Samba swagger! Ary Borges bags a hat-trick as Brazil turn on the style against Panama in dominant 4-0 win

Brazil enjoyed the most comfortable of openings to their 2023 Women’s World Cup campaign, with debutants Panama swatted aside 4-0 in Adelaide.

TELL ME MORE: The Samba stars dominated from the off, with their first effort on goal coming in the opening 60 seconds. Yellow shirts flooded forward at every opportunity, with it quickly becoming apparent that it was only a matter of time before the deadlock would be broken.

Ary Borges, who plies her club trade in the NWSL with Racing Louisville, forced the breakthrough with 19 minutes on the clock when she was left unmarked at the back post to convert a stooping header. She also added Brazil’s second six minutes before half-time.

Borges’ first effort – a towering header from six yards out – produced a smart save from Panama goalkeeper Yenith Bailey, but she was not to be denied and duly converted the rebound as she slotted into the bottom corner after reacting quicker than the red jerseys tumbling around her.

Despite being on a hat-trick, Borges turned provider for Brazil’s third three minutes into the second half. She could have gone for goal herself following a slick move and cross into the box, but she back-heeled instead for Bia Zaneratto to crash home behind her.

Borges was the undoubted star of the show by that point and landed herself a much-deserved match ball in the 70th minute when cutting across her marker to turn another header through the legs of the over-worked Bailey. Legendary forward Marta was introduced off the bench late in the game to make her first appearance at a sixth World Cup finals.

THE MVP: Brazil were always going to have far too much in tank for their plucky opponents, despite supposed underdogs having fared admirably during the early exchanges in