CJ Bott reacts after her side's scoreless against Switzerland. Photo / Getty
By Michael Burgess in Dunedin
Football Ferns 0
Switzerland 0
The Football Ferns’ adventure at the World Cup is over – and in the most devastating way.
They have captivated the nation over the last 11 days, a period that ignited interest in women’s football like never before, but right now that won’t really matter.
This will hurt, for a long, long time.
The Ferns didn’t die wondering – producing some of their best football of the tournament in the first half – but it wasn’t enough as they were held to a 0-0 stalemate by the stubborn Swiss, to finish third in Group A.
Norway’s emphatic 6-0 victory over the Philippines meant the Ferns needed to win, otherwise they would be eliminated.
That was always going to be difficult, especially as the Swiss could afford to sit back.
The European team didn’t just park the bus, they set up an entire depot in front of their goal.
They had two low blocks in their own half, with a 4-5-1 out of possession.
The Ferns had chances, with Jacqui Hand hitting the post in the first half, but they ultimately paid the price for a lack of cutting edge up front.
Striker Hannah Wilkinson was isolated but had one of her least effective games in a New Zealand shirt, while the Swiss covered the flanks well.
The decision to remove Ria Percival after 60 minutes probably backfired, while the sight of Grace Jale up front for the final 15 minutes felt like too little, too late and the unwillingness to use either Michaela Foster or Milly Clegg was a mystery.
It means that this campaign – for all the elation of the Eden Park result – will be judged a failure, in the most painful way.
As signalled, Jitka Klimkova made two changes to her starting XI, with Olivia Chance and Annalie Longo coming in for Betsy Hassett and Indiah-Paige Riley.
That meant a 4-3-3 shape, with Malia Steinmetz anchoring a midfield trio.
It was a beautiful, bustling atmosphere. There wasn’t a spare seat in the house and the 25,947 crowd roared every Ferns tackle, every touch, every pass.
After a nervous start by both teams – given what was at stake – the Ferns briefly caught fire.
For a 20-minute period in the first half they were relentless, with seven attempts on goal. And they were good opportunities. The best came through Hand – who else – as she got on the end of a long ball from Katie Bowen. The left footed angled half volley was almost perfect, looping over the goalkeeper but striking the far post.
Switzerland struggled to deal with a couple of corners, with Longo just failing to get a clean strike from close range, before another rebound almost fell to CJ Bott. Bowen had a shot blocked, while Wilkinson fell just as Bott’s cross was delivered.
It was nervy stuff. Switzerland were content to defend with depth and spring on the counter. They only looked dangerous on transition – usually after luring one of the Ferns into a trap – but superb covering by the back four, particularly Rebekah Stott and Bowen, defused any chances.
It was congested in possession, though Steinmetz and Percival were doing well to find space, with Hand and Bott constant outlets on the right.
Aside from a couple of early corners – and a last ditch tackle on Seraina Piubel – the European side didn’t really come close.
Chance struggled to impose herself – out of position wide on the left – and was replaced by Riley at halftime.
With the knowledge of Norway’s big halftime lead (3-0), the Ferns had to push more and the game opened up after the interval. An outstanding tackle by Bowen shut down one opportunity, before Bott cleaned up well after Marina Bachmann got free.
Claudia Bunge (for Stott) and Hassett (for Longo) were introduced just after the hour, with Bunge required to sprint across in cover, though Piubel shot wide. Jale was introduced for Percival in the 72nd minute.
Steinmetz shot straight at the keeper, as the roof almost came off the stadium. The angst and anticipation built with every minute, with Gabi Rennie (for Wilkinson) entering the fray for the final stages. But the Ferns couldn’t create the killer opportunity – in the last 20 minutes they didn’t really create much at all, limited to hopeful crosses and some ambitious shots and contained well by the packed defence.
There were some late free kicks hurled into the box – with goalkeeper Victoria Esson getting on the end of one – before the dream died, after eight minutes of added time.
The explosive fallout could affect the quality of potential candidates to replace Klimkova