World Cup, Day 3 Analysis
World champions USA and European champions England get under way, but it's Japan who makes their mark. Plus, VAR gets busy.
A first glimpse of the new-look world champions
There was a fear of what the defending double world champions might do to a Vietnam side making their debut at the tournament, with memories of Thailand four years ago all too fresh for many.
But this is a somewhat new-look USA side, under a different head coach and with a good chunk of young players making their own tournament debuts.
Vlatko Andonovski is also without key players such as Mal Swanson and Catarina Macario in attack, and it's scary he can still put out the likes of Sophia Smith, Alex Morgan and Trinity Rodman, with Megan Rapinoe and Alyssa Thompson in reserve.
Unsurprisingly, given the build-up, Smith was the standout, scoring two and setting up the final of USA's three goals as they produced a performance which could have led to more goals, but there was a general lack of clinical edge in front of goal.
Andonovski used Savannah DeMelo, making a full debut, in the number 10 role with Rose Lavelle not fit enough to start, while Julie Ertz reverted to centre-back in the absence of Becky Sauerbrunn, a smart move given Ertz has excelled their in the past and could help the team build up from the back.
The US didn't look at their brilliant best, but they were efficient enough as they look to build into the tournament and continue to work out what they are and who they are with this younger side. It was a marker though given we have seen many close games so far, and they look like a side who especially in attack will cause any team problelms with their pace and quality.
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Japan lays down a marker
I talked up Japan a lot leading up to this tournament, and specifically their game against Zambia. If you'd told me it would produce five goals, I'd have believed you, but been equally disappointed to find out they all went one way.
We'll come on to Zambia, but let's take nothing away from a very, very good Japan performance. The 2011 champions and 2015 finalists are looking to bounce back from a disappointing few years, and this new, younger and fresher side really looked the business.
Their system was particularly interesting. A 3-5-2 with Risa Shimizu and Jun Endo, who were excellent, flying up and down the wings, while two-goal hero Hinata Miyazawa was also brilliant in the middle, as was 19-year-old Aoba Fujino up top.
Mina Tanaka, Yui Hasegawa and Fuka Nagano all too played their part in a dominant attacking display, with Hasegawa and Nagano pressing high up the pitch, but it was Endo who constantly stood out, with some great crosses into the box and then getting the goal her performance deserved in the second half.
Miyazwa, unlike Nagano and Hasegawa, constantly drifted left to exploit Zambia's right hand side, and the much talked about Copper Queens simply never got enough of a foothold to even try and get Rachael Kundananji and Barbra Banda into the game.
The roles of forward duo Fujino and Tanaka were particularly interesting, with neither really playing as a conventional striker. Fujino in particular was constantly dropping deep, even ending up back inside her own half at times, and players moved on ahead of her and Shimizu and Endo stretched the game out wide.
Japan will have tougher tests at this World Cup and their final Group C match against Spain will be the real test of where they're at, but they certainly looked like a side capable of going far, but were helped by a very questionable back line from Zambia.
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