AUCKLAND, New Zealand – Is the Norway camp in turmoil ahead of its match against the Philippines on Sunday in the Fifa Women’s World Cup?
That looked the case after world No. 12 Norway was forced to a scoreless draw by Switzerland last Tuesday, opening the door for all four teams in Group A including the Filipinas to make it to the round of 16.
READ: Filipinas continue preparation for Norway behind closed doors
The Gresshoppene struggled in the absence of top striker Ada Hegerberg, who was a late scratch for the match against Switzerland.
The first-ever Ballon d’Or Feminin winner in 2018 walked off the pitch just seconds before kick-off and later said on Twitter the staff decided to rest her after she felt discomfort from sprinting following the national anthems.
There is no report yet on the status of Hegerberg for the match against the Filipinas.
Another high-profile Norway striker Caroline Graham Hansen also expressed her disappointment before international media when she started the match against the Swiss on the bench.
The Barcelona footballer, who recently won the UEFA Women’s Champions League, came on as a second-half substitute.
"It's tough, I don't know what I can say. There's not much I can say, I feel like I'm standing here with my hands tied," she said in a post-game TV interview.
Even without the distractions, it has already been an underwhelming World Cup so far for the Gresshoppene, who lost in their opening match to tournament co-host New Zealand, 1-0, last Thursday.
Norway will next face a Philippine side that is on a high after earning its first-ever win in the World Cup - a 1-0 decision over New Zealand last Tuesday highlighted by Sarina Bolden's header in the 24th minute.
Despite being in an unlikely make-or-break situation, head coach Hege Riise expect the team to come out swinging.
“It’s good to know that you have to win,” said Riise. “It’s easy to prepare for, balancing aggressiveness the most. We knew that today when we get the draw that the next game, we need to win, and we will focus and work on that.
"We are prepared to go out and do so.”
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
