Catch up on our previous wrap up here:
Sweden v South Africa
South Africa started by containing Sweden in the first half, keeping the match scoreless at half time, with a back and forth opening stanza.
Shortly after the break, the tables were turned on the highly-fancied Swedes, as Hildah Magaia opened the scoring for South Africa. It sparked scenes of joy from the South African bench, who began to dream of making an impact at the tournament.
The Swedes found a response just 15 minutes later, as Fridolina Rolfo pounced on a cross to level the scores. It was a trigger moment, as from that point on, Sweden turned up the heat and mounted raid after raid on goal in search of a winner.
After 11 corners, Amanda Ilestadt found herself free to get a header, and break South African hearts in the 90th minute with the winner, denying them their first ever World Cup point with the winner.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: AMANDA ILESTADT (SWE). Ilestadt, who found the winner from her head, was a consistent thorn in the side of South Africa, and threatened repeatedly. By the time she broke through, she had made a big impact on the match.
SWEDEN WIN! ✅
— Australian World Cup Podcast (@AustralianWCPod) July 23, 2023
Sweden has won 2-1 against South Africa in the first match of the today's action at the FIFA Women's World Cup in Wellington, coming back from a 1-0 deficit with goals to Fridolina Rolfö and match-winner Amanda Ilestedt.#FIFAWWC #BeyondGreatness pic.twitter.com/CxFhBppd2y
Netherlands v Portugal
The Netherlands kicked off their campaign with a dream start, as Stefanie van der Gragt found a header in the first quarter of an hour, and found the back of the net. The header gave the Dutch team a lead that they would never relinquish.
It is Portugal's first appearance at the tournament, but it took them a long time to settle in, unable to make a significant attacking foray until the dying stages of the match, as they struggled to adjust to the rhythm.
The more fancied Dutch team controlled the pace and flow of the match, dominating possession and territory, never really giving the Portuguese a chance to get into their plans.
Despite a late flurry, Portugal were unable to find a goal, but they did find a way to generate some attacking incursions and show their wares, as they make their World Cup debut.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: DANIELLE VAN DE DONK (NED). Van de Donk pulled all the strings in the midfield, and even though they couldn't break through more than once, she set up the attacking raids and played a key role in Vivianne Miedema's absence.
NETHERLANDS WIN! ✅
— Australian World Cup Podcast (@AustralianWCPod) July 23, 2023
The Netherlands has won 1-0 against Portugal in the Group E match at the FIFA Women's World Cup in Dunedin, with a Stefanie van der Gragt header in the opening half ensuring the 2019 runners-up start this campaign off with a win.#FIFAWWC #BeyondGreatness pic.twitter.com/UFTpg4EdTs
Edge of the Crowd partners with Her Game Too for the Women's World Cup, uniting our passion for diversity and inclusivity in sports. Together, we aim to dismantle barriers, tackle sexism, and amplify women's voices in the sporting realm. Join us in celebrating the spirit of the beautiful game, free of gender constraints. The love for the game knows no gender; let's make every game, Her Game Too. Head to @HerGameToo on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to learn more.
🏆 The @FIFAWWC is up and running! 🤩🎉
— Bristol Rovers CT (@BristolRoversCT) July 20, 2023
📈 So that means you need the obligatory #WorldCup2023 wallchart that our partners at @HerGameToo have produced 👌
ℹ️ You can download your copy by clicking below ⬇️https://t.co/RbgANQzZ5l#HerGameToo pic.twitter.com/WxxD1FJ84K
France v Jamaica
The highly-ranked French side would be hoping to get their campaign off to a strong start, while Jamaica would have been hoping to make an impression. Despite the heavy rain, both sides were busy early, finding attacking holes and producing promising play.
It took until the half-hour mark before France put together an attacking play that looked a chance at scoring, but Kadidiatou Diani's shot was denied.
As both sides went to the half time break without a goal, there were opposite reactions, as Jamaica, thriving on the energy of the neutral crowd, were still in the contest.
As the match drew towards a close, the French threw everything they had at the Jamaicans, as Diani found another header at close range, only to be denied by the woodwork (twice - the crossbar and the post).
Khadija Shaw was sent off late for a second yellow card, after a huge effort up front for Jamaica, but in the end, being a player down for a handful of injury time minutes didn't cost the Jamaicans, who held on for the draw, and their first ever World Cup points.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: KADIDIATOU DIANI (FRA). Diani was a consistent attacking threat, putting together the two best chances for the match. It wasn't enough to breack through, but she was the closest to doing so.
IT'S A DRAW! ⛔
— Australian World Cup Podcast (@AustralianWCPod) July 23, 2023
France and Jamaica have drawn 0-0 in the opening Group F match at the FIFA Women's World Cup in Sydney as both sides created chances, with the result seeing Jamaica claim its first point in WWC history amid a Khadija Shaw red card.#FIFAWWC #BeyondGreatness pic.twitter.com/7t8s0Yno16
Also don't forget to listen to the Australian World Cup Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. New episode out now!