And with that, I will leave you. What a result in Wellington. What a day for the Philippines. Disappointment for New Zealand. Phew. Until next time.
So, the Philippines move onto three points, the same as New Zealand. Switzerland (also on three points) and Norway are up next. It’ll be interesting to see how this one pans out, with all still to play for in Group A. My colleague Sarah Rendell is already up and running on that one, join her below:
What about New Zealand? Spare a thought for the Ferns, who will now have to bounce back from a disheartening result – all the more so given the highs of opening night – if they are to qualify for the knockout phase. What a rollercoaster it has been already for the co-hosts. Had Wilkinson not been ruled offside on 70 minutes, and Hand’s goal counted, it could have been a very different story.
What a match that was, and what a result for the Philippines. They executed their gameplan perfectly – soaking up early pressure, before hitting on the break through Bolden and then holding firm defensively as the match progressed. Bolden’s status in her country was already high; it’ll be off the charts now. Olivia McDaniel also deserves huge credit for an impressive performance in between the sticks – she stood tall in the face of New Zealand pressure, and pulled out a top-drawer save in the dying moments to effectively secure victory.
Full-time: New Zealand 0-1 Philippines
90+6 mins: There it is! Unbridled joy for the Philippines! They have a first World Cup victory, thanks to Sarina Bolden’s only goal of the game! Amazing scenes in Wellington!
90+5 mins: The Filipinas are hanging on by a thread… McDaniel falls on the ball, and that might well be it!
90+4 mins: Bott lets fly from miles out. Easy for McDaniel. That seems like it was the wrong decision taken by Bott.
90+3 mins: WHAT A SAVE BY MCDANIEL! She might just have won the match for her team! She sticks out a big hand and turns Jale’s sidefooted volley around the post! Again, what a save!
Updated
90+2 mins: The Philippines bench can’t bear it any more – they’re on their feet, biting nails. They’re so close….
90+1 mins: The ball pings off Harrison and New Zealand will have a corner… Wilkinson is there, McDaniel comes! But the Ferns striker can’t direct her header on target and it skews wide!
90 mins: Into added time we go. Can the Philippines hang on for victory? Five more minutes to be played.
88 mins: Time is ticking away. Still New Zealand press forward. Longo handles accidentally on the edge of the box and the Filpinas get some respite.
87 mins: Frilles is through here! The flag is up – she’s way offside – but she plays on. The flag goes down, the ball hits the back of the net, but then the flag goes back up and it won’t count!
85 mins: Chance for the Philippines now but Frilles can’t capitalise on a botched clearance. Still Bolden’s 24th-minute goal is the difference between the two sides.
83 mins: New Zealand have switched to a 3-4-3 in a desperate bid to salvage something from this game.
82 mins: Goalscorer Bolden is taken off, along with Cowart. On come Bugay and Frilles. New Zealand also make a change: Percival off and Jale on.
81 mins: New Zealand press forward once more. Chance tries her luck from the edge of the box, but she gets too under the ball, which flies over the bar.
80 mins: Into the final 10 minutes, and the chances of a home win are diminishing every minute that passes.
78 mins: This is great to watch. Esson slightly fluffs a clearance, but the Philippines can’t capitalise. Straight down to the other end, and Wilkinson goes down, but the ref doesn’t give it. Boos ring out. More changes are imminent.
76 mins: Chance bursts clear, but she lacks the pace this time to escape Randall, who came on with Annis six minutes ago and I didn’t notice.
75 mins: Here’s another free-kick to New Zealand. Bowen dinks it forward again towards Wilkinson, who gets a head (or is it a shoulder?) to it. Straight into McDaniel’s hands!
73 mins: Chance again gets clear but again her cross is slightly sliced and the ball floats straight into McDaniel’s hands.
71 mins: The Philippines have 20 minutes to hang on and record the most famous of wins. Meanwhile, the technology shows how close that offside call was – Wilkinson’s upper shoulder appears to have been offside.
69 mins: The roof lifted off for a moment there! Still New Zealand search for an equaliser.
Disallowed goal!
68 mins: Jacqui Hand thinks she has headed New Zealand level! Riley pumps the ball forward to Wilkinson who does extremely well to retrieve the ball from the goalline before dinking across to Hand, who nods home! But it’s chalked off as it turns out Wilkinson was offside from Riley’s pass. From elation to deflation in a matter of seconds for the home crowd!
68 mins: Chance again runs at Barker, and takes her on. But her final delivery drift too close to McDaniel, who gratefully claims.
67 mins: Here come the Philippines though – they are not a spent attacking force in any way! Harrison’s cross is decent, but the Ferns’ defence deals with it this time.
66 mins: This is getting tense now, as New Zealand push forward in search of an equaliser, and the Filipinas back line gets stretched.
65 mins: Ooh! New Zealand are getting closer! Again it’s Chance involved – her pass in behind the Philippines defence is inch perfect… Hand takes it first time but sees her effort smack back off the post and straight into McDaniel’s hands!
63 mins: Looks like the Philippines are going to make a change – Isabella Flanigan comes on to replace Eggesvik.
61 mins: Chance is perhaps lucky not to see a yellow here as she leaves in a boot on McDaniel down on the goalline, as Barker shepherds the ball back to her keeper.
59 mins: Another chance! Bott plays an incisive ball into the path of Wilkinson, who looks like she’s going to reach it until McDaniel, who has hared off her line, gets there first to make a sliding cleareance!
57 mins: Ooh! Best chance of the game for New Zealand! The corner is played differently, back to Bott instead of straight into the box. It gives her a better angle to deliver the ball, and it works as Wilkinson gets there, but can only direct her header over the bar! Inches away from an equaliser!
56 mins: Chance is having a big impact on this game. She’s willing to take on her marker, and beat her. Another corner won.
54 mins: Another email, this one from Benhar Limpasan Jr. “I can relate to what Hannah feels even if she supports Man United (ahem Liverpool fan here), it’s been a decade since I got introduced to the MBM via the 2010 World Cup and since I am at work, I can only catch glimpse of the game and rely solely to your liveblog. I’ll probably remember this forever as I first saw the goal update in the Guardian right before I actually saw the goal.” Glad to be of service!
52 mins: McDaniel is less composed than she was earlier as she attempts to punch a New Zealand corner clear now. No major dramas though, and the Filipinas clear their lines.
51 mins: “Hi Mike.” Hi Peter Oh. “How does the saying go? Fortune favours the Bolden?” In this case most definitely! But this half has started in the same vein as the first – with the Philippines soaking up NZ pressure.
50 mins: It dissipates quickly as McDaniel easily claims the free-kick, which was far too close to the Filipinas keeper.
49 mins: What a run by Hand! She skips over one challenge but the second, from Beard, upends her. Beard will get a yellow for her troubles. And New Zealand have another chance to get a ball into the Philippines box. Excitement builds in the crowd…
48 mins: Percival’s corner swings over… Bowen goes over in the box, but she’s actually the one penalised. Free-kick given the Philippines way.
47 mins: Longo involved immediately as she sends Wilkinson away down the New Zealand left. And then Chance gets involved, winning a corner with pretty much for first touch!
Second half under way
46 mins: Back under way at the Cake Tin! And New Zealand have rung the changes in a bid to get back into this one. Two substitutions made by coach Jitka Klimkova – Longo and Chance on for Riley and Hassett.
Enjoying the Guardian’s coverage of the Women’s World Cup? This live blog is only possible thanks to funding from our fans all around the world. We don’t have a paywall, so everything we publish is open and free for everyone. Unlike so many others, the Guardian is fiercely independent – meaning we don’t have a billionaire owner who can censor us.
Fund quality sports journalism from the Guardian today from as little as £1. It takes less than a minute but makes a huge difference.
Half-time: New Zealand 0-1 Philippines
45+5 mins: There goes the whistle! The Filipinas lead at the break thanks to that Sarina Bolden header – her country’s first ever World Cup goal.
45+4 mins: Bowen’s lofted ball forward is headed clear though and that should be that for the opening half. No, wait, Percival hits a half-volley, but it’s not a clean strike and McDaniel claims easily.
45+3 mins: Steinmetz is tripped by Guillou and the Ferns will have a chance to pump a ball into the box right at the end of this half…
45+1 mins: Ooh! Guillou fashions a shooting chance for herself – it flies wide of the upright this time, but that should serve as another warning shot to the New Zealand defence!
45 mins: Four minutes of added time to be played at the end of the first half. Alen Stajcic will surely be delighted to get his charges back in the dressing rooms with this lead intact.
Updated
43 mins: New Zealand have had six attempts on goal. The Philippines have had just that one from Bolden.
42 mins: This is a lovely email from Hannah Inserto. “I follow the Guardian minute by minutes for Man U almost every week but this hit home and got me in tears to see our country and that scoreline and that name. Laban Filipinas. Doesn’t matter what the score will be at the end of 90 minutes. This felt good.” What a moment for football in the Philippines.
40 mins: Ooh! Hassett gets past her marker on the left and fires a low cross in, that is inches away from Wilkinson! McDaniel claims, and the Philippines will be hoping to make half-time without conceding now.
Updated
39 mins: Simon Chamberlain has emailed in. “I’m at the ground, crowd noise very much coming from the Philippines fans since the goal.” Thanks for the update Simon. They’ve got reason to be noisy.
38 mins: Noise levels rise as Riley delivers a cross… it’s cleared but then Bowen spins onto the recycled ball only to see her snap shot bounce wide of the mark!
37 mins: Harrison does brilliantly to spin around two challenges on the right flank, but she doesn’t go much further this time.
36 mins: Bott delivers a ball towards Wilkinson now, but it’s overhit. Beard shapes to get to it, but pulls out and lets it run all the way through to McDaniel. It’s a different game since the goal.
34 mins: A little bit more information on the goalscorer, Sarina Bolden.
Updated
33 mins: There’s great noise from the stands. I can’t tell if that’s the New Zealand fans, or those from the Philippines. It’s a decent-looking crowd in Wellington, following on from generally strong ticket sales for the tournament.
31 mins: It’s game on here, for sure. The Philippines seem to have taken great heart from taking the lead, and rightly so.
29 mins: Eggesvik can count herself unlucky not to win a free-kick but the Filipinas press on and after Esson fails to convince on a punch, panic breaks out in the New Zealand box. The ball plays a bit of pinball and Harrison swings a boot at it! Blocked!
Updated
26 mins: The goal has sucked the life out of the crowd. How will the Ferns react to going down? That was not part of their plan.
25 mins: So far so very good for the Philippines! They’ve executed their gameplan to perfection so far.
Goal! New Zealand 0-1 Philippines (Bolden 24)
24 mins: Oh my goodness! Sarina Bolden scores! Incredible! It’s the Philippines’ first ever World Cup goal! It comes from a Beard free-kick into the box which is headed clear, only for Eggesvik to recycle the ball. Her cross back in is perfect and Bolden rises highest to thunder a header past Esson!
Updated
23 mins: The Ferns have completed 72 passes, compared to the Philippines 11. That tells a story./
22 mins: Esson in the New Zealand goal is called into a rare bit of action as she races off her line to punch clear a free-kick pumped into the box by Beard.
21 mins: So far, so good for the Philippines then. They will clearly look to soak up the pressure and then hit New Zealand on the break tonight.
19 mins: Nearly 20 minutes in and it’s been all New Zealand, but still no breakthrough. But here’s Bowen, who slings in a deep cross. Wilkinson, so good in the air, leaps to get her head to it, but the attempted knockdown doesn’t find another black shirt this time.
Updated
17 mins: This stadium is regularly used for football and rugby, but it’s an oval field and the stands are miles away from the pitch – it’s also used for cricket, and has been used for AFL in the past.
15 mins: Wilkinson is pulled up for a foul. And then another free-kick is given, the other way, after Quezada fouls Percival.
Updated
13 mins: Beard does very well here, winning a goal kick off Wilkinson, who is making a nuisance of herself.
11 mins: But here’s a chance to get the ball into the New Zealand box, after Eggesvik gives away a free-kick. It’s thumped forward, a brief moment of confusion ensues, but the Ferns are able to clear their lines.
10 mins: Barker clears for the Philippines, but the respite is brief. New Zealand are dominating so far – the possession stats speak for themselves.
8 mins: Wilkinson! Not this time! Bott cuts the ball back to her teammate but a finishing touch deserts Wilkinson, whose effort is high and wild.
7 mins: The team in white have barely had a touch of the ball so far. Riley and Bott play a neat one-two on the New Zealand right to fashion a crossing chance. Repelled again by the Philippines back line.
Here’s that match report from the early game I promised earlier:
6 mins: India-Paige Riley gets her head to the ball, but she can’t direct it on target! Still, it’s been all New Zealand so far, and they’ve showed early signs that they can break down this five-woman Philippines defence.
4 mins: Wilkinson cleverly switches play to Hand, who jinks back and gets a cross. It’s back towards Wilkinson, but this time it’s headed clear.
3 mins: There’s a problem here withe referee’s technology. Haven’t seen this before. Play is held up as she receives help from an official with the box under her shirt. All is in working order soon enough and play gets back under way.
2 mins: New Zealand win the ball pretty quickly and set about unlocking the Philippines defence, mostly down the left hand side, through Hassett and Wilkinson. A ball into the box just evades Hand in the middle.
Updated
First half under way
1 mins: Here we go then! Mexican referee Katia Garcia toots on her whistle, and we’re off! Bolden gets us under way.
Off come the training tops. The Filipinas are in their change strip of all white tonight, with the Ferns in all black.
National anthem time! The Philippines first. Alen Stajcic, sporting a beanie and looking rather cold as the temperature in Wellington drops, sings along. Some emotion on the faces of several players. And now New Zealand. Beautifully done. Nearly there!
The teams are in the tunnel… here they come, led by the officials. The camera pans to someone in the crowd holding sign which says: “I just hope both teams have fun”. Ha.
I was getting slightly carried away earlier, when I might have said three points for New Zealand today will secure them a place in the last 16. It won’t. It will, however, put them in a very strong position with Norway and Switzerland to meet later on today. Thank you to reader Tori Berquist for pointing that out.
This from Jeff Kassouf is excellent on the Philippines. Well worth a read with just 15 minutes left before kick-off.
The Philippines, thanks to a strong diaspora community in New Zealand (and being the underdogs, you suspect), were well supported during their opener in Dunedin, but they’ll be outnumbered today by fans of the host nation at a sold-out Cake Tin (aka Sky Stadium/Wellington Regional Stadium). It promises to be another party atmosphere, a party Alen Stajcic is invited to. No, wait, he’s hosting. Either way, he’ll be there.
“Fortunately we only have to play against 11,” Stajcic said. “We want to crash the party. It’s not really their party. It’s everyone’s party. It’s our party as well. It’s a brilliant occasion for football and for New Zealand ... but as motivating as it is for New Zealand, it is for our team as well.”
Updated
And have a read in a bit more depth about the Football Ferns (this was written before Thursday’s momentous win, which rather changed the narrative).
Football in the Philippines has always been in the shadows of basketball and boxing but in the last decade, the women’s international team, the Filipinas, has been steadily on the rise and came close to qualifying for the 2019 World Cup in France.
Read our full team guide below:
Line-ups
Well, this is easy enough – both New Zealand and the Philippines are unchanged from their opening outings.
New Zealand:
21 Victoria Esson
4 CJ Bott
13 Rebekah Stott
14 Katie Bowen
7 Ali Riley
20 Indiah-Paige Riley
6 Malia Steinmetz
2 Ria Percival
12 Betsy Hassett
16 Jacqui Hand
17 Hannah Wilkinson
Philippines:
1 Olivia McDaniel
17 Alicia Barker
5 Hali Long
3 Jessika Cowart
13 Angela Beard
16 Sofia Harrison
20 Quinley Quezada
4 Jaclyn Sawicki
8 Sara Eggesvik
21 Katrina Guillou
7 Sarina Bolden
Updated
A quick word on that earlier kick-off in Group H – Colombia stunned Korea 2-0 thanks goals from Catalina Usme and Linda Caicedo. While we wait for the full match report to come in, consider this for a moment: Casey Phair became the youngest player to appear at a Women’s World Cup at the age of 16 years and 26 days. What were you doing at 16? Amazing achievement.
Preamble
Hello. No time for overly-wordy intros today – the football is coming too thick and too fast at the moment. Already done and dusted at the Sydney Football Stadium (just down the road from where I am sat) is Colombia v South Korea (more on that one to follow); next up are co-hosts New Zealand against Women’s World Cup debutants the Philippines across the ditch in Wellington.
The Football Ferns opened their campaign, and the tournament, in memorable fashion, with a win over fancied Norway on opening night in Auckland. You could say that Hannah Wilkinson’s historic goal went down pretty well in New Zealand.
It means that qualification for the last 16 is within touching distance for the Ferns – a second victory today will put them in a great position to progress to the knock-out phase of the tournament.
What about the Philippines? While they lost their first ever World Cup game – a 2-0 defeat on Friday to Switzerland – they did not at all look out of place at this level of world football with a spirited display, during which they had Katrina Guillou’s strike ruled out for offside. That was a shame.
“We belong. We think we can compete at this level,” coach Alen Stajcic said after the game. “We’ve arrived at the point where we’ve improved significantly enough to where we can go on the pitch and believe that we can win.”
Believing is a good start. Can they actually turn that belief into a result and carve out a slice of their own history against New Zealand today? Kick-off in Wellington is coming up. Stick with us.
Updated
