Switzerland will face New Zealand in the final match of the group

It’s a real thriller in a sold-out stadium in Dunedin. The match between the Swiss and the New Zealanders is open until the last minute. The New Zealanders keep running and the pitch gets louder. It becomes especially dangerous in standard situations. In the eight minutes of stoppage time, goalkeeper Eason surged forward at least three times. But somehow the Swiss managed to salvage the point they needed as time passed.

“My emotional state is a mixture of relief, joy and pride, but also a little bit of frustration about the way we played today,” says Captain Leah Walti. “The most important thing is that we qualified,” says Ana Maria Crnogorcevic after her 150th international match. Despite the poor performance, Switzerland qualified for the round of 16.

The Swiss women’s performance is not convincing. The New Zealanders have a lot more options, especially in the first half. Between the twentieth and thirty minutes, the New Zealanders put pressure on the goal, and the most dangerous opportunity came from striker Jackie Hand. Her shot hit the post and little wasted to give the hosts the lead.

Accuracy is again lacking in attack

After the break, the Swiss took more control of the game. But there is always something missing on the offensive side. The scene in the 59th minute has special symbolism. After a poor pass from the New Zealanders, the Swiss gained a clear advantage, but Reutler continued to run with the ball until the passing options ran out. Meanwhile, her teammates took incorrect paths.

Because of such situations, the Swiss did not have a single clear scoring opportunity throughout the match. Inka Grings, coach of the national team, is disturbed: “If we play the movements correctly, we will hit the goal alone seven times.”

But in the end it didn’t matter because Switzerland secured the group’s victory with a 0-0 draw. Switzerland scored only two goals, but kept a clean sheet in the tournament. In the round of 16, they will face Spain or Japan in Auckland on Saturday. In addition to Switzerland, the Norwegians are also ahead. They beat the Philippines 6-0. Host New Zealand exited the tournament after three matches in the group stage.