Women's World Cup 2023: Spain outclasses Switzerland despite own goal from 45 yards

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Spain on top, Switzerland on the ground

Photo: MOLLY DARLINGTON / REUTERS

Spain defeated Switzerland 5-1 (4-1) to become the first team of the 2023 World Cup to reach the quarter-finals.

While Inka Grings, the German coach of Switzerland, refrained from making any personnel changes after the last group game, her counterpart Jorge Vilda took rigorous action: Five new players moved into the starting line-up after the embarrassing 0-4 defeat of Spain against Japan, but two-time World Player of the Year Alexia Putellas, among others, initially only sat on the bench.

Vilda's measures bore fruit right from the start, only Spain played. After just five minutes, Aitana Bonmati took the lead. First of all, Gaelle Thalmann, the goalkeeper of Switzerland, had steered a finish from Alba Redondo to the post, but she was powerless for the following left-footed shot by Aitana from just under 16 meters (5th minute). In the 17th minute, Alba scored Spain's second goal with a header.

Goalkeeper number three concedes a curious goal

The fact that it was only 10-0 for the Spaniards after 30 minutes despite official 2-1 shots on goal was their own fault: Laia Codina had started a completely unfortunate back pass shortly before the halfway line, which rushed past the unfortunate goalkeeper Cata Coll into her own goal (11th). Coll, the actual number three in the World Cup squad and only second choice even at her club FC Barcelona, had to watch what was perhaps the most curious goal of the tournament so far on her first appearance in Australia and New Zealand.

Despite the blow to the neck, the Spaniards remained overwhelmingly superior. Aitana Bonmati let three opponents run into the void with a strong movement and curled the ball into the left corner (36th). The unfortunate own goal scorer Laia Codina had reason to celebrate shortly before the break: After a corner kick, there was a wild stab in front of the Swiss goal, the Spaniard pushed the ball over the line to make it 4-1 (45th). There were 18-0 shots on goal at half-time, a difference in class.

Spain also scores in gentle gear

The second half was under the motto "Damage control" for Switzerland and "Protection" for the Spaniards. Despite three substitutions at half-time, the Grings team's game remained inappropriately disembodied in a knockout game, Spain let the ball and opponents run without going for more goals with verve. However, the Swiss helped with a catastrophic mispass in the build-up to the game and Jenni Hermoso scored her 51st international goal with a fine shot into the far corner – 5:1 (70th).

Thanks to the clear victory in front of more than 43,000 spectators in Auckland, the Spaniards qualified for the quarter-finals for the first time in their third World Cup appearance, for Switzerland it was the final stop in the round of sixteen, as in their only participation in the finals in 2015.

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