The Philippines bowed to Switzerland, 2-0, in the FIFA Women’s World Cup debut that was spiced by the Filipinas with a goal that was and wasn’t.
The Filipinas, the first-ever Philippine football team—male or female—to appear at the world’s biggest sporting event, was first to put the ball through the goal, with midfielder Katrina Guillou finding the back of the net on the 16th minute of the match.
But what would have been the historic goal for a country that prides itself more for basketball and boxing was disallowed by an assistant referee, who ruled that Guillou was offside when she took the shot. Before the score was nullified, however, Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium was rocked by hundreds of Philippine supporters waving flags and wildly cheering Guillou as she celebrated on the pitch.
For most the game, 21st-ranked Switzerland simply imposed their size and experience over 46th-ranked Philippines, keeping the Filipinas most of the time in their half court, defending.
And for most of the match, the defense drawn up by Filipinas’ head coach Alen Stajcic held well, anchored at it is by goalkeeper Olivia Davies-McDaniel. She foiled several attempts at goal, all but two.
It was almost half time when La Nati, a monicker for the Swiss national team, scored their first goal off a penalty kick awarded after a video-assisted review by the referee.
A challenge by Philippine defender Jessika Cowart to clear the ball out of the penalty are on the 45th minute was deemed a foul, and forward Ramona Bachmann made sure she will add another World Cup goal to the three she had scored previously. At the end of the first half, Switzerland was up 1-0.
On the 64th minute, midfielder Seraina Piubel made the probability of a Philippine comeback even smaller. She rushed to the penalty area, sweeping the ball as it bounced the second time off goalie Davies-McDaniel while the Filipinas scrambled to defend within the penalty area.
Switzerland made 19 attempts at the goal, with nine of them on target and 14 within the penalty area. The Philippine had three goal attempts, all of them off target. The two goals it scored on the Philippines gave Switzerland the top position in Group A after opening matches.
The Philippines, meantime, joined former FIFA Women’s World Cup champion Norway as early losers in the group stage. New Zealand, which co-hosts the 2023 competitions with Australia, beat Norway earlier and will meet the Philippines on July 25 in Wellington.
