New Zealand, the World Cup’s co-host, has a possibility to take every other large step ahead on Tuesday.
Days after it earned the primary World Cup victory within the staff’s historical past, New Zealand is aware of a win over the Philippines in Wellington would successfully guarantee that the Football Ferns, because the staff is understood, would achieve the knockout rounds for the primary time.
In Tuesday’s different video games, Colombia and South Korea will turn out to be the remaining of the 32 groups to take the sector, and Norway — crushed by way of New Zealand in its opener — will attempt to proper itself towards Switzerland.
Colombia vs. South Korea
Colombia is coming off a powerful efficiency within the Copa América Championship, the place it beat Argentina within the semifinals and fell to Brazil within the ultimate, 1–0. Those effects recommend a readiness to contend at the global degree.
But that competitiveness can have long past too a ways in a contemporary exhibition towards Ireland: That fit used to be known as off after 20 mins for what the Irish categorized “overly physical” play from the Colombians. Colombia rejected that characterization and defended its taste; it stated the Irish merely “preferred not to continue playing.”
Colombia will face South Korea, the runner-up to China within the 2022 Asian Cup, on Tuesday in Sydney, Australia, (10 pm Monday Eastern time). The South Koreans have made it to the knockout phases as soon as in 3 earlier World Cup appearances, in 2015. Four years in the past, the Koreans misplaced all 3 in their video games.
New zealand vs. Philippines
New Zealand’s gamers stunned many of us — together with themselves — by way of frightening Norway, 1-0, within the opening fit of the World Cup.
Now, the Ferns in finding themselves in new territory: in a positive place for a trail past the gang degree, a checkpoint now not reached in 5 earlier journeys to the event.
The largest impediment to advancing, in truth, is also in the back of them. Norway entered the event twelfth in FIFA scores, while the Philippines is forty sixth. New Zealand is twenty sixth, however now using a wave of so-called Fern Fever, and having a look ahead to every other night time in entrance of a pleasant crowd.
The Philippines misplaced, 2–0, to Switzerland in its World Cup debut. Its staff attracts closely from the United States — 18 gamers at the squad’s 23-women roster, in truth, had been born in America — and makes no excuses about that.
“I don’t really care where they’re born,” the staff’s Australian trainer, Alen Stajcic, stated. “If they have Philippines in their heart and in their blood, and they’re good at football, then they’re eligible for our team.
“They all play for their flag, they all play for their country, they all play for the people in the Philippines, wherever they reside.”
Switzerland vs. Norway
Norway is having a look to bop again from its opening loss and most definitely wishes a win towards Switzerland, after which every other towards the Philippines, to verify it is going thru to the knockouts.
The Norwegians are led by way of Ada Hegerberg, the 28-year-old striker — and previous global participant of the 12 months — who sat out the 2019 World Cup in protest of her federation’s remedy of girls’s football. Hegerberg, some of the very best gamers within the recreation, used to be absent from the nationwide staff for 5 years earlier than returning for the European Championship remaining summer season. But she used to be unusually useless towards New Zealand, and that may not do towards the Swiss.
Switzerland ruled the Philippines of their opener, outshooting their combatants by way of 17–3. They are not likely to have the similar benefit over the Norwegians. Ramona Bachmann, who performs her membership football for Paris St.-Germain, used to be the standout participant in her staff’s opening win. She will desire a equivalent efficiency as of late to stay Switzerland shifting ahead.