Alex Morgan tied a World Cup record with five goals as defending champions the United States opened the Women’s World Cup with a record-breaking 13-0 rout of Thailand on Tuesday night.
Samantha Mewis and Rose Lavelle each added a pair of goals for the United States, who broke the record for goals and margin of victory in a World Cup game. Lindsey Horan, Megan Rapinoe, Mallory Pugh and Carli Lloyd also scored. The previous record margin was Germany’s 11-0 victory over Argentina in 2007.
Sport is more often than not a brutal place for the underdog. There should always be hope, of course, but it is usually the Goliaths who win. Just ask Thailand, whose players will be chasing red-shirted American behemoths in their nightmares for a number of nights to come.
The 13-0 scoreline was a true reflection of the match. It was a thumping, and it was a night that records tumbled as Thailand suffered the heaviest defeat in World Cup history.
⚽ Most goals in a single half
⚽ Most goals ever in a men's and women's World Cup match
⚽ Alex Morgan's five goals tied the most for a player in a single World Cup matchMultiple #FIFAWWC records fell as the @USWNT trounced Thailand 13-0. https://t.co/EtvTKgFOYI
— Twitter Moments (@TwitterMoments) June 11, 2019
As both teams walked out onto the field for their opening match of the Women’s World Cup, the difference in the physical statures of the opposing players was startlingly apparent. Not long after the final notes of the national anthems had faded into the ether so the disparity in quality became obvious, too.