Horan battles Danielle van de Donk: At first I didn’t see Lindsey Horan confront Danielle van de Donk in the box before the corner kick. And not only did Horan confront van de Donk, she pushed her and got in her face. This was a good reaction from Horan.
In one sense it was risky, since she could have gotten another yellow card and missed the next game. However, her standing up for herself and her team is just what the game and she needed to do.
“I played great when someone pissed me off.” 😅 👏 @CarliLloyd talks about the tussle between Lindsey Horan and Daniëlle van de Donk and how sometimes players need that fire brought out of them in tough matches. pic.twitter.com/46TTcmjBMf
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 27, 2023
Also, it was not a passive move, which is how maybe the United States was playing prior to this. Not up for the fight like they should have been.
Fortunately for Horan she wasn’t injured on the tackle or hip check on the sidelines by her Lyon club teammate Danielle. It was a pretty brutal challenge that completely knocked Horan down and forced the medical staff to come over.
Perhaps the wiser move from Holland would have been to change their tactics once they went ahead. To drop off a bit and try to keep the ball and not instigate the United States and Horan. Easier said they done in an important World Cup game.
Moreover, I don’t think that’s how van de Donk plays. While she is just 5 feet 3 inches tall, it didn’t stop her from winning the ball from Trinity Rodman with a should charge. In fact, she was in seemingly every challenge on the soccer field throughout the game.
An angry Horan is not someone you want to pay against, as she told ESPN after the game. The battle with van de Donk led to her game tying header.
“That’s where you get the best football from Lindsey,” Horan said afterward. “I don’t think you ever want to get me mad because I don’t react in a good way. Usually I just go and I want something more — I want to win more, I want to score more, I want to do more for my team.
“So that moment, that little tackle — big tackle — changed a shift in my head because I want to do everything for my team and to win these games.”
Here’s the hip check or sideline tackle by van de Donk on Horan that left her on the ground.
Lindsey Horan was slow to get up after this challenge pic.twitter.com/wzm2t00K40
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 27, 2023
Overall, the United States versus Netherlands game was a proper one. An intense one. Two tops teams not backing down. It would be fun to see another game where Horan battles with Danielle van de Donk.
Late in the game there was a head clash between Rose Lavelle and Danielle van de Donk. The clash of heads resulted in some bleeding from van de Donk and she had to wear a swim cap. Despite Horan’s battle with van de Donk during the game, post game the Lyon teammates made up.
All love between Lindsey Horan and Danielle van de Donk after the match 🤗 pic.twitter.com/mmoZlBJdLt
— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 27, 2023
