Women’s World Cup Day 3: U.S. forced to work for win; Japan hammers Zambia

Day 3 of the FIFA Women’s World Cup saw two-time reigning champions United States take its bow at this tournament, but it wasn’t so straight forward for the Stars and Stripes. 

The Americans were expected to blow out Vietnam, but the World Cup debutantes kept things close against the No. 1 ranked team in the world who were made to work for the victory. 

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Also on Friday, former World Cup winners Japan put the hammer down against tournament newcomer Zambia, European champions England edged Haiti in its World Cup debut, and Denmark snatched a late goal to beat China. 

The Results 

Group E: United States 3, Vietnam 0 (in Auckland) – Game stats || Report 

Group B: Zambia 0, Japan 5 (in Hamilton) – Game stats || Report 

Group D: England 1, Haiti 0 (in Brisbane) – Game stats || Report 

Group D: Denmark 1, China 0 (in Perth) – Game stats || Report 

Main Talking Points 

Next generation comes up big for the U.S. 

Rather than heavily rely on his veterans, U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski turned to his youngsters on Saturday and was handsomely rewarded for showing faith in them. Per Opta stats, the U.S. team that took to the pitch had an average of 74.2 caps, making it the least experienced American starting 11 in a World Cup match since 1995.

Most notably, 22-year-old forward Sophia Smith bagged a brace and collected an assist in her World Cup debut. Midfielder Savannah DeMelo, 25, is the first player in team history to play in a World Cup match in one of her first two appearances for her country. Forward Alyssa Thompson became the second-youngest player to appear for the U.S. at the World Cup (18 years, 257 days). Defender Naomi Girma, 23, looked like a veteran, and not someone who was playing in her first tournament.

“I don’t want to say ‘relief’ or ‘surprise.’ I wholeheartedly [believed] that these players are capable of doing what they did,” Andonovski told reporters after the game.

Newcomers Zambia no match for heavyweights Japan 

At No. 77, Zambia is the lowest-ranked team at this tournament, and the Copper Queens looked every bit of it on Saturday in their first ever World Cup match. The 5-0 loss to Japan, ranked No. 11, rather flattered the Africans, who were badly outplayed and outclassed by the former World Cup champions on the day. Honestly, the damage could have been far worse for Zambia. 

The Japanese registered 26 total shots, 11 of which were on target. The Zambians? Zero.  Japan’s free-flowing attack was simply too much for Zambia to deal with, as Futoshi Ikeda’s side created a slew of scoring opportunities with their sharp and quick ball movement, and their sublime passing display (the Japanese completed a remarkable 602 passes). 

It’s difficult to see a way forward for Zambia at this tournament, especially after backup goalkeeper Catherine Musonda was sent off late vs. Japan, which means she’ll be suspended for the team’s next game. Musonda started in place of Hazel Nali, who was ruled out of the World Cup due to injury. 

Tough time for England vs. newcomers Haiti 

England kicked off its World Cup campaign by earning three points, but it was far from easy for the European champions against World Cup debutantes Haiti.

The Lionesses needed a retaken penalty by Georgia Stanway to put away Les Grenadières — goalkeeper Kerly Theus stopped Stanway’s first attempt but was judged to have come off her line before the Bayern Munich player fired her attempt on goal, thus necessitating a do-over. 

England sits 49 spots above fledgling Haiti in the current FIFA rankings, but the tiny Concacaf nation gave as good as it got against the Europeans, causing plenty of problems for the English team’s high-pressing fullbacks with their speed down the wings on the counterattack. 

Goal of the Day 

Some patient buildup play by the Americans resulted in them opening the scoring against Vietnam in the 14th minute. Lindsey Horan played a raking ball for Alex Morgan, whose no-look flick pass released Sophia Smith into the penalty area. Smith took a touch before beating Vietnam goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh through her legs.

Moment of the Day 

Vietnam kept the game closer against the U.S. than most expected, thanks in small part to goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh’s save on Alex Morgan’s first-half penalty attempt. 

Quote of the Day 

“[Our starting 11 had] never been on the field together in a game scenario for one minute and to see some of the connections and some of the combinations that they were able to do was very positive.” — U.S coach Vlatko Andonovski

Three Stars of the Day 

1. Sophia Smith, United States: The 22-year-old forward marked his tournament debut by becoming the second-youngest U.S. women’s player to score two goals in a World Cup match. She also had an assist on co-captain Lindsey Horan’s goal in the second half.

2. Hinata Miyazawa, Japan: The young midfielder broke Zambia’s resistance with a goal just before halftime and then scored Japan’s third in the 62nd minute to put the game away. 

3. Alessia Russo, England: The Arsenal forward didn’t score, but she put in a solid, hard-working shift by winning back possession in the final third six times vs. Haiti.

Looking Ahead 

Three European giants will kick off their World Cup campaigns on Sunday. Sweden, ranked No. 3 in the world, faces South Africa in the Group G opener in Wellington, New Zealand. The Netherlands (No. 9) tangles with Portugal in Group E play from Dunedin. The day finishes off with France (No. 5) taking on Jamaica in Group F action from Sydney. 

John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic can be found here.

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Hamilton ends Verstappen’s string of pole positions in Hungarian GP qualifying

BUDAPEST, Hungary — After taking pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton sat on the grid’s No. 1 bollard as he waited for a rarely beaten Max Verstappen to climb out of his Red Bull.

Hamilton watched and savoured every second, because It’s been a long time coming.

Hamilton’s pole was his first since the penultimate Formula One race of 2021, and ended defending champion Verstappen’s bid for a sixth straight pole.

Hamilton pumped his left fist several times after placing just .003 seconds ahead of Verstappen on his last lap to secure a record-extending 104th pole but first since Saudi Arabia in December 2021.

“Get in there, let’s go boys! So good!” Hamilton shouted on team radio before letting out a high-pitch whoop.

“It’s been a crazy year and a half … I didn’t think today we’d be fighting for pole,” Hamilton said. “I just need to try and see if I can sleep tonight.”

It might not be easy, given the rush of joy he felt.

“I just had a grin on my face, what an uplifting feeling for the whole team,” the seven-time F1 champion said. “When I went into the last run I gave it absolutely everything.”

Wins and poles used to be as common for Hamilton as they are becoming for Verstappen, but Hamilton feels Mercedes is finally giving him a better shot at a first victory since his record 103rd race win, also in Saudi Arabia two years ago.

“I always have that belief. I guess it was just a question of how long that would be,” the 38-year-old British driver said. “Last year I had no confidence in the car. Now there’s no fear that it’s going to throw you into the wall.”

McLaren driver Lando Norris qualified third behind Verstappen at the Hungaroring, the track where Hamilton won his first race for Mercedes in 2013.

Norris is well placed to push for a second straight podium after finishing second at the British GP.

“I feel excited. Race pace was as strong as Silverstone,” Norris said. “With cars up there tomorrow, hopefully we can use them.”

His teammate Oscar Piastri, who finished fourth at Silverstone, maintained his form when he qualified fourth ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

Valtteri Bottas qualified seventh for Alfa Romeo, ahead of Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Sergio Perez (Red Bull) and Nico Hulkenberg (Haas).

Perez finally ended a terrible run.

Since taking the Miami GP pole in May, the Mexican driver has failed to qualify in the top 10 — qualifying 16th, 11th, 12th, 15th and 15th. His struggles continued when he crashed just three minutes into the first practice session on Friday.

Verstappen, meanwhile, complained he felt like he was “driving on ice” in qualifying due to a lack of balance.

“We should be ahead with the car we have, but so far this weekend we haven’t been on it,” he said.

But qualifying second will hardly faze the Dutchman, considering he won from 10th place on the grid last year.

He is cruising toward a third straight F1 title. He has won the past six races and eight in a campaign where he already leads Perez by 99 points, so Hamilton knows the task facing him.

“We’ll bring our A game as a team,” he said. “It’s going to be difficult to fight these guys tomorrow.”

Hamilton’s teammate, George Russell, took the pole here last year but was among the five drivers eliminated from the first part of qualifying after getting stuck in traffic, prompting team principal Toto Wolff to bang his fist on the table and Russell to let fly with an expletive.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. starts a lowly 11th while Daniel Ricciardo qualified 13th on his unexpected return to F1 with the AlphaTauri team. American Logan Sargeant was last for Williams.

Ricciardo was released by McLaren last year but the Australian veteran was given an AlphaTauri seat after Nyck de Vries was cut last week by team principal Franz Tost after failing to score a point in 10 races.

“It was a very difficult and also emotional decision,” Tost said. “Unfortunately this didn’t work as expected, and therefore we decided then to take Daniel.”

Earlier Saturday, Hamilton led the final practice ahead of Verstappen and Perez.

Rampaging Red Bull will take some stopping.

The team has won every race, with Perez getting the other two, and 11 in a row including the final race of 2022 to match the record for consecutive wins set by McLaren in 1988.

The good news for Hamilton was securing pole at the Hungaroring was often decisive on the sinewy 4.4-kilometre (2.7-mile) track, which is one of the most difficult to overtake on and is known as “Monaco without walls.”

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Daniel Ricciardo celebrates his unexpected return to Formula One at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where fellow veteran Fernando Alonso won his first race 20 years ago.

Winning has become routine for runaway championship leader Max Verstappen, the overwhelming favorite for Sunday’s race. The 25-year-old Red Bull driver is chasing a seventh straight win and ninth overall this season. He already has 43 career wins — three more than the 41-year-old Alonso and the 34-year-old Ricciardo have managed between them.

Verstappen was only 5 years old when Alonso won the first of his 32 races. It came at the Hungaroring in 2003 when Alonso drove for Renault, so long ago that Alonso even raced against Verstappen’s father that day.

“You remember your first win,” said Alonso, who won two F1 titles with Renault in ‘05 and ’06. “You have a special relationship with that race and that city, and Budapest is one of my favorite cities.”

The Spanish driver produced a master class in defensive driving at the Hungarian GP in 2021, superbly blocking several attacks from Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton to help his then-Alpine teammate Esteban Ocon win the race.

Alonso is one of the best drivers of his generation and arguably the most widely liked among fans. But there has been one downside.

“No more privacy in my life since 20 years,” Alonso said. “But I (would) not change anything, because it’s still your own choice and you try to follow your dreams.”

Alonso is seeking a first win since the Spanish GP in 2013 in what has been a strong season so far for the Spanish driver.

His switch from Alpine to Aston Martin has yielded an unexpectedly high return of six podium finishes. It puts him in realistic contention to finish second in the standings.

Verstappen looks untouchable, leading his teammate Sergio Perez by 99 points, but Alonso is only 19 points behind second-place Perez.

“It’s going to be a tight battle until the end,” said Alonso, who is 16 points ahead of Hamilton in fourth. “Behind us there are some strong competitors.”

Hamilton has won seven world titles — an F1 record he shares with Michael Schumacher — and a record 103 race wins. But he has not won since the penultimate race of the 2021 season, when he challenged Verstappen in a thrilling title fight that went down to the very last lap of the season.

There was no such drama last year, when Verstappen won a record 15 races on the way to his second title, and it’s also been one-way traffic this season in a crushingly dominant car.

Red Bull has won every race, with Perez getting the other two, and 11 in a row including the final race of 2022 to match the record for consecutive wins set by McLaren in 1988.

Verstappen can help Red Bull break it on Sunday.

“I’m not really thinking about that,” Verstappen said. “If we win, it means we break that record, but it’s more important that we win (the race).”

PEREZ UNDER PRESSURE

Perez’s struggles continued when he crashed just three minutes into the first practice session on Friday.

Perez went over some grass coming out of Turn 5, lost control of his car and slammed into the crash barriers, bringing out a red flag. It was a bad error from Perez, who has failed to qualify in the top 10 in the last five races.

“I cannot believe this,” Perez said.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, who publicly supported Perez last week, looked concerned.

Perez is under contract through next year but there are already rumors that he could lose his seat to Ricciardo, if Ricciardo does well with AlphaTauri on his shock return to F1.

Ricciardo was released by McLaren last year but the Australian was handed an F1 seat by AlphaTauri — Red Bull’s junior team — after Nyck de Vries was cut last week.

Ricciardo won seven of his eight career F1 victories with Red Bull from 2014-18, including a career-best three in 2014 when he outperformed four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel.

IMPROVING MCLAREN

McLaren’s 30 point-haul at the British GP two weeks ago was one more point than they’d managed in the previous nice races combined.

British driver Lando Norris finished second at Silverstone and the Australian rookie Oscar Piastri posted a career-best fourth.

“I think Silverstone with all the high-speed corners suited us quite nicely. Here is obviously a much lower-speed circuit so we’ll see,” Piastri said. “I think we will try and be optimistic that we can stay more towards the front, but whether we’ll be fighting for a podium again, I’m not quite sure.”

PRACTICE SESSIONS

The rain-soaked first practice at the Hungarian GP produced a second red flag near the end when Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr. slid sideways across the track and into the barriers.

Mercedes driver George Russell topped that session from Piastri and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll.

The track dried out for the second practice, led by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc ahead of Norris and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly. Verstappen placed 11th, Ricciardo was 14th and Perez 18th.

On Saturday, Verstappen goes for a sixth straight pole position.

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Cink shoots 68, thinks he can win The Open at age 50

HOYLAKE, England — Stewart Cink wouldn’t seem to have a lot going for him at this Open Championship, least of all the fact he turned 50 two months ago and is eligible for the PGA Tour Champions.

Throw in the fact his flight from Atlanta was delayed by one day and he didn’t see Royal Liverpool until Tuesday after a long flight. Or the fact he only has two top 10s in his 23 previous times playing the Open Championship.

One of those, of course, was a victory at Turnberry in 2009. That has not been forgotten by Cink, who played bogey-free Thursday for a 3-under 68 that left him two shots behind Tommy Fleetwood and South African amateur Christo Lamprecht.

“Experience matters here probably as much as anywhere else,” Cink said.

Golf has been trending younger than ever, especially in the majors. Eight of the last nine winners were in their 20s, the exception being Brooks Koepka — all of 33 — winning the PGA Championship this year at Oak Hill.

Cink doesn’t see it that way, even though he has dabbled on the 50-and-over PGA Tour Champions — he played a senior major last week in Ohio — and might spend more time there next year. It was only two years ago that he won the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head.

“I’m not that different of a golfer than I was then,” he said. “I have no doubts I can win this. It’s going to take a lot. It’s going to take some really, really exceptional play on my behalf. But it’s in there.”

The oldest Open Championships winner was Old Tom Morris, who was 46 when he won in 1867. Cink was quick to refer to Phil Mickelson winning the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island two years ago when he was 50.

“I think that was probably a more difficult course than this,” Cink said. “Watching him win that, it didn’t really surprise anybody. He’s been so good for so long.”

And there was the matter of his lone major, not so much that he won, but whom he beat in a playoff — Tom Watson, who was 59 at Turnberry.

“I’m still way younger than he was then,” Cink said.

Still, it will take a lot of work, and he knows that. Ahead of him Thursday was Christo Lamprecht, the 22-year-old amateur from South Africa who looks like a giant and hits like one. Cink knows him from occasionally seeing him at Georgia Tech’s practice facility.

Thursday was a day for scoring, and Cink did his part by avoiding the troublesome bunkers at Royal Liverpool except for one, and that time the ball was in the middle and left him a reasonable shot to get out.

At his side was his wife, Lisa, a cancer survivor who is caddying for him this week. Cink said she is as much a therapist as a caddie, maybe not the best in helping decide whether a shot should be a 4-iron or a 5-iron but able to keep his head in the right place.

And after a strong start, his confidence was starting to soar.

“It hasn’t been that long since I won, so I know that I can still get up in the mix and give myself a chance to win,” he said. “The key to winning out here in this game, you’re not going to wrestle the bull to the ground very often. You’re going to just need to get yourself in position enough times where the winning happens.

“Sometimes it happens; sometimes it doesn’t. It doesn’t matter who you are,” he said. “The greatest thing about Tiger was he put himself in a position to win a whole lot of times, and it happened for him a lot of times. I want to get myself in the mix to have a chance to win on the last round, last nine holes.”

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