Norway eliminates Philippines from Women's World Cup
Sophie Haug scored three goals as Norway crushed the Philippines, 6-0, on Sunday to enter the next stage of the FIFA Women's World Cup in Auckland, New Zealand.
It was the first win for Norway, which lost to the hosts and drew versus Switerland, but it was enough for them to finish second with four points in Group A. Switzerland topped the group with five points on a win and two draws.
New Zealand, which had the same record as Norway, failed to qualify for the second round due to a lower goal difference.
The Philippines, making its first appearance in the FIFA World Cup, finished with one win and two losses for three points.
Norway did not miss its former Balon d'Or Feminin winner Ada Hegerberg as Haug opened scoring on the seventh minute and a header on the 17th. Caroline Hansen later made it 3-0.
Sofia Harrison drew a red card from the referee for contact with excessive force with 22 minutes to go, reducing the Philippine team to 10 players on the pitch. Alicia Barker accidentally drove the ball into the Philippine goal for an own goal, making it 4-0.
Guro Reiten converted a penalty on the 53rd and Haug struck during injury time for the final score. DMS
