The 2023 Women’s World Cup is in full swing, and these daily files give you the latest reporting from around the tournament as well as betting lines, what-to-watch-for information and best reads. Check in with ESPN throughout the tournament as we bring you the latest from Australia and New Zealand.
The lead: USWNT advances by the width of a post
AUCKLAND, New Zealand — The U.S. women’s national team was inches from seeing its Women’s World Cup end in catastrophe — until the loud clank of the ball hitting the post.
With the USWNT facing elimination with a loss to Portugal and the score tied 0-0 in stoppage time, Portugal’s Ana Capeta got onto the end of a long lofted ball and fired from inside the box. USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher dove, but she couldn’t reach it. Instead, the near-side post made the save.
“It was a beautiful sound to hear it hit the post, that’s for sure,” Naeher said afterward. “But that’s something we talked about — we knew they were good on the counterattack and they like to get in behind.”
Naeher gave credit to Naomi Girma for tracking Capeta’s run and blocking off the far post, forcing the shot to the near side, where it went barely wide. Girma, a center back, was arguably the USWNT’s best player all night.