FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 schedule, groups, results: Yamila Rodriguez trolled over tattoo
The seemingly unstoppable Team USA were rocked in their World Cup group game against the Netherlands, after an extraordinary opening.
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USA captain Lindsey Horan scored a second-half equaliser as holders came from behind to draw 1-1 with the Netherlands at the Women’s World Cup on Thursday, in a rematch of the 2019 final between the teams.
Dutch midfielder Jill Roord fired home a first-half opener to threaten a momentous result in the Group E clash in Wellington.
However, US skipper Horan responded in the second half as the Americans maintained their unbeaten record at the World Cup since losing the 2011 final on penalties to Japan.
Horan had been crunched by club teammate Danielle van de Donk only moments earlier.
Rather than let the incident get under her skin, Horan headed home off a corner to ultimately secure the USA a draw.
But she did admited she was a bit ‘pissed’ over the clash.
“Me and Dana always go up against each other, I respect her so much and that is how it should be - competitive at all times,” Horan told broadcasters after the game.
“Straight after that tackle I wanted to score.
“In the heat of the moment, I got a bit pissed at her (van de Donk) but Rose (Lavelle) put in an absolute dime and I got on the end of it.”
The most highly-anticipated game of the tournament’s group phase was vastly different to the decider four years ago in France, which the US won comfortably 2-0 to retain their title.
This time the Dutch had the better of the first half, finding chinks which were also evident in the United States’ opening 3-0 win over minnows Vietnam.
Despite dominating the final stages, the Americans couldn’t find a winner, producing a hot and cold performance which ends a string of 13 successive World Cup match wins and casts some doubt on their status as favourites to lift the trophy again.
3.15PM: WORLD CUP STAR REACTS TO TATTOO TROLLS
Argentina’s Women’s World Cup striker Yamila Rodriguez has defended having a tattoo of Cristiano Ronaldo on her leg, saying: “I don’t hate Messi.”
The 25-year-old faced flak on social media from fans back home after they spotted the ink on her left shin of Portugal’s Ronaldo -- the great rival of Argentina captain Lionel Messi.
“Please, enough, I’m not doing well. At what point did I say I’m anti-Messi?” Rodriguez wrote on social media in response.
“Messi is our great captain in the national team, but the fact that I say that my inspiration and my idol is CR7 (Ronaldo) does not mean that I hate Messi.
“Enough, it’s tiring and it hurts.
“What is the problem? We are not all obliged to only love the players of our country.
“Please understand that this is football and everyone has appreciation, their preferences and highlighting one does not mean burying the other.”
Rodriguez, who came on as a substitute in Monday’s 1-0 World Cup defeat to Italy, has numerous other tattoos, including one of Argentina legend Diego Maradona.
Argentina is an enormously patriotic country when it comes to football but Rodriguez has bee backed by popular football journalist Martin Liberman who took aim at his own compatriots for their abuse.
“Sh*tty country,” he wrote on Twitter. They even want to choose your idols. Where did they come from?”
“Everyone admires who they want! All my support for Yamila Rodriguez whose only crime is to love Cristiano. Don’t give explanations Yamila! You are free. You just have to play nice and be honest. F**k them!”
2.00PM: HOW ‘PISSED’ USA SKIPPER FOUGHT BACK
Team USA look like they were destined for a rare defeat for much of their contest against the Netherlands in their World Cup final rematch on Thursday.
That was until skipper Lindsey Horan fired home a powerful header in the second-half, a thunderbolt that seemed to come from a place of anger as much as being technically perfect.
And it may well have, given Horan had been crunched by club teammate Danielle van de Donk only moments earlier.
Rather than let the incident get under her skin, Horan headed home off a corner to ultimately secure the USA a draw.
But she did admited she was a bit ‘pissed’ over the clash.
“Me and Dana always go up against each other, I respect her so much and that is how it should be - competitive at all times,” Horan told broadcasters post game.
“Straight after that tackle I wanted to score.
“In the heat of the moment, I got a bit pissed at her (van de Donk) but Rose (Lavelle) put in an absolute dime and I got on the end of it.”
1.00PM: WORLD CUP FINAL REMATCH LIVES UP TO THE HYPE
Captain Lindsey Horan scored a second-half equaliser as holders the United States came from behind to draw 1-1 with the Netherlands at the Women’s World Cup on Thursday, in a rematch of the 2019 final between the teams.
Dutch midfielder Jill Roord fired home a first-half opener to threaten a momentous result in the Group E clash in Wellington.
However, US skipper Horan responded in the second half as the Americans maintained their unbeaten record at the World Cup since losing the 2011 final on penalties to Japan.
The most highly-anticipated game of the tournament’s group phase was vastly different to the decider four years ago in France, which the US won comfortably 2-0 to retain their title.
This time the Dutch had the better of the first half, finding chinks which were also evident in the United States’ opening 3-0 win over minnows Vietnam.
Despite dominating the final stages, the Americans couldn’t find a winner, producing a hot and cold performance which ends a string of 13 successive World Cup match wins and casts some doubt on their status as favourites to lift the trophy again.
12.25PM: GOAL! TEAM USA HIT BACK
We are level!
Team USA had to wait just seven minutes after halftime to find their equaliser, and it comes from a powerful header from captain Lindsey Horan.
The midfielder rises up above the pack and hits head header with venom to beat Dutch No.1 Daphne van Domselaar at the near post.
It is the USA’s first shot on target since the 19th minute, and it is utterly unstoppable -
so it’s 1-1.
Great sport that. Horan fuming, really annoyed with Van der Donk. A minute later connects with thunderous power to head in equaliser for the US. Cracking corner from Lavelle, too. Bang!
— tariq panja (@tariqpanja) July 27, 2023
11.55AM: TEAM USA IN TROUBLE
For the first time in 12 years, Team USA are in a fight at the World Cup.
At halftime against the Dutch, the defending champions trail 1-0 care of Jill Roord’s early strike set the tone for this contest.
It is a remarkable situation for the Americans and coach Vlatko Andonovski, who before the match implored his team to embrace a ‘whatever it takes’ approach.
Not since 2011 have the USA trailed in - let alone lost - a World Cup match, so this is very much uncharted territory.
And it appears to have rattled the tournament favourites, who have resorted to physicality in retaliation to the scoreboard.
11.15AM: WORLD CHAMPIONS ROCKED IN 12-YEAR FIRST
GOAL! The Dutch have struck! And what a moment for this World Cup.
For the first time at the World Cup, defending champions the United States have faced a shot on goal. And it’s gone in.
A real punch in the mouth for this star-studded USA team, who are not used to being in this position.
It’s the first time they have trailed in a World Cup match since 2011.
And it was a fine goal too, with Jill Roord hitting from distance to cap off some beautiful flowing football in the lead-up.
It appeared the play had broken down before the ball bounced ot Roord, who hit from the edge of the box to breach the USA defence.
Game on!
10.30AM: HOW AUSTRALIA CAN DEFY INJURY CRISIS
How does Australia overcome the loss of not just Sam Kerr and Mary Fowler, but the other injuries that have stretched their squad paper thin?
Socceroos great Robbie Slater addressed the concerns in his exclusive column today.
“The squad is looking really thin and while hindsight is a wonderful thing, when you look to pick a World Cup squad coach Tony Gustavsson would have planned for all kinds of scenarios,” Slater wrote.
“I know when Graham Arnold was planning his Socceroos squad for the World Cup he was in different minds about potential outcomes and making sure every position had depth with the fitness of players.
“I’m not sure losing Kerr and Fowler in back-to-back games early on was part of Tony’s contingency planning.
“If it was, then why was Kyah Simon selected? She is coming back from an ACL last October, but in ACL terms that is not long ago and her fitness remains a question.
“He was always planning for Kyah to come in later in the tournament, but now we must replace two of our most important players.
“Simon may well be ready to start tomorrow, we don’t know.
“I think the most simple solution is Tameka Yallop comes in for Fowler and Hayley Raso replaces Fowler upfront so he doesn’t change formation.”
9.45AM: TEAM USA’S ‘WHATEVER IT TAKES’ APPROACH
Before the Matildas take on Nigeria later tonight, there’s still a bevvy of football excellence for you to feast on today - starting at 11am when the United States take on the Netherlands.
And Vlatko Andonovski says his US team will do “whatever it takes” in a re-run of the 2019 final.
The Americans won 2-0 in 2019 to retain their crown and now meet the Dutch again in the biggest game of the group stages in Australia and New Zealand.
Both teams won their opening game at this World Cup and will do battle in Wellington in the fight for the top spot in Group E -- and with it possibly an easier match in the last 16.
The clash is a 33,000 sell-out and will give a good indication of how far both sides can go this time.
“For us, it’s just a very important game in the group stage and we will do whatever it takes,” Andonovski said on Wednesday, refusing to call it another “final”.
The United States began their bid for an unprecedented third World Cup crown in a row with a 3-0 win over Vietnam.
The Netherlands beat another debutant in Portugal, 1-0, but were more comfortable than the scoreline suggested.
9.00AM: COACH’S PATRONISING EQUAL PAY TAKE
France’s coach has done himself few favours after making controversial comments about equal pay in the men’s and women’s game.
The gender pay gap debate has dominated women’s football for years and has overshadowed much of the build-up to the 2023 World Cup.
Even the Matildas made their feelings on the matter abundantly clear, using Australia’s role as host of the World Cup as a platform to call out FIFA’s discrepancy in prizemoney.
While the CBA with Football Australia afford the Matildas the same minimum percentage as their male counterparts, the international scene remains hugely different with prizemoney at the women’s world Cup 229.6 million – well short of the $650m on offer in Qatar last year.
Herve Renard, who only took the reins of the French women’s team in March of this year after four years with Saudi Arabia men’s side, has done little to help push the issue instead telling women to “just be patient”.
“If you have one restaurant with 1,000 meals in the evening and one with 300, it’s not the same,” he said.
“At the end of the night in the register, it’s not the same amount. Football it’s the same. It’s business.”
Renard’s comments will incense many and placate the sceptics. But his role as a leader of a women’s team should be called into question.
When he took the reins of the side four months ago he admitted: “For me everything was new because I didn’t know women’s football, how to manage the girls.
No kidding.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has set a target for both the women’s and men’s World Cups to offer equal pay by 2027.
8:20AM REF FARCE: HOWLER EXPOSES FIFA TRIAL
The Women’s World Cup was plunged into momentary chaos after a referee announced the wrong decision after a VAR review.
Spain had put in a good showing as they beat Zambia 5-0 at Eden Park in New Zealand.
However, the most intriguing moment came from referee Oh-Hyeon Jeong while there was a VAR check on Jennifer Hermoso’s goal in 70th minute.
Hermoso had already netted earlier in the game but her second was initially ruled out as Olga Carmona was flagged offside in the build-up to the goal.
After the lengthy check, it seemed that the Spaniard would be allowed the goal until Oh-Hyeon Jeong appeared to stick with her original decision.
The official announced that the decision was “no goal!”, which was then met with boos from the crowd.
This then saw the referee backtrack and say: “No, wait... no offside - Goal!”But for a second the Spanish team were left confused due to the dodgy announcement before realising that the goal had been given.
During the Women’s World Cup history was made as referees are announcing VAR decisions to the spectators in the stadium through a microphone.
It is the first time that this has been done at a senior international tournament.
And it has no been smooth sailing.
New Zealand were victim to a poor decision that ruled out an equaliser in their shock defeat to the Philippines. Jacqui Hand was ruled offside in a tight call.
Fans have been left frustrated by the VAR format with many complaining that announcing the decision before the explanation is futile given the cheers drown out the ref.
Others have bemoaned the standard of umpiring given how many decisions - particularly penalties - have had to be overturned.
Geez, as far as stadium-wide VAR announcements go - that one was a howler just now in the Spain/Zambia match.
— Luke Cooper (@luke__cooper) July 26, 2023
First ‘no goal’, then ‘no offside’, then ‘goal’.#FWWC#ESP#ZAM
that's such a crap VAR call to disallow New Zealand's equaliser. a few centimetres of her head is offside while the rest of her body was in line? come on. what are we doing here, folks. #NZLPHI#FIFAWWC
— Samantha Lewis (@battledinosaur) July 25, 2023
7:45AM KNOCKED OUT BUT PROUD
It was an emotional night for Ireland players as their FIFA World Cup dream came to an end - with a game in hand.
Defeat to Canada confirmed their exit and they team will fly home next week, but with their heads held high, insists Katie McCabe.
She said: “We’re heartbroken about the result. What I am is very proud of the team and how we performed and how we gave it everything right until the very end.
“My message was mostly how proud I was of each and every single player and staff member because of the journey we’ve all been on to get here.
“We showed at times we’re standing toe to toe with some of the best in the world. We want to get used to that.”
Originally published as FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 schedule, groups, results: Yamila Rodriguez trolled over tattoo
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