Portugal is third in Group E with three points and will play the United States in their last group game in Auckland, while Vietnam is fourth.
Portugal’s Telma Encarnacao scored one goal and assisted on another in a 2-0 win over fellow Women’s World Cup debutants Vietnam on Thursday at Waikato Stadium, knocking the Southeast Asian side out of the competition.
With three points, Portugal is third in Group E and will face the United States in their last group game in Auckland, while Vietnam, which has yet to score or pick up a point, will face the Netherlands in Dunedin. Both games will take place on Tuesday.
After a 1-1 tie earlier in the day, the United States is tied on four points with the Netherlands but leads the standings on goal difference.
Portugal coach Francisco Neto made seven changes to the team that lost 1-0 to the Netherlands in their Group E opening, and the decision paid off as Encarnacao and Francisca Nazareth scored in the first half to give Portugal their first World Cup victory.
Neto would be overjoyed with Portugal’s successful performance under the floodlights on Thursday, a dramatic contrast to their stuttering first outing, even if the result did not reflect their domination.
Encarnacao put Portugal ahead after seven minutes with a superb first-time finish from Lucia Alves’ cross before turning provider for Nazareth, who scored in the 21st minute past custodian Tran Thi Kim Thanh.
In the world rankings, only 11 places separate the two teams, with Portugal sitting higher at 21, but the battle was one-sided and the Europeans were solidly on top throughout, with five shots on goal in the first half alone.
They couldn’t add more lustre to the result, though, because Kim Thanh, who helped limit holders the United States to three goals in Vietnam’s first setback, was crucial in ensuring they didn’t lose more than two.
Despite Kim Thanh’s efforts, Vietnam struggled to create chances and only managed one attempt on goal in the match, when Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy drew a save from Patricia Morais just before halftime.