FIFA Women's World Cup Round-Up: Brazil, Colombia, Philippines Secure First Wins, USA Stays Dominant

The biggest women's soccer tournament in the world continues in New Zealand and Australia with teams from the Americas, including Brazil, Colombia, and the USA notching some big wins in their respective openers during the FIFA Women's World Cup.

On Friday, the USWNT demolished Vietnam for a dominant 3-0 victory with Sophia Smith scoring two goals while Lindsey Horan scored the third one. Stars Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe took the backseat on this one as Team USA cruised to an easy victory.

Costa Rica did not fare well, however, falling to Spain in a 3-0 loss, while Canada drew a tie with Nigeria. Haiti, despite the scrappy effort, fell to group favorites England in a 1-0 loss while Jamaica managed to escape group favorites France with a scoreless tie, according to ABC-7.

As for Argentina, the ladies did not fare as well as their male counterparts in the World Cup, falling 1-0 against group favorites Italy.

Meanwhile, Latin America's Asian relative, the Philippines, managed to pull off the biggest upset of the tournament so far, beating hosts New Zealand on their home soil. This was also the first time a debuting team won at the 2023 tournament and also the first-ever goal for the former Spanish colony in any FIFA World Cup and their first-ever win as well.

Brazil Dominates Panama as Marta Makes History

This Latin American showdown was historic as Coopers Stadium in Australia saw Brazil star Ary Borges score a hat trick, scoring three goals against the Panamanian defense. However, Brazil soccer legend Marta coming into the match from reserves made it even more historic.

According to Fox Sports, the moment Marta came in from the reserves, Coopers Stadium erupted. She only came in at the 75th minute, but that was enough to make history as she is the first Brazilian to play in 6 World Cups for her country. This means she has played in more World Cup tournaments than legends like Pele, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Neymar, and others.

Marta tried to score via a free kick but was unable to convert. The crowd might have erupted even more if she was able to convert, though, as she seems to be the most popular player in the group right now. Nevertheless, Brazil still won thanks to Borges's dominant performance, not to mention Bia Zaneratto's goal which is considered the most beautiful goal of the tournament so far.

Colombia Destroys South Korea 2-0

Over at Group H, Colombia finally made its big debut against Asian powerhouse South Korea. However, the South Americans proved how good they are with an impressive 2-0 victory.

According to The Independent, Catalina Usme scored the first goal while 18-year-old star Linda Caicedo made her FIFA Women's World Cup debut in style by scoring the second goal for Colombia. South Korea never got to recover as the Colombians held them scoreless throughout the match.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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