Monday marked the first match for all four Orlando Pride players playing in the 2023 Women's World Cup out in Australia and New Zealand. Mariana Larroquette and Argentina took on Italy in the early match, while Adriana, Rafaelle Souza and Marta faced Panama later in the day.
It came down to the wire for Argentina, who were minutes away from pulling out a point against Italy, but Cristiana Girelli scored a header to win the game for Le Azzurre in the 87th minute. Larroquette started the match for Argentina, playing 92 minutes and was a constant threat for La Albiceleste.
In the later match, Brazil started their tournament with a bang, winning by a convincing scoreline of 4-0. Racing Louisville's Ary Borges netted a hat trick, while Beatriz Zaneratto scored the goal of the tournament so far, with some true "Joga Bonito" flair shown off in the buildup. Both Adriana and Rafa started and played the full 90 minutes, with Rafa donning the captain's armband for the Seleção Feminina.
Later in the match, Pride captain Marta made history by subbing into the match in the 75th minute, marking her participation in her sixth World Cup, just one of three players ever to do so.
Up next for both teams, Argentina will play their next match late Thursday night, taking on South Africa at 8:00 PM ET, while Brazil will wait until the weekend to face France on Saturday at 6:00 AM ET.Â
Keep track of both team's full schedules by following along here.
