Popp powers Germany to victory
Striker pots pair in rout; Brazil and Italy both win
Alexandra Popp scored twice in the first half and Germany added four more in the second in a 6-0 rout of a Morocco team on its debut at the Women’s World Cup on Monday in Melbourne, Australia.
The margin of victory is the largest of the tournament so far as the two-time champions dominated throughout against Morocco, the first Arab and North African country to qualify for the tournament.
Popp scored her 63rd and 64th international goals, moving to third on Germany’s all-time list. The Wolfsburg forward quickly made her mark on the tournament after missing out on the final of the 2022 European Championship against England because of injury.
The second half featured two Morocco owngoals sandwiched between goals from Klara Bühl and Lea Schüller.
“I haven’t set myself a goal on how many goals I’ll score,” Popp said. “I want to reach the finals and to win the finals. Apart from that,
I’m just happy. I hadn’t scored really well before (in the World Cup), but these two goals were a boost.”
Germany will travel to Sydney for its next Group H game against Colombia, which advanced to the round of 16 in its last World Cup appearance. Morocco will play South Korea at Adelaide’s Hindmarsh Stadium. Both games are scheduled for Sunday.
Borges boosts Brazil
Ary Borges scored a hat trick as Brazil made a flying Cup start by beating Panama, 4-0, in Adelaide, Australia.
An early contender for goal of the tournament has to be Bia Zaneratto finishing off a move full of Brazilian flair. And Borges, playing at her first World Cup, was right at the heart of it with a back-heeled assist following a brilliant team move.
Brazil made an early statement by moving to the top of Group F and Borges was the star at Hindmarsh Stadium. She struck twice in the first half and completed her trickin the 70th minute.
Panama, making its debut at the tournament, could do little to keep the 2007 runnersup at bay, with Borges ruthless in front of goal.
She headed her team in front in 19th from close range and got her second in the 39th when turning in the rebound after her first effort was saved by Panama goalkeeper Yenith Bailey.
Zaneratto added the third three minutes into the second half when Brazil put together a sweeping passing move. Borges then went on to complete her hat trick with another header.
Brazil legend Marta went on in the second half to mark her sixth World Cup. The 37-yearold forward is the competition’s all-time leading scorer with 17 goals.
Brazil plays France in Brisbane on Saturday when a win would see it qualify from Group F. Panama plays Jamaica in Perth on the same day.
Girelli makes Italian history
Cristiana Girelli became the first Italian to score in two Women’s World Cups with her goal in the 87th minute in a 1-0 win in Group G against Argentina in Auckland, New Zealand.
“There’s nothing special, it’s just that I did my duty,” Girelli said. “I did my best. I was really willing to help my teammates.”
Italy put the ball in the back of the net twice in the opening half but both times were offside, before Girelli’s breakthrough header. Girelli came into the match as a substitute in the 83rd minute.
Arianna Caruso, who plays professionally for Juventus, appeared to score from distance in the 15th minute but Italy was quickly ruled offside. Italy was offside again on Valentina Giacinti’s attempted goal late in the half.
Italy goalkeeper Lara Esponda held Argentina at bay on a dangerous free kick in the 73rd.
Argentina next faces South Africa on Friday in Dunedin, while Italy plays Sweden in Wellington on Saturday.
Colombian phenom a survivor
At 15, Linda Caicedo received a crushing diagnosis. She had ovarian cancer. She already had made her debut for Colombian professional team América de Cali and the Colombian senior women’s national team.
With this news, though, her soccer career seemed over.
“I remember I was going into surgery one day and I was feeling really bad,” Caicedo said, “because I thought that I was not going to be able to play top-level football again.”
The Colombian women’s team head coach, Nelson Abadía, provided words of encouragement over the phone. “He said, ‘No, just relax,’ ” Caicedo recalled. “‘You’re going to come back.’ ”
Today, Caicedo is one of the best young players in the world. The 18-year-old star forward, who now plays professionally for Real Madrid, made a triumphant Women’s World Cup debut with a 39th minute goal in Colombia’s 2-0 victory over South Korea at Sydney Football Stadium.
To those battling cancer, Caicedo has a message: “I am an example that you can get out of that and overcome this.”
Tuesday’s match also marked the World Cup debut of 16-year-old South Korea forward Casey Phair. Born to a Korean mother and American father and raised in New Jersey,
Phair became the youngest player to play in a World Cup, men’s or women’s, when she subbed into the game in the 78th minute.
Record ticket sales
A New Zealand family of five purchased the tickets that took the sales total to 1.5 million for the Women’s World Cup on Monday.
FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, said the tournament being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand is on track to be the best attended in the competition’s history. It added the sales target was surpassed within the first five days of the month-long tournament.