Lindsey Horan (10) and Netherlands midfielder Danielle van de Don seem to have made up following the match, after their scuffle. (Jenna Watson-USA TODAY Sports)
By Michael Lewis
FrontRowSoccer.com Editor
If there is anything we learned from the U.S.’s 1-1 draw with the Netherlands in the Women’s World Cup match on Thursday, it is not to get Lindsey Horan angry.
Only minutes after she was knocked down by her Olympique Lyonnais teammate Danielle Van de Donk, the U.S. captain got the best revenge possible. She scored the equalizing goal in the 62nd minute of the Group E match in Wellington, New Zealand.
“Me ad Dan always go up against each other and it’s a physical battle – I respect her so much because that’s how it should be, it should be competitive at all times,” Horan told FOX. “Once we got to that tackle, all I wanted to do was score. Heat of the moment I got a little pissed at her, but Rose put it in an absolute dime and I got on the end of it and yeah – happy for the goal.”
It was Horan’s second of this competition, fourth in her World Cup career and 29th overall.
“It’s a really good example of the leader that she is. She gets fouled, kicked, hurt and obviously it’s a very difficult moment,” U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski said during a press conference. “And instead of crying about it, she just goes and makes a statement.”
The goal spared the Americans’ blushes. They had never lost a group stage match in nine Women’s World Cups, tying twice in 26 contests.
“To come from a goal down, and have that momentum shift in the second half, was incredible,” Horan said. “No one was happy with our first-half performance, letting them have the ball a little too much. But we changed things. And I’m proud of our team and how we responded.”
The U.S. and the Dutch are tied with 1-0-1 record and four points atop the group, the Americans lead due to superior goal differential (plus three to plus one).
On the flip side, the Dutch, especially head coach Andries Jonker, were content playing to a draw and recording a point with the U.S. women’snational team.
“These games are battles from the first second to the last. The only thing you can say is that women’s football has evolved incredibly,” he said. “We’re there, along with the U.S., and I’m very satisfied with that.”
