Reims (France) (AFP) – Holders the United States began their defence of the women’s World Cup trophy in style on Tuesday as Alex Morgan scored five times in an incredible, record-setting 13-0 destruction of hapless Thailand in Reims.
Ten of their goals came in the second half as the USA set a new mark for the biggest winning margin in a women’s World Cup match, bettering Germany’s 11-0 defeat of Argentina in 2007.
Rose Lavelle and Samantha Mewis netted twice each while Lindsey Horan, skipper Megan Rapinoe and substitutes Mallory Pugh and Carli Lloyd also found the net for the USA in an embarrassingly one-sided Group F encounter watched by a crowd of more than 18,000 at the Stade Auguste-Delaune.
The result also far outstrips the USA’s own record result in a World Cup match, which had been their 7-0 defeat of Taiwan in the quarter-finals of the first tournament in 1991.
Morgan was the star of the show, with her five goals in one game equalling the record for a player in a World Cup match set by her compatriot Michelle Akers, and taking her to 106 in total for her country on her 164th appearance.
She had an effort disallowed for offside inside five minutes but quickly made up for that by nodding in a Kelley O’Hara cross, before Thai goalkeeper Sukanya Chor Charoenying — standing at just 1.65m tall — allowed Lavelle’s shot to beat her at the near post.
Horan smashed in the third in the 32nd minute, but the floodgates really opened in the second half as Jill Ellis’s side scored four times in six minutes shortly after the restart.
Mewis bagged two either side of Morgan getting her second from close range, before Mewis squared for Lavelle to make it seven.
Only after that did the legendary Lloyd, scorer of a hat-trick in the 2015 final and now 36, come on.
There was a lull and it looked as if Thailand might avoid claiming an unwanted record, but the holders scored six more in the closing stages.
Morgan got three more to equal the record of Akers set in that game against Taiwan in 1991, while Rapinoe, Pugh and Lloyd joined in too as spectators struggled to keep up with the scoring.
The USA, who are aiming to win the trophy for the fourth time overall, now go to Paris where on Sunday they will face Chile, who lost 2-0 to Sweden earlier on Tuesday.
disgusting……ugly americans at their worst……do they know the meaning of sportsmanship?
Perhaps you would like to give the losing team a participation trophy?
Ridiculous statement; to guarantee moving through the initial round, every Team needs to score as many goals as possible. Goal difference counts… and apparently this poster has never watched a World Cup Finals before.
USA rank #1, Sweden ranks #9, Thailand ranks #34, Chili ranks #39 according to FIFA.
Goal differentials only count if there is a tie. Top 2 teams in each group moves on and 4 of the 6 3rd place teams move on also. Is there any doubt that the USA will move through the initial round? Also, when winning by 7 goals why are we subbing in Lloyd, why not one of the other players with less world cup experience so that they get experience, oh wait, we wanted more goals.
This is a big sports story. Don’t expect any of the talk shows on FS1 or ESPN to talk about this. They will completely ignore it. They would rather talk for hours about golf than spend sometime on the USWNT and their huge victory. I’m curious how the American media in general covers this story and the team going forward. I love watching them play, bring the trophy home. GO USA.
Clearly the women’s game is not ready for a 24 team tournament. That said, the performance and celebrations today by the USWNT are an embarrassment and show a lack of class on their part. Poor leadership from the veteran players and none from the coach. And we wonder why other nations dislike, and even hate, America and this team.
By the way, if this team of social media divas beat Sweden then goal differential is irrelevant and a weak excuse for what we saw yesterday.
Most competitive WWC ever? hardly. The games have been pretty predictable so far