Pinoy heartbreak as goal disallowed; Swiss precision prevails in 2-0 group game victory

Mission accomplished for La Nita; Joe Allison/Getty Images

Dunedin, NZ: Despite debutants Philippines seeming to draw first blood with an extraordinary goal, later disallowed, Switzerland came out triumphant with a comfortable result in 0-2 at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Group A participants in Philippines and Switzerland came head to head at the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand which saw the latter go to the top of their group, with goals coming from veteran Ramona Bachmann in the 45th min, and Seraina Séverin Piubel in the 64th.

The second matchday of the group stages witnessed the debut of Philippines, one of the eight teams making their first impressions on the global dias, following their meteoric rise which included a semi-final run in the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, earning them automatic qualification for the World Cup. Switzerland on the other hand, enter their second World Cup tournament, having made their debut in the 2015 edition. 

The Dunedin venue was sparsely filled, even when FIFA distributed free tickets for the match. However this didn’t seem to matter, as the crowd was very well behind the Pinoy team, who lined up in a 4-4-2; their Swiss opponents opting for a variant of the same, the 4-1-2-1-2. The Filipinas got to work as soon as the starting whistle blew, trying to net an early goal as a cross to Bolden, one of the two strikers, resulted in an off-target header. Philippines were rather content in sitting in a low block, crowding the middle and final third with a rigid and compact shape. However, La Nati, as the Swiss women’s national team is lovingly known, soon replied to the challenge, with a run across the flanks resulting in a cross, the rebound getting picked up by the trusty no. 6, Reuteler for a long range shot. The midfielder was a crucial member of the Swiss squad in terms of recycling play, supporting buildup, defence and even attacking phases; evident in the 14th minute, as a long ball landed right at her feet with only the goalkeeper to beat, but a poor finish meant the shot was safely collected. This would be a running theme, as La Nati would miss out on some obvious chances to further their advantage. 

Filipinas with a intense start to the game; Harriet Lander/Getty Images

The Filipinas, as underdog nations generally plan to do, were on the lookout for a counter, but nothing seemed to give in. Switzerland seemed to pick up their tempo and then it happened; out of nowhere the pass of a lifetime bypassed the Swiss defence and landed in the crooked path of Katrina Guillou, who went around Thalmann, the Swiss goalie to take a shot on an open goal. The rippling of the net seemed to be in harmony with the ripples across the stadium, only for it to morph into a very familiar dissonance; boos rang throughout as Guillou was ruled offside, and it was downhill after that. 

Dream start gets rude awakening as Guillou's goal is disallowed; Luis Veneigra/Getty Images

Switzerland grew more and more confident, showcasing great flair as they stretched the Pinoy backline and finding pockets of space to thread through balls into, resulting in some chances; Reuteler received the ball in the box and dribbled through for a weak shot in the 24th minute, followed by a shocking close-range miss from Swiss striker Cnogorcevic, receiving a near-perfect cross. Lack of clinical finishing wasn’t the only thorn in their side, as Filipino defence provided an almost impenetrable wall, breaking out into counters only for them to fizzle out due to a dullness in decision-making, relinquishing possession rather easily. This was Switzerland’s cue to crank up the tempo with more lucrative chances created, resulting in chaos in the 41st minute, as several Swiss players lined up in the box to take a shot at goal in vain as they kept getting blocked. The Filipinas tried to clear the loose ball away, only for Coumba Sow’s stretched foot barely coming in the way. The Swiss midfielder clutched her ankle in agony, and after a few moments of deliberation, a penalty was awarded. PSG star Bachmann lined up for the kick, and broke the deadlock with confidence; the first goal of the tournament scored in the first half. And on that note, half-time arrived.

Veteran Bachmann was deft from the spot; Matthew Lewis/Getty Images

Switzerland almost picked up right from where they left as Bachmann went down in the box in the opening minutes of the second half for another potential penalty, however, no such luck. Flowing with attacking creativity, it seemed like Switzerland’s game to lose, as plenty of chances were created, including a missed header from Cnogorcevic in the 47th minute, the no. 9 not particularly having the best of days. Soon after Philippines tried to give their opponents a taste of their own medicine by trying to retain possession, but with the Swiss adopting a defensive pragmatism the threat was nullified before it could rear its head. It paid handsomely, as chaos reigned supreme again in Philippines’ penalty area in the 63rd minute. A series of shots were valiantly saved by McDaniel, only for Piubel to score from point-blank range.

Piubel’s (left in white) goal puts end to chaotic crescendo; Matthew Lewis/Getty Images

As the clock ticked by and 90 minutes coming to an end, the Filipinas went all-out by deploying most of their players in the Swiss half only for it to backfire, as possession was lost rather quickly and any fire threatening to spread was doused, as seen in the 76th minute. A last chance felt rather wasted, as the free kick landed straight in Thalmann’s arms. Switzerland however, would miss out on another golden chance to extend their lead in stoppage time, as they broke free on the right wing for a cutback, again resulting in a lacklustre finish. The three whistles rang out, and it was fulltime.

Despite the litany of chances left on the table, La Nita have nothing to be substantially worried about as they top Group A on goal difference, and look forward to progressing into the knockout stages for a second time in a row. The Filipinas would be gutted to have a goal being disallowed, sitting below Norway in the standings. However Alen Stajcic, head coach for the Philippines and former Aussie manager was proud of his team’s spirit, pointing at a silver lining; "To come to this level and play against players from Europe, against a team like that is miraculous." Bachmann, on the other hand, spoke about the nerves when taking a penalty kick—”I knew that it would be important for our team to get to half-time with a 1-0 so I was really focused and I obviously tried to score, but I feel quite confident in shooting penalties. So I was really calm." Calm descends the Swiss camp, but the storm rages on, as the group stages rumble on.