Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Ottawa: Thailand were given a stark introduction to football at the very highest level as the ASEAN champions crashed to a 4-0 defeat to Norway in their FIFA Women’s World Cup debut on Sunday.
Silawan Intamee spurned a glorious opportunity to score Thailand’s historic first goal in the FIFA Women’s World Cup five minutes into Sunday’s meeting at the Lansdowne Stadium before a direct free-kick from captain Trine Ronning gave 1995 champions Norway, who have participated in every edition of the tournament, a 16th minute lead.
Isabell Herlovsen’s fine turn-and-shot doubled Norway’s advantage on the half-hour mark before the LSK Kvinner FK forward headed home her second and the Scandinavian side’s third in the 34th minute as the four-time semi-finalists went into the break with a three-goal cushion.
Ada Hegerberg made it 4-0 in the 68th minute before Thai keeper Waraporn Boonsing denied the Norwegians a fifth when she saved Maren Mjelde’s 75th minute penalty.
“We met a very good team and learned how women's football at international level works,” Thailand coach Nuengrutai Srathongvian reflected after her country’s FIFA Women’s World Cup debut.
“Getting the first goal would have given us a morale boost more than anything, because we were playing a superior team. Our players were not too worried or nervous [in the first half], this is just a bit different than what we are used to - we have to develop our team more.”
The vastly more experienced Norwegians dominated possession in the opening exchanges but it was the Thais that should have taken the lead in the fifth minute when Kanjana Sung-Ngeon – scorer of both goals as Thailand defeated AFC Women’s Asian Cup hosts Vietnam 2-1 in the playoff for the ticket to Canda – went on a blistering run down the right flank before cutting the ball back to Silawan Intamee in the six-yard box only for the Chonburi Sriprathum midfielder to fail to find the touch that would divert it past Ingrid Hjelmseth in the Norwegian goal.
Norway came close to opening the scoring on the quarter-of-an-hour mark when Ada Hegerberg’s bullet header glanced off the outside of Waraporn Boonsing’s left-hand post before the Europeans broke the deadlock just a minute later when Waraporn was unable to keep out Ronning’s direct free-kick despite getting her hands to the Norwegian skipper’s well-struck effort.
It was all one-way traffic Norway’s pressure paid off in the 29th minute when a series of one-touch passes bisected the Thai defence culminating in Herlovsen skilfully setting herself up for the shot and firing a low angled drive into the bottom right corner.
Just five minutes later Herlovsen was afforded all the time and space she needed to head Solveig Gulbrandsen’s cross from the right powerfully past Waraporn to make it 3-0 with her second of the match.
Thailand held out until the 68th minute when 16 won possession in midfield before charging forward with the Thai defenders trailing in her wake and cutting the ball across the area for the onrushing Hegerberg to finish with authority.
Norway should have gone 5-0 up with 15 minutes remaining when they were awarded a penalty following Duangnapa Sritala’s handball in the area but Waraporn guessed right and got down sharply to push Mjelde’s spot-kick to safety and ensure the Thailand skipper’s transgression went unpunished.
Thailand applied some late pressure as Nuengrutai’s side sought a consolation with substitute Orathai Srimanee striking the crossbar and Pikul Khueanpet drawing a save from the previously untroubled Hjelmseth in some rare forays into the Norwegian territory in second-half stoppage time. However, it was not to be for Thailand as Norway run out comfortable winners.
Thailand are next in action on June 11 with the stay at the Lansdowne Stadium to take on fellow debutants Cote d’Ivoire, whose first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup match end with a 10-0 defeat at the hands of Germany in Sunday’s other Group B fixture .
FIFA Women’s World Cup – June 6, 2015 until July 5, 2015
Group A: Canada, China, New Zealand, Netherlands
Group B: Germany, Cote d’Ivoire, Norway, Thailand
Group C: Japan, Switzerland, Cameroon, Ecuador
Group D: USA, Australia, Sweden, Nigeria
Group E: Brazil, Korea Republic, Spain, Costa Rica
Group F: France, England, Colombia, Mexico
Group Stage Key Fixtures
Group A: Canada 1-0 China (Edmonton 6/6), China v Netherlands (Edmonton, 11/6), China v New Zealand (Winnipeg 15/6)
Group B: Norway 4-0 Thailand (Ottawa 7/6), Cote d’Ivoire v Thailand (Ottawa 11/6), Thailand v Germany (Winnipeg 15/6)
Group C: Japan v Switzerland (Vancouver 8/6), Japan v Cameroon (Vancouver 12/6), Ecuador v Japan (Winnipeg 16/6)
Group D: USA v Australia (Winnipeg 8/6), Australia v Nigeria (Winnipeg 12/6), Australia v Sweden (Edmonton 16/6)
Group E: Brazil v Korea Republic (Montreal 9/6), Korea Republic v Costa Rica (Montreal 13/6), Korea Republic v Spain (Ottawa 17/6)
Round of 16: June 20 until June 23
Quarter-finals: June 26 & 27
Semi-finals: June 30 and July 1
Final July 5
Photo: FIFA/Getty Images