With national coach Andries Jonker at the helm, the Orange Lionesses have won the first match at the World Cup. In Dunedin in New Zealand, Portugal was beaten 1-0. Stefanie van der Gragt from Heerhugowaard, who will stop as a professional football player after the World Cup, was the match winner with her header goal,
The run-up to the first World Cup match was quite messy for the Netherlands. A bad training field in New Zealand made preparation difficult. Against Portugal, however, there was little sign of this, because the Orange was much better at the ball. Still, Jonker’s team had trouble creating chances. After 13 minutes, Stefanie van der Gragt headed in the opening goal from a corner kick by Ajax player Sherida Spitse: 1-0.
The Orange, which played in a 3-5-2 formation, had little to fear for the Portuguese. Keeper Daphne van Domselaar from Oudkarspel therefore had little to do. In the first half, the Dutch should have doubled the score, but Jill Roord headed over from close range from a corner kick.
Text continues below the tweet.
To view this content, you must accept cookies.
After the break, the Orange had a little more to fear for Portugal, but partly due to strong defensive work by Van der Gragt, the danger had always passed. Danielle van de Donk had the biggest chance, but she shot straight at the goalkeeper of Portugal. Despite the minimal lead, Jonker calmly watched everything from the sidelines and saw his team take the win.
Thanks to the victory, the Orange immediately takes a big step towards the knockout phase of the World Cup. On Thursday at 3 a.m. (Dutch time), the meeting with title favorite America awaits.
Read also
Sport
