Sit down with the NZ Herald and a panel of experts to get the lowdown on who the Football Ferns will play in Group A of the Fifa Women's World Cup.
Battle lines have been drawn in one household ahead of tomorrow’s Fifa Women’s World Cup decider between New Zealand and Switzerland.
The match will help determine whether the Football Ferns continue to the tournament’s knockout stages - and who’ll be on the hook when Daniela Marti, 25, and Brad Lacey, 28, next pop out for breakfast.
The Paengaroa couple have found themselves on opposing sides of the goal line for tomorrow’s encounter, which kicks off at Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium at 7pm.
On the line, a traditional big breakfast or eggs benedict.
Breakfast will be on the line when Daniela Marti and Brad Lacey support opposing teams in tonight’s crunch World Cup match. Photo / Andrew Warner
“We thought about shouting the winner a breakfast at a cafe”, said Marti, who is originally from Zell in the Swiss city of Lucerne, and met Lacey, a Kiwi, online three years ago.
“I hope Switzerland will win 2:1, he hopes New Zealand will win with 0:1. The second best scenario would be a draw.
“I guess we both would have to pay for our own breakfast then.”
The Football Ferns, shown celebrating after their victory over Norway, need a win against Switzerland tomorrow night to keep their hopes of progressing to the next round of the Fifa Women's World Cup alive. Photo / Photosport
Lacey will be hoping the Ferns can land him a free breakfast, with a win needed to guarantee the Kiwi co-hosts a place in the next round of the Cup.
A draw against Switzerland would leave the Football Ferns needing Norway and Philippines to draw in their final round one match at Auckland’s Eden Park, with kick-off also at 7pm tomorrow.
While there will no doubt be some Swiss supporters among the fans in Dunedin, Marti will be surrounded by those in black when the couple watch the match with Lacey’s family in Te Puke.
Lacey had cheered for the Swiss when they watched the side’s nil-all draw against Norway at Hamilton’s Waikato Stadium on Tuesday, said Marti.
“Obviously, Brad had to support Switzerland for once … unfortunately, [this time] I will be the only Switzerland supporter.”
Nadine Riesen of Switzerland and Thea Bjelde of Norway in action during Tuesday's Fifa Women's World Cup match at Hamilton's Waikato Stadium. The match ended in a nil-all draw. Photo / Aaron Gillions / www.photosport.nz
However, it was rare for the couple to find themselves backing opposing sides, thanks largely to the limited crossover in professional sport between the two countries.
“The only thing so far was during the winter Olympics where there are a few select sports New Zealand and Switzerland are good at,” said Marti.
“I think the last time must have been during the winter games when Zoi Sadowski-Synnott won the gold medal in [snowboard] slopestyle. I hoped that Switzerland would get on the podium as well.
“All I have left to say [now] is ‘Hopp Schwiiz’ - which means ‘Go Switzerland’.”
Cherie Howie is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2011. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in general news and features.
