World Cup matches have always carried a sense of utmost thrill and excitement. One such game that recently happened this morning in Australia was the deciding match between Portugal and USA. The match carried a sense of great responsibility and created hype in the stadium as both the teams performed slightly opposite to the people’s expectations of this World Cup.
Portugal being a debutant team, who stepped on the field of the World Cup for the first time gave tough competition to the previous World Cup finalist of 2019, the Netherlands in their opening match although they lost the game with the score of only 1-0. Later the team gave a brilliant performance against Vietnam and won the match 2-0. On the other side, the USA who have been again the no.1 favourites for the public this time and have been holding the trophy in their dressing room have been carrying some high expectations. They also began their World Cup campaign on a winning note by defeating Vietnam by a major margin of 3-0 and showcasing Sophie Smith’s heroics but later as the tournament pulled up its pace, it does not seem like the two-time former champion paced up accordingly. They equalized the next match against the Dutch, which ended at a score of 1-1 and something similar happened a few hours ago when both the teams (Portugal and USA) face-off against each other.
Advertisement
The two teams faced off in a deciding match in Auckland today to determine which team would qualify for the next round of the World Cup. The match began with high energy and pressure as the Americans dominated the field from the start. However, the Portuguese team later took charge and displayed their top skills and tricks. The first half ended with a score of 0-0, but the Americans had more possession. In the second half, the momentum picked up with more chances towards each team’s box. Despite the efforts of captain and star player Alex Morgan, the debutant’s defence tactics prevented the American team from scoring. It was Portugal’s substitute striker, Ana Capeta, who seemed to break a million American dreams with an end-moment shot that hit the pole and diverted the ball away from the goal. The match ended with a score of 0-0, and the USA qualified for the next stage of the World Cup in second place of Group E with five points. Portugal finished third with four points. The Netherlands conquered the first spot of Group E with a score of 7-0 against Vietnam.