DUNEDIN, New Zealand (AP) — Ramona Bachmann drilled her penalty kick into the left side of the net moments before halftime to set up Switzerland's 2-0 win over Philippines on Friday in the Women’s World Cup opener for both teams.
Switzerland’s Seraina Piubel added a second-half goal, scoring on the rebound from a missed shot by Coumba Sow that ricocheted off Philippines goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel.
The Group A encounter was the first game inside Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium, the tournament’s only indoor venue. The crowd’s cheers echoed around the walls of the roughly half-full stadium, with an attendance of 13,711 in a venue that can fit over 30,000.
Philippines forward Katrina Guillou appeared to score a goal in the 15th minute, but it was waived off by an offside call.
Switzerland dominated offensively, outshooting the Philippines 17-3, but the Filipinas’ defense hung on. McDaniel held her own, making several key first-half saves –- only allowing Bachmann’s late penalty.
KEY MOMENT
Officials made the key penalty call against the Philippines in the waning moments of the first half, drawing a chorus of boos from Philippines fans. Switzerland’s Sow slid for the ball in the Philippines’ penalty area and, as she went down, she was kicked by Jessika Cowart.
McDaniel went the wrong way on Bachmann's penalty.
“Actually I was really calm, to be honest," Bachman said. "I’ve been training on it a lot. I feel quite confident in them.”
WHY IT MATTERS
With the victory, Switzerland moves into a tie for first place in Group A with New Zealand, and improved its chances of moving on to the round of 16. The Philippines played gamely in their Women's World Cup debut but face a hard climb to get into the knock-out stage of the tournament.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
“Together, they made it really difficult to find solutions to get in front of the goal, so, yeah, it was a tough game. We knew that we had to be patient." Luana Bühler, Swiss defender.
“It’s just a moment in the game. There are hundreds of moments that happen in the game, and that just happened to be in the penalty box. (The Swiss) had luck in that moment. But they made their own luck with good play.” Alen Stajcic, Philippines head coach, on the penalty that led to Switzerland's first goal.
WHAT’S NEXT
Switzerland will face Norway, coming off an upset loss to New Zealand, in Hamilton. The Philippines will face an energized New Zealand in Wellington. Both matches are Tuesday.
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Ellen McIntyre is a student in the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State.
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AP Women’s World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
