Portugal defeated Vietnam 2-0 to give the Navegadoras their first-ever victory at a FIFA Women’s World Cup and maintain their chances of moving on to the next round. Within the first five minutes of the game, both Jessica Silva and Kika Nazareth had chances to open the scoring for Portugal.
However, Francisco Neto’s team didn’t have to wait long for the breakthrough. Telma Encarnacao was on hand to head home the first-ever goal for Portugal at a FIFA Women’s World Cup after Lucia Alves sent in a lovely cross.
Vietnam struggled to cope with the constant Portuguese pressure in the first half and after 21 minutes they were 2-0 down. Encarnacao turned provider for the second goal, slipping a ball into Nazareth who calmly placed her effort past Tran Thi Kim Thanh.
Vietnam enjoyed their best spell of the half in the last five minutes, springing forward on the break on a couple of occasions. One of Vietnam’s breaks led to a vicious long-range effort from Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy – Vietnam’s first shot on target.
The second half fell into the same pattern as the first, with Portugal dominating the ball and creating chances. Jessica Silva, Encarnacao and Nazareth all had chances to put Portugal 3-0 up but ultimately failed to convert. Joana Marchao struck the crossbar with a looping free kick eight minutes from time.