World Cup roundup: Philippines make history with first ever goal, Colombia shine with South Korea win | OneFootball

With the first round of group stage games wrapped up, we can look back at the excitement that the 2023 World Cup has delivered so far. Let’s dive into the action from Tuesday, which saw three fairly close contests across the board. Colombia shone with a win over South Korea and the Philippines made history with their first ever World Cup goal.

Colombia 2-0 South Korea

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Colombia enjoyed a 2-0 win over South Korea as Catalina Usme got the scoring underway with a penalty in the 30th minute. Linda Caicedo doubled the lead nine minutes later with the No.18 benefitting from a goalkeeping blunder.

Colombia’s almost total dominance throughout the game will be something for Nelson Abadia’s side to look to continue as they face Germany. South Korea will need to improve their decision making and final actions ahead of meetings with Morocco and Germany.

New Zealand 0-1 Philippines

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As Group A got back underway, co-hosts New Zealand suffered a slender defeat to the Philippines. Sarina Bolden got the scoring action underway with the Philippines’ first goal at a Women’s World Cup. The goal from a set-piece was a direct result of a defensive error from Jitka Klimkova’s side. Jacqueline Hand’s 68th minute goal could have offered her side a route back, however the equaliser was quickly ruled offside by VAR.

New Zealand will look to improve on today’s performance as they head into their final group game. With 16 shots throughout the game, the Football Ferns will be disappointed to have failed to score. Sitting third in Group A, the Philippines will begin to see a route to the knock-out stages.

Converting their only shot on target, Alen Stajcic’s side will hope to continue their goal scoring form as they wrap up their group stage campaign against Norway.

Switzerland 0-0 Norway

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The final match of day six was far from the most exciting game we’ve seen so far. Switzerland and Norway managed more than 20 shots between them. Despite this, there was just one big chance created over the course of the game. With a distinct lack of intensity and goal-scoring intent, it appeared at times that neither side wanted to rock the boat and risk conceding, instead opting for a more defensive approach.

Norway are currently bottom of Group A with the Philippines still to play. Hege Riise’s side are yet to bag their first goal of the tournament. This could see Norway struggle to progress from the group stage as they sit three points behind group leaders Switzerland.

The Swiss will undoubtedly be disappointed with today’s performance. A lack of clinical edge in front of goal combined with failing to generate any real chances leaves Inka Gring’s side with work to do as the group stage draws to its conclusion. There are positives however for the team to take from today’s performance. A strong defensive display alongside a goalkeeping masterclass from Gaelle Thalmann will give Switzerland plenty of confidence as they take on co-hosts New Zealand.

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