Despite being a host country and winning its first match, Australia has so far been “pure unlucky” at this Women’s World Cup, according to its coach. It lost its biggest star, Sam Kerr, before play commenced. It lost two more players ahead of its second match on Thursday, against a plucky Nigerian team. Australia will have to rely on its depth to see it through to the round of 16, and hope for its fortunes to change — perhaps with the return of Kerr.
Thursday’s World Cup matches feature unlikely upstarts who faced top contenders in their opening games and fared better than most expectations. The most successful of those teams so far is Nigeria, which held Canada scoreless in a draw and has an opportunity to exploit Australia’s injuries.
Portugal vs. Vietnam
Portugal looked much more comfortable in a 2-0 win against Vietnam than it did in an opening loss to the Netherlands.
Telma Encarnação scored a goal in the seventh minute and Kika Nazareth added another soon after that showcased Portugal’s easy control of the match.
It will be very difficult for Portugal to win its next game, which is against a United States…
