The former played the entirety of the match in the Dutch attacking midfield line while Casparij took to the pitch in the final minutes of the game.
And with tournament favourites USA in The Oranje’s group, it was key for Andries Jonker’s team to start the competition as strong as possible against a Portuguese side with pace, mesmerising footwork and the ability to punish on the counter.
The Netherlands took an early lead through a Stefanie van der Gragt header in the 13th minute.
Their celebrations were put on hold as referee Kateryna Monzul disallowed the goal after she deemed Roord to be interfering with the Portuguese goalkeeper.
After reviewing her decision via the on-field monitor, Monzul reversed the decision and awarded Holland their first goal of the tournament.
Roord had a great opportunity to double her nation’s lead 11 minutes later but directed the ball over the bar with her headed attempt.
Despite the one goal lead, Holland looked comfortable the longer the opening 45 progressed.
Lieke Martens, Esmee Brugts and Danielle van de Donk all had ample opportunity to extend Holland’s lead but nothing came to fruition.
In the second half Holland continued to dominate – going on to end the match with 56% possession – and flaunted their ability to move the ball quickly and with meaning.
When Portugal did have spells of possession, Holland’s defensive line spent a lot of time jockeying, holding up the Portuguese play with the focus of regaining the ball through interceptions.
The game plan worked, with Portugal unable to register their first shot on target until the 82nd minute.
At the other end of the pitch, Roord was a threatening presence on the edge of the Portugal box, with her confidence and aggression proving tricky to contain when Holland overloaded the final third.
And due to it being her first competitive minutes since her former club Wolfsburg’s Champions League final match against Barcelona, it would come as no surprise if Roord’s next performance, against the United States on Thursday, goes up another level.
For Casparij, she made her World Cup debut for The Oranje in the 90 + 4 minute, replacing Victoria Pelova.
Her short time out there on the pitch still allowed her to show glimpses of what she can offer her national team when called upon.
The Dutch will return to action on Thursday as they face world champions USA, with kick-off scheduled for 02:00 (UK).
