Matchday 2 – Player of the Match

Members of our Technical Study Group (TSG) are attending every game of the tournament and are tasked with awarding the Player of the Match accolades. When choosing the recipient of the accolade, our experts consider the player's tactical, physical and mental contribution to their team's performance.

Player of the Match: (9) Vicky Lopez (ESP)

TSG expert Mónica Vergara attended the Group C game and chose Spain midfielder Vicky Lopez as her player of the match. Despite playing from midfield, Lopez registered more attempts at goal than any other player in the game and clocked the second highest distance covered with 10km.  

"She is a very intelligent player; she plays well in between the lines and is very skilful with the ball. She is always looking at her surroundings and orients her body very well to progress the play," said Vergara. 

"She uses both feet, reads the play and filters very good passes to movement of her team-mates into the spaces," she added. 

Player of the Match: (9) Lihong Yin (CHN)

In the first game of Group C, Lihong Yin of China put in a strong midfield performance in what proved to be a tough match for both teams. Vergara observed the number 9's stellar performance and selected her as the player of the match.

Lihong Yin's sheer work rate saw her register 10.2 km in distance covered, the second highest of any player in the match. The forward also performed 38 defensive pressures, the game's second-highest amount and 24 more than the average.

"She is a forward with lots of mobility. She generates spaces for her team-mates and makes movements in behind defenders. She has a very good medium distance attempt at goal, and defensively is very organised and committed to impose strong pressure in the central areas when her opponents are attempting to build play," explained Vergara.

Player of the Match: (14) Momoko Tanikawa (JPN)

In Group D, Japan midfielder Momoko Tanikawa's hugely influential opening performance earnt her the Player of the Match award. Tanikawa completed an impressive 27 line breaks, which was more than any other player and 23 more than the game's average.  

The midfielder scored one of her team's four goals and topped the game's charts for attempts at goal. Tanikawa ranked first for both balls received (79) and distributions completed (44): two other indicators of the midfielder's control on the game.

It was a truly standout midfield performance, according to the TSG's Tom Sermanni.

"Momoko Tanikawa was so influential in centre midfield. She dominated defensively and was the foundation of so much of Japan's attacking play. She also had the capability to get forward and be a goal-scoring threat and had an excellent delivery for set plays," he explained.

"This was a really impressive performance, and we are looking forward to seeing her progress throughout the tournament," added Sermanni. 

Player of the Match: (9) Lucie Calba (FRA)

The consistent forward movement of Canada attacker Lucie Calba stood out in the opening game of Group D. With 54 offers to receive, Calba ranked first in the game for the metric, and registered 30 offers more than the game average.

"Lucie Calba is a clever player who can lead the line as a number 9 but also has the creative qualities to play as a number 10. She was able to sense an opportunity and was the game's most dangerous goal threat. This quality was really highlighted in how she crafted her equalising goal against Canada," Sermanni explained.

"She also had the vision to create chances for her team-mates. Her quality of service and accuracy from set plays was also very impressive."