WASHINGTON (AP) — Patri Guijarro and Eva Navarro scored in the first 14 minutes, and Adriana Nanclares stopped a second-half penalty kick to lift Spain to a 2-0 victory over the United States on Saturday in a clash between the two top-ranked teams in women's international soccer.
It was the first of two meetings between reigning World Cup champion Spain and the reigning Olympic champion U.S. The two teams have also combined to win the last three World Cups.
They'll play again Tuesday night near Philadelphia.
There were enough key players on the field Saturday to make this a decent preview of next year's World Cup, but some big names were absent, including three-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí for Spain and defenders Naomi Girma and Emily Sonnett for the United States.
The U.S. certainly looked weakened in the back early in the match. Guijarro scored in the third minute with a brilliant strike from well outside the penalty area, beating goalkeeper Claudia Dickey. The second goal was a more obvious defensive breakdown. Salma Paralluelo's cross from the left wing found Navarro unmarked to volley home for a 2-0 lead.
The U.S. created its share of chances. Alyssa Thompson managed to round goalkeeper Adriana Nanclares, but a defender blocked her shot. Then Nanclares made a wonderful save, deflecting Sophia Wilson's long-distance effort off the crossbar.
The Americans had the better of the chances in the second half. Trinity Rodman started making more of an impact on the left wing, and she appeared to have assisted on a goal by Wilson, but it was disallowed for offside after a video review. VAR later gave the U.S. a penalty, but Lily Yohannes' shot was low and to the left, and Nanclares was able to make a diving save.
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