Norway needs a win against the Philippines to get out of the group stage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Switzerland and Norway tied, 0-0, in their second group-stage match of the tournament late Monday night as star Norwegian forward Ada Hegerberg was unable to play.
Hegerberg was in the starting lineup for Norway but suffered a groin injury in pre-match warmups and had to be replaced. The 28-year-old striker has scored 42 goals for Norway since making her first senior team appearance in 2011.
Even without Hegerberg, Norway had the most attacking chances over the course of the game. The team had 15 shots and five on goal to just eight attempts and one on target for Switzerland. But Swiss goalkeeper Gaëlle Thalmann made five saves amid a fantastic game.
Norway won’t want to rush Hegerberg back for the final group game if she’s not fully fit, though they may feel the need to use her. Thanks to the Philippines’ 1-0 win over New Zealand, Norway finds itself in last in Group A with just a single point through two games after a 1-0 loss to the co-hosts to open the tournament.
Switzerland sits atop the group with 4 points while both New Zealand and the Philippines have 3. Norway must get a win Sunday morning and hope that Switzerland beats New Zealand.
Philippines 1, New Zealand 0
Sarina Bolden’s goal in the 24th minute gave the Philippines a stunning 1-0 win over New Zealand and the World Cup debutants a chance to advance to the knockout rounds.
Bolden’s goal is the first Women’s World Cup goal in Philippines history as her header got past New Zealand’s Victoria Esson.
New Zealand got its first-ever World Cup win over Norway to start the tournament. And it dominated possession against the Philippines, too. New Zealand had the ball for nearly 70% of the game and Bolden’s goal was the Philippines’ only shot on target. But New Zealand couldn’t capitalize on all that possession and find themselves in second in Group A.
Colombia 2, South Korea 0
Colombia grabbed a 2-0 win over South Korea late Monday night thanks to two goals in a 10-minute span in the first half.
Catalina Usme scored from the penalty spot in the 30th minute before Linda Caicedo scored nine minutes later. Caicedo, 18, is the youngest goal scorer at the tournament so far.
Colombia goalie Catalina Perez made six saves to keep South Korea scoreless.
South Korea’s Casey Phair came on late in the second half to make her World Cup debut at the age of 16. Phair became the youngest player in Women’s World Cup history when she took the field.
