New Zealand aim to avoid slip-up against Switzerland in their bid for knockouts

Who could have possibly thought New Zealand will go from Womens World Cup darlings to the brink of elimination in a fiveday span Now its shot at advancing into the knockout round hinges on its Sunday match against SwitzerlandSwitzerland sits comfortably atop Group A following a win over the Philippines and a draw against Norway and anything but a loss to New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland would push La Nati through to the next roundNew Zealands trek is far more perilous after the Football Ferns lost 10 to the Philippines a tournamentnewcomer It was a massive letdown for New Zealand which opened the World Cup with a 10 win over Norway that captivated its nationNew Zealand and the Philippines are tied for second in Group A headed into Sundays games that determine which two teams advance The Philippines play Norway at the same time New Zealand tries to advance to the knockout round for the first time in tournament historyIts the fourth meeting between the nations first since 2014 with New Zealand twice beating the Swiss in the Cyprus Womens CupSwitzerland which has a clean sheet so far in the tournament is trying to reach the knockout round in its second tournament appearanceNORWAYPHILIPPINESTheres drama in the Norway camp ahead of Sundays mustwin Group A match against the Philippines a firsttime Womens World Cup participant that has a shot at advancing into the knockout roundIt was Norway the 12thranked team in the world that was supposed to have an easier path out of group play But the Grasshoppers lost to cohost New Zealand in the tournaments opening game and a draw with Switzerland has them sitting last in the groupThe frustration boiled over when winger Caroline Graham Hansen had an angry outburst for being dropped from the starting lineup against SwitzerlandI feel I have been stepped on for a whole year everyone says all the time that we have to stand together as a team and as a nation but I feel Ive been on the receiving end Graham Hansen seethedNothing comes for free in life but I thought I had earned a certain amount of respect but maybe that wasnt the caseAlthough the Barcelona player apologised for her comments the very next day it seems that many of her teammates are struggling with their belief that Graham Hansen was not wrong to be upset but should have handled it internallyHege Riise the coach who took over the Norwegian team last August has tried to put the matter to restWe have worked through it and we will continue to talk together Riise saidWe are always open and receptive to an apology She has given that and she will give the same to the players It is acceptedNorway must beat the Philippines to have any chance to advance out of the groupAlso Read Womens World Cup Cancersurvivor Caicedo scores in Colombiarsquos winThe Philippines meanwhile surprisingly are tied with New Zealand for second in the group following a shock 10 win over the Football Ferns The victory gave the Philippines three points but New Zealand holds the edge in the tiebreakerEven so a victory over Norway for the 46thranked team in the world could give the edge to the Philippines depending on the results of New Zealands game against SwitzerlandThe two Group A matches are being played simultaneouslyGERMANYCOLOMBIAColombia star forward Linda Caicedo trained with her team the day before the showdown with Germany for top spot in Group HThe 18yearold cancer survivor dropped to the ground this week in a training session but appears to be fit for the match in Sydney Caicedo scored in Colombias 20 win over South Korea in its opening gameA win over Germany would guarantee Colombia a spot in the knockout round with a game to spare a draw or loss would mean Group H wont be settled until the last day of group play on Aug 3Germany which thumped Morocco 60 in its opening match would advance with a win over the ColombiansColombia has a certain type of passion and they really bring that onto the pitch I find that quite impressive German midfielder Lina Magull said on Saturday though a translatorIts just part of how they are and how they play football That is the difference from European football where we are more focused on tactical issues technical concentration But football is not just one way of playing and thats the beauty of this gameColombia has also gained a reputation at this World Cup for physical play a tuneup match behind closed doors against Ireland before the start of the tournament was called off after 20 minutes when a player was hurt and the Irish complained it was getting out of handGermany features Alexandra Popp one of the best players in the world and she scored twice in the win over Morocco But the Germans will be without starting left back Felicitas Rauch who injured her knee in trainingGermany has advanced to the knockout round at all eight previous editions of the World Cup winning it twiceSOUTH KOREAMOROCCOSouth Korea and Morocco play Sunday in Adelaide South Australia state in a contest between the two lastplace teams in Group HBoth teams lost their opening matches of the tournament South Korea was a 20 loser to Colombia while Germany routed Morocco 60Morocco one of eight teams making its debut in the tournament was extremely overwhelmed by the Germans and South Korea appears to be a bit more prepared South Korea lost its game on defensive errorstwo of which led to Colombias goals It was South Koreas fifth consecutive World Cup loss dating to the 2015 tournamentMorocco has not only lost six consecutive games but the Atlas Lionesses have been held scoreless in that spanWith agency inputs