As one match ends, another begins… next up are Spain and Costa Rica. Join my colleague Sarah Rendell for the first Group C game, which is starting shortly.
But from me, it’s good bye for now. Thanks for joining.
So, in their first match at their first World Cup, the Philippines couldn’t get the dream debut they hoped for, but it was a spirited performance that they can take with them into next week’s fixture against hosts New Zealand. Switzerland join the Football Ferns on three points, and will be pleased with how things went in Dunedin today. A minimum of fuss after Katrina Guillou gave them a scare with a goal disallowed for offside, thanks to a penalty just before half-time from Ramona Bachmann which sucked the wind from their opponents’ sails and then a second from close range from Seraina Piubel to seal the deal.
Updated
Full-time: Philippines 0-2 Switzerland
90+4 mins: There it is! All over in Dunedin! Switzerland ease to victory in the end after what was a rather one-sided second half. Deserved victory for the Swiss.
90+3 mins: They’ll be four minutes of added time to be played, as this match runs towards a conclusion. Time for one final bit of action? No. Substitute Terchoun can’t get much power on her shot and the ball is collected easily by McDaniel.
90 mins: Piubel and Reuteler off, Riesen on Terchoun on.
88 mins: The Swiss are about to make another couple of changes. Not just yet though.
86 mins: All or nothing now for the Phillipines as McDaniel (Olivia) races forward to take a free-kick way up the pitch. But she’ll have to race back again from whence she came pretty sharpish as Switzerland win the ball back.
84 mins: McDaniel makes a nuisance of herself in the Swiss box now but she can’t manage to get a shot off on target.
83 mins: A rare foray into the Swiss penalty area this… Beard takes the free-kick, a decent one, but it’s headed clear and the crowd’s excitement quickly disappears.
80 mins: Into the final 10 minutes. Still Switzerland press forward. But the women in blue might be able to break here, with Flanigan the substitute. She wins a free-kick after a challenge by Maritz, who sees a yellow card for her troubles.
78 mins: Coree Alvarez has emailed in to enlighten me on the Philippines’ nickname, and why it officially changed not so long ago. You can read about it here. Thanks Coree, much appreciated. Back on the pitch, the Philippines are going to make another change – the second McDaniel, Chandler, on for Bolden.
74 mins: Here comes Mauron for Walti, who hands off the captain’s armband to Crnogorcevic.
72 mins: Just under 20 minutes remaining and this one’s got the feel of being over already. Sandrine Mauron is preparing to come on for Switzerland.
70 mins: Crnogorcevic again threatens but again no dice for her. She’s been excellent, but might rue a lack of a finishing touch. Time for some changes. On comes Lehmann, for Bachmann. And the Philippines also make a change, two of them in fact. Serrano and Flanigan on for Eggesvik and Quezada.
66 mins: No surprises really that Switzerland find themselves two goals to the good now. They’ve dominated after the break and you had the feeling it was very much just a matter of time before they added a second.
Goal! Philippines 0-2 Switzerland (Piubel 64)
64 mins: There it is! It’s been coming! Piubel applies the finishing touch after some heroic goalkeeping from McDaniel denies first Crnogorcevic and then Sow at close quarters! There’s nothing she can do about the third effort from Piubel as it falls kindly for the Swiss and she gratefully smashes home!
64 mins: Piubel has a great chance to score now! But her close-range effort is blocked… the pressure mounts.
62 mins: Switzerland have been in far more control of the game this second half. They’re keeping possession well and the Philippines are struggling to get hold of it at all at the moment.
60 mins: Bachmann looks to make her own luck with a speculative long-range effort but it’s high and wide of the mark.
59 mins: Chance here now for Sow after he is found by Crnogorcevic’s long ball but the Philippines’ defence holds firm once again. Chances are few and far between at the moment.
57 mins: Crnogorcevic pings a lovely through pass towards Reuteler, but she can’t control it. Moments later Reuteler fires a cross into the box which Sow gets on the end of but again the keeper McDaniel is not troubled.
55 mins: The Philippines try to play their way out of the back, but Switzerland’s application of pressure and good and before too long Beard and Long get into trouble.
53 mins: Walti takes a whack on the head from the ball as she lies prone on the ground. Nothing malicious from the Philippines player – she was just trying to get the ball away.
Updated
50 mins: The ball comes over, Buhler I think it is gets her head to it, but it lacks direction and the Malditas whack it clear.
49 mins: Piubel and Reuteler combine well on the right and Crnogorcevic isn’t far away from getting her head on the cross. Corner ball!
48 mins: Switzerland have come out with intent this half. Maritz drifts into the box but Barker is there to hammer a clearance away.
Ben Limpasan has emailed to make a valid point. Thanks Ben. “We’d appreciate if you’d call our team the Malditas which has been the nickname the Philippine fanbase has long called our Women’s Team. Yeah, management may persistently push with the ‘Filipinas’ moniker. Management is doing a great job bankrolling the team but we loved and took pride with our team way before their attempt to rebrand.” Roger that Ben.
46 mins: And we’re back under way at Dunedin. No changes to tell you about, from either side.
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Half-time: Philippines 0-1 Switzerland
45+4 mins: There goes the whistle and the teams heads off for a slice of orange with the Swiss leading thanks to Ramona Bachmann’s penalty.
45+1 mins: That’s harsh on the Filipinas, who have more than held their own this half. And we finally have a first-half goal this tournament.
Goal! Philippines 0-1 Switzerland (Bachmann 45)
45 mins: Bachmann scores! Her run up is slow and measured before she wraps her right foot around the ball, sends McDaniel the wrong way and finds the corner of the net!
45 mins: And now Bachmann has the chance to break the deadlock, just before the half-time break. McDaniel stares her down…
44 mins: The only mitigating circumstance is that Sow was already virtually on the ground… but the ref gives it!
43 mins: Sow is caught by a stray Cowart boot in the box, and there’s a potential penalty here! The referee is having a look on the monitor. I wouldn’t be surprised if she gives this one!
41 mins: Another chance comes Switzerland’s way at Maritz lofts a ball into the box towards Crnogorcevic, but the Barcelona forward can’t make anything of it this time.
40 mins: Still no first-half goals at this tournament. Five minutes remain for either of these sides to change the record.
38 mins: Harrison is very late on Piubel and she’s belatedly booked for the indiscretion. The free-kick will be taken by action-women Bachmann…. Crnogorcevic connects with a stooping header but it’s wide of the mark.
37 mins: What a miss by Crnogorcevic! That really should have been the opener, but Switzerland’s most capped player and top scorer conspires to put the ball over the bar from close range! She’ll hope the Swiss don’t come to rue that miss.
36 mins: Bachmann’s been the standout player on the pitch so far. She’s constantly probing the Filipina defence. Here’s a bit more about her:
34 mins: Bachmann pirouettes like a ballet dancer to get away from Quezada, and her ball through isn’t bad at all, it’s just that no teammates are on the same wavelength.
Tony has emailed in from Dunedin. Tony’s at work. “Forsyth Barr in Dunedin is New Zealand’s largest indoor stadium and, as well as rugby or football matches, it plays host to large-scale music shows, including Elton John, Ed Sheeran and Fleetwood Mac. Nicknamed ‘the Glasshouse’, it’s in Dunedin, a university city with a student-led nightlife. No one calls it the Glass House here. We call it the exciting name of ‘the Stadium’. The stadium hosted game in the men’s U17 World Cup in 2015 and there was a storm that sounded like machine guns being fired due to the hammering on the roof.” This is the kind of insider knowledge I simply do not have sat on my chair in Sydney.
30 mins: Bachmann displays a lovely touch to take the ball into her stride before she centres for Crnogorcevic at the back post. Still no finishing touch though and the Philippines survive the latest Swiss attack.
29 mins: Switzerland press forward, seeking to break down the Filipina defence. Maritz is causing problems on the left.
28 mins: Sow lets fly with a weak effort that bounces well wide of McDaniel’s goal. Meanwhile the tech proves that Guillou was indeed offside in that earlier incident.
27 mins: Beard again launches it into the box… it’s a decent delivery which causes a moment of confusion in the Swiss defence, but they are able to clear their lines in the end.
26 mins: Maritz is penalised now for a bit of persistent niggle on Bolden and Philppines have another free-kick.
Updated
25 mins: Crnogorcevic again teases the defence… she finds Reuteler just inside. Reuteler jinks past a few blue shirts but again a final touch is lacking and the move breaks down.
22 mins: That’s a good ball from Maritz though, finding Crnogorcevic on the Swiss left. Her ball into the box is mopped up by the Filipinas defence though.
21 mins: More neat approach play from the Swiss comes to naught as Walti attempts to play a first-time ball through, but it pings off her boot and straight through to McDaniel.
20 mins: Switzerland look assured in possession here. They’re playing it around the back with a degree of confidence now, as they look to steady the ship following that scare.
17 mins: This has been a very encouraging start from the underdogs. And as we’ve seen already this tournament, we shouldn’t expect all games to go according to standing.
16 mins: Katrina Guillou thinks she’s scored here – the ball certainly hits the back of the net after a neat finish – but the offside flag is up and her celebrations will be cruelly cut short. TV replays show the long ball through did indeed find her in an offside position.
15 mins: What a ball that is! Buhler sends a delightful pass forward for Bachmann to run onto… she controls it well but her attempted dink over the advancing McDaniel is collected by the Filipina keeper!
13 mins: Switzerland show a bit of quality out on the right hand side, working the ball nicely to fashion a chance to get a good cross in. But it’s well claimed by McDaniel.
11 mins: With the roof on this stadium, the noise really reverberates – it has something of a sports hall feel to it.
8 mins: Beard, of Western United, sends the resulting free-kick over into the Swiss box, but it’s overhit and Thalmann is able to claim easily.
7 mins: The noise levels increase whenever the ball goes near the Swiss box – the Philippines are well supported here. Meanwhile, here’s an early yellow card for Bachmann for a tug of the shirt.
5 mins: Before kick-off the Filipinas appeared delighted just to be here. This is their first World Cup appearance, and it looks like their determined to enjoy the occasion.
4 mins: Here’s an early corner for Switzerland. McDaniel punches clear but the ball falls to Reuteler about 25 yards out… she fancies her chances here, but the ball flies well over the bar and McDaniel is not troubled.
3 mins: We’re yet to see a first-half goal this tournament. Can either of these two teams break that duck?
2 mins: Fifa head honcho Gianni Infantino is in the crowd. Wonder how he’s feeling today.
First half under way
1 min: And we’re off in the day’s second game!
The Swiss are in all white today, Philippines in all blue. The refereeing team are in bright yellow shirts and dark shorts. There’s a Canadian in charge of the VAR room today.
Here come the players, out onto the pristine turf of Forsyth Barr Stadium, which for the purposes of this Fifa ™ tournament, will be known as Dunedin Stadium. That’s a cracking anthem for the Philippines, very jaunty, one you can really get into. And here’s Switzerland, a bit more earnest, but still just as inspiring for the players.
Today's line-ups
Let’s have a look at the starting XIs in Dunedin.
¡Tenemos las formaciones iniciales para el encuentro entre Filipinas y Suiza! #PHI #SUI #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/Ec3FdhnZXq
— Cita Mundialista (@Futfemdata) July 21, 2023
Very much enjoyed enjoying watching No Official Nickname take on the Reggae Girlz earlier today.
Which FIFA Women's World Cup team has your favorite nickname? 🔥👇 pic.twitter.com/Xa71qL2Zws
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 19, 2023
Updated
The day’s first match is done and dusted. At “Melbourne Rectangular Stadium”, better known as AAMI Park in Melbourne, a penalty save by Chiamaka Nnadozie to deny Canada’s Christine Sinclair gave Nigeria a well-earned point in a result that suits hosts Australia very nicely indeed thank you very much all alone atop Group B. Jo Khan’s full report will be arriving shortly, but for now, check out the reaction below:
Switzerland, led by coach Inka Grings, have a more globally recognisable team with several players at top European clubs, and are hoping to get out of their group for the second time, after progressing in 2015. Captain Lia Wälti is widely considered to be their most important player, but PSG’s Ramona Bachmann and Barcelona’s Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic are also ones to watch.
The Philippines, ranked 46 by Fifa, open their campaign today with slim hopes of getting out of a group containing Norway, New Zealand and today’s opponents Switzerland. They may not have been helped by the upset of Norway yesterday and a good result today will be crucial to their chances of progressing, you’d think. Alen Stajcic is a familiar face for many in Australia, having coached the Matildas before his ugly departure, and there are a couple of familiar faces in his team too, such as Sarina Bolden and Angie Beard of A-League Women fame. You can read the full team guide below:
Preamble
Hello, and welcome to our continuing coverage of the Women’s World Cup. Day one was, um, eventful to say the least, with a huge upset, an injury drama involving one of the faces of the tournament and record, euphoric crowds in Auckland and Sydney.
What’s day two got in store? We’ve already had Nigeria and Canada in Melbourne (more on that in a bit), and we’ve got Spain and Costa Rica later on, but for now and for the purposes of this blog, all focus in on Alen Stajcic’s Philippines taking on world No 20 Switzerland in Dunedin.
Kick-off is not too far away, but in the meantime, feel free to get in touch with any thoughts on this game, or the tournament more generally – mikehytner@theguardian.com or @mike_hytner.
