29-7-2023 (AUCKLAND) Ahead of their crucial clash against Norway at the Women’s World Cup on Sunday (Jul 30), Philippines coach Alen Stajcic has warned his team to be cautious of their “wounded” opponents. The match will decide which team qualifies for the knockout stage after the Philippines secured their first-ever World Cup victory against co-hosts New Zealand with a 1-0 win. If they beat Norway at Eden Park in Auckland, they will progress to the last 16.
Norway, who won the World Cup in 1995 and are traditional heavyweights in women’s football, have had a poor start to the tournament, losing 1-0 to the co-hosts and drawing 0-0 with Switzerland. They have also been hit with injuries, including star striker Ada Hegerberg, and player discontent.
Stajcic, an Australian coach, stated that he is aware of the strong culture of Norwegian women’s football, despite the team’s current issues. He said, “The fact they are wounded sometimes means they come out and fight harder to prove everyone wrong.” The coach, who led Australia to the knockout rounds in 2015, is hoping to replicate that success with the 46th-ranked Philippines team.
“We were the underdog and now we go into the last match against a superpower of women’s football historically,” Stajcic said. “We treat every game the same, I don’t care if we are playing Norway, America, Myanmar, or Hong Kong. Every single game is the same. We know we need to win.”
Norway must win to have a chance of advancing to the knockout rounds. However, their former Ballon d’Or winner Hegerberg was forced out of the 0-0 draw with Switzerland after suffering an injury in the warm-up. The coach’s decision to drop Caroline Graham Hansen also led to the star Barcelona winger claiming she had been shown a lack of respect.
