The group stage of the 2023 Women's World Cup kicked off in the late afternoon of July 30th with Group A. Switzerland and hosts New Zealand went head-to-head, while Norway took on the Philippines in two simultaneous top-of-the-table clashes. Switzerland went head-to-head with hosts New Zealand, while Norway took on the Philippines in a synchronized showdown.
In the first round of the group stage, Switzerland led the way with four points from one win and one draw, while New Zealand was second with three points and the Philippines, also with three points, was third on goal difference. However, former World Cup champions Norway are unlucky to be at the bottom of the table.
In the final round of the competition, all four teams had the possibility of going out of the competition or going out of the tournament. The match between Norway and the Philippines turned into a tragedy. With Norway leading by three goals in the first 31 minutes of the match, the suspense was instantly dissipated.
Only five minutes into the second half, the Philippines conceded two more goals, and the Norwegian offense was like a storm, and the Philippine women's soccer team was stuck in a quagmire.
In the end, the Philippines lost 0-6 to Norway, bidding a sad farewell to the group stage. It's worth noting that the Philippine women's soccer team scored their historic first win in this year's World Cup, albeit against New Zealand, where they won 1-0, an achievement that Philippine soccer can be proud of.
In 2018, the Philippine women's soccer team was far from touching the top 70 in the world rankings. But after five years of rapid improvement, they climbed to 46th in the world rankings and reached their first World Cup. However, the team's naturalization strategy has sparked widespread controversy.
Of the 23-member Philippine women's soccer roster participating in this year's World Cup, 22 were born overseas, with 18 born in the United States, two others from Norway, one from Canada, one from Australia, and the only player born on Philippine soil.
For Philippine soccer, despite the massive naturalization strategy that helped the team make it to the World Cup, the Philippine Football Association (PFA) still needs to put in more effort to make a qualitative leap.
