U.S. CLAIMS VICTORY OVER VIETNAM (SOCCER), FOR A CHANGE

CNN – The US Women’s National Team (USWNT) kicked off their Women's World Cup campaign with a comfortable 3-0 against Vietnam.

A brace from US soccer’s newest superstar Sophia Smith and a late goal from Lindsey Horan was enough to give the defending champion a dream start as it begins a historic World Cup campaign.

The USWNT are chasing a third World Cup in a row and could not have asked for a better start, dominating proceedings from the outset before Smith opened the scoring just 14 minutes into her World Cup debut.

Horan found Alex Morgan with a pass through the Vietnam midfield before Morgan’s clever flick put Smith through, and the 22-year-old’s drilled left-footed finish found the back of the net with ease.

In the midst of the early US dominance, there was a brief highlight for the underdog.

After a VAR check, the USWNT were awarded a penalty after a foul on Trinity Rodman. Morgan stepped up, but Vietnam goalkeeper Trần Thị Kim Thanh made a great save to deny the striker, sparking jubilant celebrations among the Vietnamese side.

In first-half stoppage time, Smith scored again to double the USWNT’s advantage. The Portland Thorns forward squeezed the ball into the net – albeit with a much scrappier effort than her opener.

As chances came and went for the USWNT, it took more brilliant work from Smith to extend the lead. The standout performer latched onto a ball over the top of the Vietnam defense before squaring a pass to Horan who simply had to strike the ball into an open net