MELBOURNE – Heavyweights Germany and Brazil put their Women’s World Cup rivals on notice on Monday, racking up a combined 10 goals without reply in their openers.

First, talismanic captain Alexandra Popp scored a brace as Germany launched their bid for a third title with a 6-0 demolition of debutantes Morocco in Group H. Then, Ary Borges went one better, bagging a hat-trick as 2007 finalists Brazil saw off first-timers Panama 4-0 in Group F at Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide.

In the tournament’s most one-sided match to date, veteran striker Popp led from the front, heading in two first-half strikes before Klara Buhl, Lea Schuller and two own goals blew out the score after the break in front of 27,256 at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.

Said the 32-year-old: “We’re super happy we were able to play like this in our opening match.

“It’s always difficult because you don’t really know where you stand or how your opponents will play. But we were able to impose our game.

“To have this kind of atmosphere in a stadium like this, that’s what a World Cup is all about. It pushes you, the fans carry you.”

The Germans’ cakewalk put them top of Group H on three points, with rivals Colombia and South Korea to play their opener in Sydney on Tuesday.

“We stayed true to ourselves,” said Germany coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg.

“It was a great to have a 6-0 score... I look forward to the next match, but today we want to be happy with what we did today. It was truly a team performance.”

Seven months after the Moroccan men’s fairy-tale run to the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar, the Atlas Lionesses became the first Arab team to take the field at the women’s showpiece.

They will hope for better in their next match against South Korea after humiliation against the Euro 2022 runners-up, who took little time to get into their groove and were ruthless to the finish.

“As it stands, we came across a team superior to our own – David and Goliath,” said Morocco coach Reynald Pedros.

“They had something that we didn’t. I think it goes without saying we were probably going to lose, but I think we didn’t need to lose by six goals.”

Later on, Brazil extended their winning record in World Cup openers to nine matches with a routine win over Panama that saw them go top of Group F, after France were held to a 0-0 draw by Jamaica on Sunday.

“We’re happy, the first game is always difficult. Four goals, and we played quite well,” Brazil coach Pia Sundhage said.

“I think Borges is happy as well, scoring a hat-trick. She played well today.”

The tone was set for Panama in the first minute when Adriana raced through and stabbed a shot at goalkeeper Yenith Bailey, before Debinha and Antonia blazed attempts over the bar within the opening six minutes of the match.

The South American heavyweights continued to launch wave after wave of attack on Panama’s hapless backline as they pressed for an opener, which arrived in the 19th minute when Debinha floated in a cross that was headed home by an unmarked Borges at the back post.

Borges netted her second of the match 20 minutes later as she poked in a rebound after having a header saved by Bailey.

The Brazilians turned on the style in the second half, as Borges set up Bia Zaneratto with a backheel flick for the third in the 48th minute to finish off a well-worked team goal.

Borges then put the icing on the cake in the 70th minute when she got on the end of a cross from substitute Geyse to become the first-ever Brazilian to score a hat-trick on her Women’s World Cup debut.

The 23-year-old was substituted minutes later, walking off the pitch to be replaced by veteran Marta in what felt like the passing of the torch for the Brazilian team.

Marta enjoyed a lively cameo, registering an effort on target with a free kick, but the forward was unable to add a record-extending 18th World Cup goal to her tally.

Earlier on Monday, Cristiana Girelli said she would be happy to keep playing the role of super-sub after scoring an 87th-minute winner as Italy beat Argentina 1-0 in a feisty Group G encounter.

It looked like Italy would have to settle for a draw at Eden Park after Arianna Caruso and Valentina Giacinti both had goals disallowed in the first half.

But Girelli, the Juventus veteran who was Italy’s top scorer in qualifying, came on for 16-year-old Giulia Dragoni near the end and needed just four minutes to make her mark with a superb header.

“I am really happy for me and my teammates because we deserved the victory,” said Girelli, who scored a hat-trick against Jamaica at the 2019 World Cup.

“To win in that way, even though we had to suffer, is important,” added the 33-year-old, surely now a contender to start the next match against Sweden even if she had no complaints about being an impact substitute.

“Honestly, obviously every player wants to play 90 minutes, but I will settle for every game being like that.

“The main thing was the victory.” REUTERS, AFP