The Philippines recorded their maiden FIFA Women's World Cup Finals victory on July 25, stunning the Football Ferns 1-0 in front of 32,357 fans at Sky Stadium, a venue which is fast becoming a graveyard for the New Zealand women's team, given they've now lost all three games they've played at "The Caketin". This was a match they were strongly favoured to win, and the Football Ferns duly started in that manner, a Betsy Hassett cross zooming across the goalmouth inside the first two minutes, while a Ria Percival corner four minutes later prompted Malia Steinmetz to head the ball into the heart of the goalmouth where Indiah-Paige Riley was lurking with intent. Her deft flick couldn't direct the ball on target. Jacqui Hand was putting herself about all over the park, tracking back well but also creating plenty of space for team-mates to exploit with her intelligent running. Indiah-Paige Riley was one of the beneficiaries of her team-mate's movement, and in the ninth minute she worked a one-two with Bott outside the area before firing in a low cross for Hannah Wilkinson to exploit at the near post. Hali Long's intervention thwarted that opportunity. After weathering the home team's early storm, the Philippines began to grow into the contest, and after Vic Esson punched an Angela Beard free-kick to safety in the 21st minute, the underdogs silenced Sky Stadium three minutes later with the opening goal of the game. Another Beard free-kick into the danger zone was headed away by Katie Bowen towards Hassett, but Quinley Quezada got the better of her on the edge of the area and fired a cross into the goalmouth. Both Bott and Rebekah Stott were in position to head clear, but Sarina Bolden soared above the pair of them to head the ball straight at Esson's face. The 'keeper parried the ball up, but before she could recover it, the sphere had dropped over the line to the stunned disbelief of the many New Zealand fans present, but the undisguised delight of the Philippines faithful. The Football Ferns were shell-shocked, and their opponents promptly looked to make hay while the sun shone. A concerted attack on the half-hour, inspired by Bolden getting the better of Stott, culminated in Esson punching the ball off the goalscorer's head. The natives soon regrouped and got back on the right track, although certain elements of their game - precise passing chief amongst them - were not what they could have been, and certainly weren't what they were when they recorded their historic win over Norway five days ago. Bott and Percival combined for the benefit of Ali Riley in the 34th minute, her cross zooming across the goalmouth and nose of the diving figure of Wilkinson, who was looking to head the ball home from close range. Hand was racing in behind her, but shanked her shot so badly that the ball ended up at the feet of Riley again. Four minutes later, the Rileys combined on the left, the younger player's cross for Wilkinson being headed out by Beard to Bowen, who battered a low drive past Olivia McDaniel's right-hand post. Another Indiah-Paige Riley cross soon followed, this time arcing over the heads of both Percival and Hand. Cue another cross, this time from Hassett after she'd skipped past a couple of opponents. McDaniel saved at the feet of Wilkinson four minutes before half-time. Both teams exchanged attempts on goal in the shadows of the half-time whistle, Katrina Guillou's swerving shot on the run flying past Esson's post, while after the Philippines had got into all sorts of trouble attempting to avert the danger posed by Bowen's ball into the box, Percival pummelled a twenty-five yard volley which was well saved by McDaniel. Football Ferns coach Jitka Klimkova looked to change things up at the start of the second spell, throwing on Annalie Longo and Olivia Chance in a bid to break down the tactical stranglehold Philippines coach Alen Stajcic was deploying to great effect. Their introduction certainly saw the co-hosts improve territorially, but they were still having issues where execution was concerned, particularly with set-pieces - the injured Michaela Foster would certainly have added some variety in this critical element of the game, one which the Football Ferns need to perfect given how infrequently they tend to score. Percival's 53rd minute corner was punched out by McDaniel, while four minutes later another delivery from the Football Ferns' captain for the day offered some variety, and their best chance so far. The ball was played back to Bott, which changed the angle of the attack. Her lofted delivery invited Wilkinson to beat McDaniel in the air, a feat she accomplished. Alas for the striker, her header flashed inches over the bar, landing on the roof of the net rather than inside it. On the hour, McDaniel raced out to the edge of her penalty area to clear off the toes of the charging

figure of Wilkinson, after she was unleashed by Bott's ball down the flank, Steinmetz having won possession initially deep inside her own half. Four minutes later, Bowen and Steinmetz combined, the latter's first-time pass inviting Chance to roam down the left before fizzing a delicious curling cross in behind the defence and beyond the run of Wilkinson. Racing up outside her was Hand, who lashed a first-time shot on the run beyond the stranded figure of McDaniel, who was extremely grateful to see the sphere cannon off the base of the far post straight back to her - a real let-off for the Philippines, but one which left Football Ferns fans thinking this may not be our night. Seconds later, Bott pinged one in from the right for Steinmetz, only for Long's timely intervention to curtail her opportunity to engineer an equaliser. 'Twas the same situation two minutes later, this time on the left, as Chance evaded a tackle before angling in a cross which was just too far in front of Wilkinson to exploit, but not McDaniel, who had already begun to play the time-wasting game, one which Mexican referee Katia Garcia was too poor to police. In the 68th minute, the Football Ferns got back on level terms. Ali Riley played a ball through from deep which Wilkinson, timing her run through the Philippines defence to perfection, swiftly latched onto. Chased by a defender, she got to the by-line and just kept the ball in before crossing for Hand to head home, to the absolute delight of all present … until the dreaded Video Assistant Referee decided to make an unwelcome contribution to the evening's action. According to the technology, Wilkinson's right arm, shoulder and ear were beyond the last defender when she burst through the Philippines' defensive line, thus rendering her offside … quite how this can be regarded as gaining an unfair advantage defies logic. We're talking a centimetre or three at most here. When it's clearly obvious to the naked eye, then call offside by all means. But when it's not clear and obvious to all present - and that is certainly the case on this occasion - then the attacking team shouldn't be unfairly penalised, as the Football Ferns were in this instance. Despite everything being against them, last Thursday's heroines continued plugging away. Wilkinson directed a 75th minute header at McDaniel on receipt of a floated free-kick from Bowen, while seven minutes later, Stott's swashbuckling run from deep wasn't matched by Chance's finish - the net was never in danger of being struck! Eyes turned towards the bench once more, with Grace Jale being unleashed upon unsuspecting opponents. Before she had the chance to influence proceedings, however, the Philippines twice went close to settling the contest, initially via a poor Esson goal kick which was returned to her, then by substitute Carleigh Frilles, who was denied a goal by the offside flag. Into stoppage time, the Football Ferns threw everything at the Philippines in search of a dramatic equaliser. Wilkinson headed wide from Chance's corner, before Bowen and Bott combined on the right to present Jale with the chance to level the scores. Her shot was in for all money until McDaniel produced a stunning save - low to her left and reaching backwards - to turn the ball round the post, the Philippines' heroine of the hour then keeping out a long-range effort from Bott to confirm a maiden Women's World Cup Finals victory for the Asian nation, a result which, combined with the scoreless draw between Norway and Switzerland later in the evening, means all options are on going into Sunday's final round. The Football Ferns head to Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium to take on Switzerland, while Norway and the Philippines will be locking horns at Eden Park at the same time. A Ferns win - this is obviously the preferred outcome - should be enough to see them win the group and return to the national stadium for a round of sixteen encounter against either Japan or Spain. A draw may be enough, but it leaves too much to chance - the outcome in the other match becomes a critical factor. Plus finishing second in the group means a return to the graveyard that is "The Caketin", where defeats at the hands of Japan, the USA and now the Philippines have been recorded - not great from a psychological perspective. So it's win or bust on Sunday for Jitka Klimkova's charges - GO YOU GOOD FERNS! Football Ferns:     Esson; Bott, Stott, Bowen, A. Riley; I. Riley (Chance, 46), Steinmetz, Percival (Jale, 83), Hassett (Longo, 46); Hand, Wilkinson (booked, 42) Philippines:     McDaniel; Barker (Randle, 70), Long, Cowart (Bugay, 83), Beard (booked, 49), Harrison; Quezada (Annis, 70), Sawicki, Eggesvik (Flanigan, 63); Guillou, Bolden (Frilles, 83) Referee:     Katia Garcia (Mexico)