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At Dunedin Stadium: Netherlands 1 (Stefanie van der Gragt 13’) Portugal 0. HT: 1-0.
Group E points (games played): USA 3 (1), Netherlands 3 (1), Portugal 0 (1), Vietnam 0 (1).
The Netherlands have secured a vital 1-0 win against Portugal that should put them on course for the knockout stages.
In front of a crowd of 11,991 in Dunedin, a VAR-assisted goal from centre-half Stefanie van der Gragt was enough for the three points, but it may have come at a cost with star striker Lineth Beerensteyn forced off with a late injury in a game that was ill-tempered at times.
Netherlands coach Andries Jonker couldn’t offer any update on Beerensteyn after the match, and didn’t want to be drawn on the challenge that forced her off the field, but noted that Portugal had been “combative” throughout.
The coach was pleased with the result, but wasn’t taking anything for granted after a performance that left room for improvement.
“It’s a good start,” he said. “A bit of the pressure has gone.
“The performance was good today but there are no guarantees. We’ve seen in these championships that there is no difference [between teams] any more. Haiti played a good game against England for example.
“But we didn’t play the way we wanted to play.”
Lars Baron/Getty Images
Stefanie van der Gragt of the Netherlands celebrates after scoring her team’s first goal against Portugal in Dunedin.
The Netherlands, ranked No 9 in the world, had beaten Portugal in four of their five most recent outings, including a 3-2 victory in the European Championships last year.
After a cagey start, the Netherlands opened the scoring in the 13th minute when van der Gragt powered a header home from a corner.
The goal was originally disallowed when the assistant referee spotted Netherlands No 6 Jill Roord in an offside position, but after a VAR review referee Kateryna Monzul allowed it to stand.
The early lead allowed coach Andries Jonker’s side to settle, and they should have gone 2-0 up midway through the first half, but Roord couldn’t head home from another well-taken corner kick.
Despite some nice touches from midfielder Andreia Norton, Portugal struggled to get into the game and their frustrations showed as Monzul repeatedly penalised them in a niggly first half.
Portugal also struggled to cope with the runs of Juventus striker Beerensteyn, who also had a chance to put the Netherlands 2-0 up before the break but scuffed her shot.
Lars Baron/Getty Images
Stefanie van der Gragt of the Netherlands heads her side into the lead against Portugal in Dunedin.
The Dutch had to settle for a 1-0 lead at halftime, but they were well worthy of that advantage.
The contest opened up in the second half, with chances at either end within minutes of the restart.
The experienced Danielle van de Donk should have added to her tally of 34 goals for the Netherlands, but she shot straight at Portugal goalkeeper Inês Pereira with the goal begging.
Once again, Beerensteyn was the creator of that opportunity, and the 26-year-old is clearly central to the Netherlands’ hopes in this tournament.
However, she went down in agony after a heavy challenge from Diana Gomes with about five minutes to go. Gomes was booked and Beerensteyn hobbled off the field, casting a shadow over their victory.
At the other end, Jéssica Silva’s express started to cause problems, although she often lacked support against the Netherlands’ 3-5-2 system.
Silva also picked up a booking for a challenge that underlined the desperation of both sides to get off to a winning start in Group E.
The Netherlands face the USA in a blockbuster clash in Wellington on Thursday, and Portugal will play Vietnam in Hamilton later that day.
However, with the USA strongly favoured to progress through to the knockout stages, the Netherlands and Portugal were effectively fighting for the right to join them in Dunedin.
As the second half progressed, Portugal started to enjoy more possession in the right parts of the field.
Substitute Telma Encarnaҫão manufactured an opportunity after a break down the right, but goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar was up to the challenge.
Goalscorer van der Gragt was also excellent in her defensive duties as the Netherlands closed out an important win to send their orange-clad fans home in good spirits.
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