2023-08-05 07:10:21
For the Swiss, who didn’t concede a goal in the group phase, the round of 16 was the last stop, as was the case in their own first round of 16 in 2015 ( once morest Canada).
The Spaniards converted their dominance before the break with goals from Aitana Bonmati (5′, 36′), Alba Redondo (17′) and Laia Codina (45′). The latter had also scored the only Swiss goal with a remarkable own goal (11th) from more than 40 meters. After the change of sides, Jennifer Hermoso (70th) also entered the shooting list with her third tournament goal. In the fight for the semi-finals, the sixth in the world rankings in Wellington on Friday will either face vice world champions the Netherlands or South Africa, who will meet on Sunday.
Spain dominated from the start
The 43,217 spectators saw one-way street football right from the start. Team boss Jorge Vilda’s squad immediately showed the intended reaction following the brutal 4-0 draw once morest Japan at the end of the group stage. Switzerland goalkeeper Gaelle Thalmann was able to clear a Redondo shot via pole, but the ball landed in a roundregarding way at Bonmati, who put the ball in front with her left.
The Spaniards had themselves to blame for the fact that it remained exciting for a short time. Without looking up, Codina played back up just inside her own half to the puzzled goalkeeper Cata Coll, who had no chance of deflecting the ball.
That in no way threw the favorites off the track. Almost all dangerous attacks were initiated from the left side and mostly from the strong Salma Paralluelo. Redondo then headed in and Bonmati hit once more with the left following a hook. Shortly before the break, Codina happily poked the ball over the line following a corner kick. After a three-way substitution at the break, the Swiss defended themselves a little better in the second half, but only one dangerous move by substitute Meriame Terchoun (56′) succeeded.
Switzerland: Spain “a class stronger”
Spain dictated what happened and Hermoso scored the final point following a bad pass by the Swiss in the build-up game. Vilda might afford the luxury of not bringing world footballer Alexia Putellas until the 77th minute. “We put the hard defeat once morest Japan out of our minds and obviously showed a great reaction. A 5-1 round of 16 is not easy to achieve,” said Bonmati. The Swiss women presented themselves as fair losers. “Spain was a class stronger than us,” agreed team boss Inka Grings and offensive player Ramona Bachmann.
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