Alex Morgan denied on USWNT penalty kick attempt in Women’s World Cup opener

Vietnam keeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh might be the star of the first half in the United States women’s national team’s Women’s World Cup opener.

And her biggest moment came in saving Alex Morgan’s 45th-minute penalty kick, keeping it a one-goal contest for a short while.

Trinity Rodman won the spot kick for the U.S., getting taken down in the box by Thị Loan Hoang, with VAR overturning an initial no-call.

The sixth penalty kick in six games of this World Cup looked as though it would be a chance for the USWNT to get some breathing room in a match they’d so far dominated, but it wasn’t to be.

Morgan, who hasn’t missed a penalty at the club level since 2021, was stopped by Thanh, who dove to her left and got her feet on a shot that didn’t have much elevation.

But in the waning minutes of the first half, Sophia Smith notched her second goal of the game to give the U.S. that much-needed second goal and put the team up 2-0.

Although Vietnam hasn’t looked much of a threat to score, it is so far more than holding its own in defense.