One game in, the suspected dark horses of the 2015 Women’s World Cup are living up to the hype.
The Netherlands defeated New Zealand, 1-0 on Saturday on the opening day of the tournament, putting the Dutch level on points with hosts Canada, who kicked off the event with a 1-0 victory over China earlier on Saturday thanks to a penalty-kick goal in stoppage time.
Lieke Martens scored the first Women’s World Cup goal in Netherlands history, and the stunning strike held up as the match winner.
Next up for the Netherlands is a match on Thursday against China, while Canada takes on New Zealand.