Vietnam goalkeeper mobbed by teammates after Alex Morgan penalty save at Women's World Cup | OneFootball

The United States got off to a winning start at the Women’s World Cup, recording a comfortable 3-0 victory against Vietnam at Eden Park in Auckland.

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Sophia Smith showed why she is favourite to win the Golden Boot by scoring two goals, before captain Lindsay Horan hit the third in the 78th minute.

VAR was in action during the match, giving Smith her second goal after a lengthy check for offside, and awarding the US a penalty for a foul on Trinity Rodman in the 39th minute.

US star striker Alex Morgan stepped up to take the penalty, but her attempt was saved by Vietnam’s goalkeeper Trần Thị Kim Thanh.

Her block prompted joyous celebrations from her teammates, producing one of the most wholesome moments of the Women’s World Cup yet.

Morgan would have stepped up to take her penalty feeling confident, having not missed a spot kick at club level since 2021.

Her shot was low and straight down the middle, however, allowing Thanh to get down and prevent the ball from crossing the line.

The rebound was quickly cleared by Vietnam’s defenders, with Thanh jumping for joy as the ball went out for a corner.

Morgan looked distraught as Vietnam’s players ran to celebrate with Thanh, and the country’s fans in the stadium celebrated as if their team had scored a goal.

Take a look at the wholesome moment for yourself in the video below.

Despite her miss, it is likely Morgan will have another opportunity to score a penalty for her country at this Women’s World Cup.

There have been six matches at the tournament so far, and astonishingly, there has been a penalty in all six.

Vietnam make Women's World Cup debut

Despite the 3-0 loss, Vietnam will likely be pleased with their performance against the US, who are in with a good chance of winning a record third successive world title.

It is Vietnam’s first ever appearance at either a men or women’s World Cup, and there were fears they could suffer a similar fate to Thailand at the 2019 tournament.

The US thrashed Thailand 13-0 in their opening match four years ago, but Vietnam put in an impressive defensive performance to keep the reigning world champions at bay for the majority of the match.

Vietnam have Portugal and the Netherlands left to play in Group E as they look to upset the odds and reach the knockout stages.

Megan Rapinoe makes 200th appearance for US

US boss Vlatko Andonovski was able to introduce the 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson to the match in the 75th minute, with the talented teenager likely to get even more minutes as the tournament progresses.

Women’s football icon Megan Rapinoe was also brought on in the second half, earning her 200th cap for the US.

The 38-year-old is set to retire from football later this year, and will be hoping to end her international career on a high.

So far, so good for the US. But tougher tests against the Netherlands and Portugal await.