Women's World Cup: USA stroll past Vietnam in Megan Rapinoe's 200th cap, Japan thrash Zambia

The USA began their quest for a third consecutive Women’s World Cup title with a comfortable 3-0 victory over tournament debutants Vietnam in Auckland.

It was a professional display from Vlatko Andonovski’s team against the plucky South Asian side, who were making their first-ever appearance in either a men’s or women’s World Cup.

There was also a special milestone for Megan Rapinoe, who came off the bench to make her 200th cap.

This was not the double-digit scoreline that some anticipated, and the four-time winners fell some way short of their 13-0 opening match victory over Thailand in 2019.

In truth, the holders created enough chances to replicate that mammoth win after squandering most of their 28 attempts on goal.

The opportunities they did convert included Sophia Smith’s brace on her first-ever appearance at the finals, while Lindsey Horan added a third after half-time.

Smith broke the deadlock in the 14th minute with a clinical low finish from a tight angle at the end of a slick move.

Alex Morgan wasted an opportunity to double their lead from the penalty spot, after Trinity Rodman had been brought down inside the box.

Her weak spot-kick was comfortably saved by Vietnam keeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh to spark scenes of joy from the players and fans alike.

The USA did get their second in first-half stoppage time however, as Smith showed her prowess inside the box with another close-range finish, which was eventually given after a VAR check.

Captain Lindsey Horan added extra gloss to the scoreline in the 77th minute after taking advantage of acres of space inside the box with a clinical strike, with Smith providing the assist.

Rose Lavelle had a chance to score a fourth, only to see her fierce strike cannon off the crossbar in the later stages.

Sterner tests will surely follow for Andonovski’s side, who take on 2019 finalists the Netherlands on July 27.

Meanwhile, Vietnam are in action again on the same day when they face fellow Women’s World Cup debutants Portugal.

Elsewhere, Japan stamped their authority on Group E with an emphatic 5-0 victory over another Women’s World Cup debutant, Zambia.

Bruce Mwape’s side are the first men’s or women’s Zambia side to compete at a senior World Cup, following in the footsteps of Vietnam’s debut earlier in the day.

They were ultimately outclassed by the 2011 winners in Aotearoa though, thanks to Hinata Miyazawa's brace alongside goals for Mina Tanaka, Jun Endo and Riko Ueki’s penalty.

The result propelled Futoshi Ikeda's side into top spot in Group C and laid down a marker to Spain, who prevailed with a 3-0 win over Costa Rica on Friday.

Zambia had VAR to thank for keeping the scoreline respectable, with Tanaka denied two more strikes and Japan seeing a penalty decision in their favour overruled.

Japan thought they had broken the deadlock in the 21st minute through Tanaka from Endo's sublime free-kick, but the effort was ruled out after the former was in an offside position.

A defensively resilient Zambia side were broken down two minutes before the break thanks to Miyazawa's fine first-time finish from Aoba Fujino's delivery.

It was a frustrating start to the second half for Japan as Tanaka saw her second strike ruled out for offside, before seeing a decision to award them a spot-kick overturned two minutes later when Catherine Musonda brought down Fujino.

Tanaka eventually got her name on the scoresheet to turn in Endo's cross, before turning provider for Miyazawa to add a third just past the hour mark.

Endo then added a fourth in the 71st minute with a cool finish, but this action-packed contest was not finished yet. Musonda was shown a second yellow card for bringing down Ueki.

Musonda's dismissal was indeed a controversial one, with her first yellow card not rescinded for the earlier incident involving Fujinio that was subsequently cancelled out.

Eunice Sakala was introduced and sensationally saved Ueki's first attempt, but a re-take was given for encroachment and she made no mistake with her second strike to cap off a five-star display from Japan.

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