A former Australia national women’s football player believes Switzerland’s first-half penalty shouldn’t have been given in light of La Nati’s 2-0 win over the Filipinas in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup last Friday at the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand.
Heather Garriock, who played for the Matildas from 1999 to 2011, said in a report from Optus Sport that Filipinas defender Jessica Cowart was already clearing the ball before Swiss footballer Coumba Sow tried to get the ball from her in the 45th minute.
The collision caused Sow to get hit on her ankle, giving the Swiss a penalty in the 45th minute that was scored calmly by Ramona Bachmann, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain for a 1-0 lead at the half to the La Nati, No. 20 in the International Football Federation rankings.
Seraina Piubel scored another goal for Switzerland in the 65th minute and eventually the win over the debuting Philippines, No. 46 in the FIFA rankings.
“This is definitely not a pen in my opinion. The Philippines defender was trying to clear it and yes, she clipped her along the way, but definitely not a pen in my opinion,” Garriock said.
“I think that’s pretty harsh, it’s going to change the whole game and change the difference of the half-time team talks of the coaches.”
As it stands, the Philippines is at the bottom of Group A with one loss and a -2 goal difference.
Still, Filipinas head coach Alen Stajcic said he remains proud of his wards after going up against a nation whose players compete for big European clubs.
“There’s no doubt they are the better team, and they should be. I was really proud of the spirit that our team showed. I think we showed that we can be competitive,” Stajcic said.
“To come to this level and play against players from Europe, against a team like that is miraculous.”
