Women's World Cup: Switzerland see off debutants Philippines, Christine Sinclair denied history as Nigeria hold Canada
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Published 21/07/2023 at 08:32 GMT
A goal in either half helped Switzerland get their Women's World Cup off to a strong start with a 2-0 win over the Philippines, sending them top of the Group A table. Ramona Bachmann's opening strike made her the top all-time Swiss scorer in the tournament, but Christine Sinclair was denied history in Canada's 0-0 draw against Nigeria. The veteran had a penalty saved as she chased a record.
Collina 'confident' in VAR at the Women's World Cup
Switzerland got off to a winning start at the Women’s World Cup by beating debutants the Philippines, while Olympic champions Canada were held by Nigeria.
The Swiss claimed a 2-0 victory to move top of Group A alongside hosts co-hosts New Zealand, who earned a shock win over Norway in the tournament opener on Thursday.
A goal either side of half-time got the job done, Ramona Bachmann netting a penalty late in the first half before Seraina Piubel doubled Switzerland’s advantage midway through the second period in Dunedin.
The Philippines, featuring at their first-ever Women’s World Cup, thought they had taken a stunning lead after 16 minutes before seeing the flag go up for offside to deny Katrina Gillou a historic moment.
Bachmann’s goal made her Switzerland’s all-time top scorer at the Women’s World Cup with four strikes, one more than Fabienne Humm.
Switzerland face Norway next on Tuesday, while the Philippines will be up against New Zealand.
Olympic champions Canada were denied an opening win in Melbourne as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Nigeria, who had goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie to thank for saving a penalty.
Nnadozie denied Christine Sinclair from the spot early in the second half, stopping the Canadian from becoming the first player to score at six World Cups in either the women’s or men’s games.
The 40-year-old currently sits alongside Brazil’s Marta and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo as the joint record holder, having scored in five tournaments.
Sinclair had a golden chance to become the standalone record holder – and the oldest scorer in Women’s World Cup history - when she was brought down by Francisca Ordega in the box, but her effort was blocked by Nnadozie.
Nigeria were then reduced to 10 deep in stoppage time when Deborah Abiodun was dismissed for a high tackle on Ashley Lawrence, the yellow card being upgraded to red following a VAR review.
It was a strong start from the Nigerians, who are ranked 33 places below Canada and face hosts Australia next.
Canada will look to pick up their first win when they take on the Republic of Ireland, who were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Australia in Thursday’s opener.
“This is tournament football so we take a point out of today,” said Canada coach Bev Priestman.
“We have to keep moving forward, we’ll stay calm and we move on to the next task.”
- - -
TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Heineken Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article