Dunedin (New Zealand), Jul 23 (AP) Stefanie van der Gragt scored on a header in the 13th minute, leading the Netherlands to a 1-0 win over Portugal at the Women's World Cup on Sunday as the 2019 finalists began their tournament run.

The Dutch defender gathered herself as teammate Sherida Spitse lofted a corner kick her way, then headed the ball across the goal into the far side of the net. An offside review delayed the celebration.

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The goal by the 30-year-old van der Gragt, who plans to retire after the Women's World Cup, was the quickest first goal of the tournament. The Dutch controlled the tempo of the game — Portugal's first shot of the match didn't come until the 82nd minute.

The meeting with the Netherlands, ranked No. 9 in the world, marked Portugal's first-ever tournament appearance.

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On hand were 11,991 spectators, who were sheltered from the rain inside Dunedin's covered Forsyth Barr Stadium, known as the Glasshouse, which has a capacity of 25,947.

Though most of the crowd appeared to be Dutch fans, a small but mighty group of Portuguese supporters with flags and team apparel banged on drums throughout the game, the beat echoing across the venue.

KEY MOMENTS

Van der Gragt's first-half goal gave the Dutch a lead and allowed them to play lockdown defense. Both teams played a physical game, but Portugal was unable to match the Netherlands' technical mastery.

WHY IT MATTERS

The Dutch victory raises the stakes for their upcoming rematch with two-time defending world champion United States, which defeated the Netherlands 2-0 in that 2019 final. A winner in that match will gain control of Group E and could very well wrap up a berth in the knockout stage.

Portugal failed to break through and become the first of the eight newcomers in the Women's World Cup to get a win.

WHAT'S NEXT

Netherlands heads to the Group E showdown against the U.S. on Thursday in Wellington. Portugal faces Vietnam, which didn't get a single shot on goal in its 3-0 loss to the Americans, also on Thursday. That match is in Hamilton, with the loser likely out of contention for the round of 16. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)