Atin Ito First Filipino Community Newspaper in Ontario
The Philippines would have wait to at least four more years to make its maiden appearance in a knockout stage of a football World Cup.
This, after the the world no. 46 Filipinas yielded to the much more skilled world no. 12 Norway Grasshoppers, 0-6 at the close of the FIFA Women’s World Cup group phase action at the Eden Park in Auckland on Sunday, July 30.
Emphatically showing its skill and experience superiority against the World Cup debutant Philippines, Norway unwrapped a non-stop attack on its way to a convincing victory that keyed its round of 16 entry and booted the Filipinos out.
The Philippines finished last in the 4-team Pool A with a 1-2 win-loss card laced with three points and a -7 goal difference (GD). Only the top two in the group advanced to the knockout stage.
On the other hand, Norway, with that aid in the form of a draw between co-host New Zealand and Switzerland, placed second with a 1-win, 1-draw, and 1-loss slate laced with four points and a +5 GD.
New Zealand finished third with a 1-win, 1-draw, and 1-loss record with four points and a 0 GD.
Switzerland was the other round of 16 qualifier after topping Group A with a 1-win and 2-draw with five points and a +2 GD.
Held goal-less in its first two matches that put them in a must-win situation to squeeze into the round of 16, the Norwegians vented their frustration to the Filipinos as they found their mojo while the latter lost theirs.
Sophie Roman Haug set the tone for the Norway domination as she found the back of the net in the sixth minute, skillfully hitting the ball from near short range.
Roman Haug then doubled the lead and got her brace, slotting in a header in the 17th minute of the match, where the Norwegians clinically dissected and penetrated the Philippine defense.
Caroline Graham Hansen further sank the Filipino booters in the 31st minute as she stroke a nifty one from outside the box to make it a 3-0 Norway lead.
Things got got worse for the Philippines after Alicia Baker unintentionally slotted the ball to the Philippine goal in an attempt to block the ball from going to Guro Reiten in the 47th minute.
Reiten went on to make it 5-0 for Norway in the 52nd minute with a penalty kick conversion.
Roman Haug then put the icing in the cake with a header in the fifth minute of added time, getting her hat-trick in the process.
Unpleasant as the ending was for the Filipinas, they certainly turned heads when they beat co-host New Zealand on July 25.
Sarina Bolden’s header in the 24th minute of that match gave the Philippines its first-ever goal and ultimately its first-ever win in any World Cup football.
The victory surprisingly kept the Philippines in contention for a top two finish in Group A until the final day of the pool play action on Sunday, a feat that pundits thought the Filipinos could not do.
— Niel Victor C. Masoy
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