Borges scores first World Cup hat-trick as Brazil, Germany and Italy secure wins | OneFootball

Brazil, Italy and Germany all get their Women’s World Cup campaigns off to a winning start on day five of the tournament…

ITALY 1-0 ARGENTINA

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Italy snatched victory over Argentina with an 87th minute header from substitute Cristiana Girelli in a crucial opening game, denying the South Americans a first win at a World Cup

In a tight occasion, which looked as though it was destined to finish goalless, it was La Azzurre who edged their opponents in the closing stages. In a sport where stats do not usually tell the story of the game, this match makes an exception. An astonishing 36 fouls were committed throughout, especially in the midfield areas, despite there only being five shots on target.

A competitive first half saw Italy’s Ariana Caruso and Valentina Giacinti efforts both ruled out for offside after Argentina nearly made a sensational start to the game when Mariana Larroquette’s acrobatic bicycle kick went narrowly wide in the second minute.

After the break, with both sides not wanting to lose their opening game, chances were few and far between with the prioritisation being the avoidance of mistakes, and Argentinian goalkeeper Vanina Correa was only called into action to make a few routine stops.

It was a debut game for 16-year-old Giulia Dragoni as she started for the Italians and became the youngest player to represent Italy in the competition’s history. Nicknamed ‘Little Messi,’ the teenager played an instrumental part across the match, providing energy and quality before being substituted in the 83rd minute.

Italy’s head coach Milena Bertolini praised the youngster for her performance: “Giulia is a talent,” she said. “She was ready both technically and tactically. I think that she did very well considering her age and also playing in such a big stadium in such a big event.”

It took a moment of quality from veteran Cristiana Girelli, the oldest member of the Azzurre squad, who scored her 54th international goal and, more importantly, gave Italy a vital three points to begin their World Cup campaign in Group G.

“It was a very even match,” Argentina’s coach, Germán Portanova, said. “At times we controlled it and they did not have many opportunities. The result was somewhat unfair. A draw would have been the right score.”

GERMANY 6-0 MOROCCO

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Strong favourites to win the tournament, the Germans, ranked second in the world, proved far too strong for World Cup debutants Morocco, cruising to victory in a game that could have reached double digits, if not for the woodwork.

It didn’t take long for Germany to get their World Cup up and running. It was in the 11th minute that saw Alexandra Popp demonstrate her usual ruthless efficiency with a bullet header from a tantalising delivery by Kathrin Hendrich. Popp doubled her tally in the latter stages of the first half with another impressive header, putting the Germans 2-0 up before half time.

The 2nd half repeated much of the same story of the first, taking only ten seconds for the Germans to add a third with Klara Bühl finishing off a neat move with a clinical finish. A pair of own goals from Moroccan players Yasmin Mrabet and Zineb Reedouani along with a 90th minute strike by Lea Schuller handed the Germans the biggest win of the tournament so far.

However it won’t be all negatives for the Moroccan side who did demonstrate an attacking presence with an offside goal from midfielder Anissa Lahmari. Head coach Reynald Pedros spoke after the game: “We need to stay focused and concentrated on the competition. We still have two games to play. Our objective is to as quickly as possible get back to work and get our heads down.”

Although it was a comfortable victory for the Germans, they occasionally looked a bit shaky at the back and were often caught in defence as Morocco posed a threat at times, something manager Martina Voss-Tecklenburg will look to address ahead of their upcoming games against Colombia and South Korea.

BRAZIL 4-0 PANAMA

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The final match of the day saw a classy Brazilian side crush debutantes Panama 4-0 in a scintillating opening to their World Cup campaign with Ary Borges hitting the first hat-trick of the tournament yet.

The Canarinhas opened the scoring in the 19th minute when Debinha’s floated cross was headed in at the back post by Borges, who soon doubled her tally 20 minutes later as she poked in a rebound after having an initial header saved by Panama’s goalkeeper Yenith Bailey.

Any hope Panama had of getting back into the match was extinguished only three minutes into the second half and it was the best goal of the tournament so far. A dominant Brazil, with their relentless pressure, soon turned on the style in the early stages of the second half with a slick team move as Borges turned provider, setting up Bia Zaneratto with a backheel flick who smashed the ball into the net for Brazil’s third.

Brazil then wrapped up proceedings when Borges put the seal on a hugely impressive personal as well as team performance by nodding in her third as the ball squeezed between the legs of Bailey.

The introduction of Brazilian forward Marta, aged 37 and arguably the greatest women’s footballer of all time, came off the bench in the closing moments but will have to wait a while longer if she is to become the first player to score at six World Cups.

Picking Panama apart, enjoying more than 70% of the possession and having a flurry of shots, will undoubtedly have other title contenders looking nervously over the Canarinhas’s shoulders as they look to win their first ever Women’s World Cup.

The victory sees Brazil top Group F after France were held to a 0-0 draw by Jamaica before they face France in their second game, one of what is sure to be one of most intriguing matches in the group stages.

FEATURED IMAGE CREDIT: MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Photo by Alex Pantling – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images