5IVE: World Cup, Day 13
USA survive by the skin of their teeth, while group rivals Netherlands make them pay for a wasteful three games. In Group D, Sarina Wiegman shows first big signs of changing England's system...
Take advantage of WFC’s special World Cup discount offer! 25% off annual subscriptions, now available for just £45, with the offer available until the day of the World Cup final!
Monthly subcriptions are still available for £10, with a 7-day free trial. Annual subscriptions are also available for just £30 if you subscribe with a group of friends or colleagues!
You can also check out WFC’s dedicated World Cup section for all daily analysis, plus features and interviews.
USA escape by the narrowest of margins
Talk about skin of your teeth stuff. It felt unthinkable when the groups were drawn, it felt even more so after a comfortable opening game win, but back-to-back world champions USA were the width of a post away from going out of this tournament at the group stage.
They'll just be thankful to be through, with winning the group gone early in the game as the Netherlands raced into a 3-0 lead which became unassailable by the end of the match, and it means a face-off with old rivals Sweden in the second round for Vlatko Andonovski and his side.
The US though will have a lot of thinking to do though. Because whatever they are trying isn't working. Lynn Williams and Rose Lavelle came in for what felt like positive moves, but neither really hit the spot. Williams was the main goal threat, but fired USA's best chance over the crossbar, and while Lavelle made some of her trademark driving runs, her final ball was all too often off-piste. Her costly booking also means she misses the Sweden game.
Alex Morgan could rarely get in the game, Sophia Smith was quiet while as against the Netherlands, Portugal found it all too easy at times to get in behind the USA's midfield. By the end, a team who so often strike fear in the opposition, looked fear-stricken. Passes were wild, shots were snatched at, crosses were flapped at.
Perhaps playing Sweden will suit USA more with pace on the break through the likes of Smith, Rodman and co, because Portugal sat in for far too long and tended to forget about the fact they needed a goal, which means it as at least job done to an extent for the USA.
Portugal reverted to type, but you can't knock an impressive debut
How to summarise Portugal's World Cup? It's a tough one. Let's be honest, they were given a tough hand, drawn with the two finalists from 2019 wouldn't have been easy for any of the eight debutants we've seen at this tournament.
On the one hand, they were a very solid and well-structured unit from back to front They only conceded once in the group stage and will be one of few teams in recent years who can say they held world champions USA to a 0-0, especially at a major tournament.
But Francisco Neto seemed to forget about the other side of things. Against Netherlands, they barely even entered the opposition penalty box, even after going 1-0 down, and it was a similar story against the US. It felt like with 10 minutes to go the game would get stretched as Portugal would surely pour forward, but it never happened.
One bit of route one football allowed Ana Capeta the chance to knock the USA out, but that was about it. After going for it against Vietnam, he again withdrew two of his most impressive players from that game in Andreia Jacinto and Telma Encarnação.
Don't get me wrong, I understand setting up to contain the USA and remain in the game and they did it brilliantly, but with 10-15 minutes to go there was nothing to lose and everything to gain. Four points from that group for a debutant nation is a superb achievement, but it just feels like it could have been a little bit more.
Netherlands make USA pay for their profligacy
That was the fear when the USA only put three goals past the other debutant nation in this group Vietnam, that a draw against the Netherlands would leave them exposed to a rout from the 2019 runners-up which would push them down to second on goal difference.
In the end, failure to beat Portugal meant it didn't even come to that, but even a win by a margin of five goals wouldn't have been enough as Andries Jonker's side dominated against the AFC side.
The US had eight shots on target against Vietnam, but only converted three. Netherlands meanwhile set about things with intensity from the off, and scored seven of their 17 shots on target.
It was 4-0 inside 23 minutes, meaning the USA knew early on their chances of winning the group and avoiding Sweden were dead in the water. It's easy to get caught up in the USA's mess, but Netherlands have been quietly impressive so far and go through as group winners deservedly.
Esmee Brugts lit things up with two stunning goals from range. Jill Roord followed up her goal vs the USA with another two as well, while Lieke Martens, Katja Snoeijs and Daniëlle van de Donk were all also in the goals in a morale-boosting 90 minutes for many of the Dutch attacking players.
With one of Italy, South Africa or Argentina awaiting them and at worst after that Switzerland or a Spain reeling from a 4-0 hammering, the Dutch are appearing as dark horses for a good run in this World Cup.
Sarina Wiegman plays her wildcard
Until England's last game against Denmark, we'd not even seen Wiegman make so much as a change to her starting eleven during major tournaments.
Against China, she made three, and to many people's surprise completely changed the system she has stuck to since the day he became England head coach. Whether it was down to loss of Keira Walsh or to cure England's misfiring attack remains a mystery, but it had the desired effect.
Wiegman moved to a back three, with Lucy Bronze and Rachel Daly marauding forward as wing-backs, Katie Zelem and Georgia Stanway holding down the fort and Lauren James - who I will come on to - causing havoc behind Alessia Russo and Lauren Hemp.
Whether this system is here to stay remains to be seen, and it should be added China did a very, very poor job of stopping England's game plan, but the Lionesses were effective with it and it brought the best out of several players.
Bronze and Daly were able to focus on getting forward with a back three behind them, Zelem and Stanway were under little pressure as they dictated from the middle of the park, while Hemp and Russo were better than they've been in some time for England.
Hemp caused chaos running at defenders and got a deserved goal, as did Russo, who was able to run the channels where she is in my opinion the most effective, and drop deep without leaving a gaping hole in the England attack.
James was the star of the show, playing a part in the first goals during a superb display, and China never even really tried to adjust or adapt to what England were doing.
But it's three wins, nine points and most importantly, Wiegman finally got her forwards firing.
The Lauren James Show
There was plenty of expectation placed on the shoulders of James coming into this tournament. One of the most unflustered and relaxed people you will come across, she has a similar style on the pitch and it makes how easy she does things all the more remarkable.
Her two finishes (three if you include her offside goal) were sublime. Her first, a shot from the edge of the box from a corner which China did nothing to stop, but hit first time would have still been so easy to mishit and miss the target.
Her second, after having a curling effort disallowed, was a fantastic first-time volley where it didn't even look like she broke sweat, caressing Jess Carter's cross into the far corner.
She also set up goals for Alessia Russo, Lauren Hemp and Chloe Kelly, albeit the China goalkeeper will have nightmares about the latter, but James as ever took everything in her stride, looking completely non-plussed about what she'd done in her post-match interview.
That's not a bad thing either. James is firmly keeping her feet on the ground and in this form could absolutely be the difference between England being the pretenders or the world champions, but there's a long way to go and still plenty for the Lionesses to work on.