Women’s World Cup Day 6: Finally, a Debutante Goal

After 16 games, the first batch of group stage games is over, ending with Colombia’s 2-0 win over South Korea last night (or yesterday afternoon, if you’re in New Zealand).

There were only two draws in the first chunk, Canada-Nigeria and France-Jamaica — both unexpected, given Canada and France’s dominance in women’s soccer.

But beyond that, two of the games in this period can be considered upsets: New Zealand over Norway, which opened the tournament, and Colombia over South Korea, which ended the first set of games.

So it’s only fitting that the next set started with a bang: the Philippines with a shocking 1-0 victory over New Zealand, and a Switzerland-Norway 0-0 draw that leaves Norway, once considered a sleeper contender, at the bottom of Group A.

Colombia 2, South Korea 0

As far as “underdog” victories go, this was one of the milder ones: Colombia (ranked 25th in the world) upended South Korea (17th).

South Korea had a few good chances early, but a South Korean handball in the box gave Colombia a penalty kick in the 29th minute. Striker Catalina Usme confidently shot the ball past South Korean goalkeeper Yoon Young-geul, bringing the score to 1-0.

In the 39th minute, Colombia’s Linda Caicedo tore down the pitch past multiple defenders to shoot from distance. Yoon got a hand on the ball, but could not redirect it away from the goal, and Colombia rose up to 2-0.

Caicedo has an incredible story. Not only is she a cancer survivor, having been diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she was 15, but the 18-year-old midfielder is participating in her third World Cup this year: She played at the U20 in Costa Rica, the U17 in India and has now scored in her World Cup debut.

The rest of the game was relatively dull. None of their substitutions — including Korean-American Casey Phair, who became the youngest player to play in this World Cup at 16 years old — were able to turn the tide, and Colombia walked away with a big victory.

Philippines 1, New Zealand 0

Of the eight teams making their World Cup debut, none had scored in the tournament during the first round. It took until the first game of the group stage’s second phase to finally see this trend broken.

The Philippines’ historic goal came in the 24th minute, after midfielder Sara Eggesvik gained control of the ball to send a cross to striker Sarina Bolden. Bolden headed the ball towards the goal, and New Zealand goalkeeper Victoria Esson bobbled it before letting it pass into the net.

It’s a huge feat for this team, which is operating with a team made up largely of Filipino players within the diaspora: Eggesvik is born in Norway, while Bolden and goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel are among the 18 Americans on the team.

However, the Philippines’ win comes with a disappointing twist for New Zealand. A goal from forward Jacqui Hand in the 68th minute was disallowed after VAR ruled that forward Hannah Wilkinson had been offside earlier in the play. The call took back New Zealand’s equalizer because Wilkinson was off by hair — or an ear, or a shoulder, depending on how you interpret the VAR image.

Regardless, it’s heartbreaking for New Zealand, who earned their first World Cup win last week with an upset win over Norway, and now find themselves upset by a team with their own historic win.

Switzerland 0, Norway 0

If things seem bad for New Zealand, it’s nothing compared to Norway. Norway went into this tournament ranked 12th in the world, with many considering the team a dark horse that would go further than the pundits were expecting. A loss to 26th-ranked New Zealand and now a draw against No. 20 Switzerland have changed those plans.

Part of the troubles against the Swiss began early, when Norway’s star striker Ada Hegerberg was removed from the roster pregame with a groin strain sustained during warmups. “We decided with the staff that no risk should be taken and no subs should be wasted in such an important game for us,” Hegerberg later clarified in a tweet.

Possession was roughly even between the two teams, but Norway had a number of crucial chances, ending with 15 shots (five on goal), twice as many as Switzerland. Goalkeeper Gaëlle Thalmann came up huge for the Swiss, punching out some of Norway’s most dangerous shots to keep the game scoreless.

As the rain poured, neither team was able to get a handle on the game. The match ended 0-0, a draw that is especially frustrating for Norway, who now drop to the bottom of Group A with just one point.

It’s a twist, but Group A is one of the most unexpectedly competitive groups of the tournament. Group A’s final two group stage games take place Sunday at 3 a.m. ET. Anything can happen; expect chaos.

Next on the slate:

Japan vs. Costa Rica, 1 a.m. ET

Spain vs. Zambia, 3:30 a.m. ET

Canada vs. Republic of Ireland, 8 a.m. ET