the Swiss in the 64th minute.
The Swiss led the group, level with New Zealand, the tournament’s other host nation, from 20 July to 20 August, while Norway, who were defeated 1-0 on Friday by the New Zealanders, and the Philippines have yet to score.
Portugal, one of eight debuting teams, will face world second-placed Netherlands on Sunday in Dunedin in the first round of Group E, which also includes the United States, winners of the last two World Cups, and Vietnam.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.