International Recap: Wales and Brazil Grab Wins, Angelina Scores

Brazil vs, Argentina 

The No. 7 ranked Brazil took on No. 35 ranked Argentina in Brazil yesterday, in a friendly match. OL Reign midfielder Angelina earned the start and played a full 90 minutes. Brazil came away with a 3-1 win and Angelina scored her first career goal for Brazil. 

From the first whistle, the match was intense and physical. The teams were nearly equal in possession, with Brazil earning 51% of possession compared to Argentina’s 49%. Throughout the match, there were a total of 40 fouls, setting the tone for a physical battle. 

Brazil struck first, scoring the opening goal of the match in the 38th minute. Ludmila found Debinha in the center of the box. Debinha found the bottom left corner with her right foot to give Brazil the advantage. Neither team found a goal to change the score line before halftime. 

Following halftime, Brazil scored first again, this time just five minutes into the half, in the 50th minute. Bruninha played a through ball to Nycole Raysla. Raysla used her left foot to find the bottom left corner of the goal, beating Vanina Correa.  

Less than 10 minutes later, Angelina found her first goal for Brazil. In the 59th minute, Brazil earned a set piece. Erika got on the end of the ball and tapped it across the face of the goal to Angelina. Angelina used her right foot to smash the ball into the back of the net and put Brazil up 3-0. 

In the 71st minute, Argetina pulled a goal back. Mariana Larroquette played a through ball to Florencia Bonsegundo, who found the left side of the goal to put Argentina on the board. Through the final 19 minutes plus stoppage time, the two teams battled hard, but neither side scored again.  

The two teams meet again on Monday, September 20 at 12:00 p.m. PT. 

Wales vs. Kazakhstan 

The No. 34 ranked Wales women’s national team defeated the No. 82 ranked Kazakhstan women’s national team at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli, Wales yesterday in a World Cup qualifying match. Wales came away with a dominant 6-0 win, with five players scoring goals. 

OL Reign midfielder Jess Fishlock started and played all 90 minutes of the match, putting in a solid performance in the midfield to help Wales both offensively and defensively. She also earned one assist during the match. 

Wales came onto the field and immediately controlled the match, spending nearly all of their time in the offensive half of the field. The first goal came in the 17th minute, when Kayleigh Green capitalized on a mistake from the Kazakhstan defense and nailed a shot into the upper right corner of the goal. 

Wales doubled their lead in the 30th minute of the match when Sophie Ingle a ball popped into the box at the feet of Natasha Harding. Harding turned and found the right side of the net to put Wales up 2-0. The 2-0 score line held until halftime. 

After the half, Wales came out even stronger. They opened the second half scoring in the 54th minute of the match. Jess Fishlock found the feet or Rachel Rowe, who took one touch and hit a magnificent strike from distance. The ball was placed perfectly in the upper left corner of the net and extended Wales’ lead to 3-0. 

In the 71st minute of the match, the team opted to take a short corner kick and ball landed to the feet of Rowe. Rowe served a ball into the box and found the head of Green. Green headed the ball low past Kazakhstan’s goalkeeper for her second of the game. 

Wales scored their fifth goal in the 91st minute of the match. Rowe served in a corner kick and Gemma Evans got her head on the end of the it to make it 5-0 at Parc y Scarlets. Just before the end of stoppage time, Wales found their sixth and final goal. Megan Wynne swung a ball into the box and Ceri Holland connected with it, heading home the sixth goal of the match.  

Wales has another World Cup qualifying match on Tuesday, September 21 at 10:00 a.m. PT against Estonia.