The Football Ferns' hopes and expectations of advancing to the knockout stages of the FIFA Women's World Cup Finals for the first time ever turned to despair and dismay at Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium on July 30, their failure to score against Switzerland in their final scoreless group encounter bringing a premature conclusion to their 2023 campaign. After a largely unanticipated opening night victory over Norway in front of a record crowd at Eden Park, a result which captured the nation's attention and gave the tournament a massive boost support-wise, a shock loss to the Philippines at Wellington's "Caketin" - where the Football Ferns never win - meant that the Swiss showdown was a must-win affair for Jitka Klimkova's charges. That meant the need to score at least once against a team which only needed to draw this match to secure their passage into the last sixteen as group winners, a situation well suited to Inka Grings' tactical approach to the contest. And scoring goals has so often been the Football Ferns' Achilles heel in recent years - just 23 in the 45 internationals played since the start of 2019. Make that 46 internationals, this 0-0 draw allowing the Swiss to join Norway, 6-0 victors over the Philippines in a match played at the same time at Eden Park, in the last sixteen, while the co-hosts, who began this final round of group action in the qualifying positions, have to settle for yet another near-miss, goal difference this time their downfall in the final reckoning. Yet things could have been so different had certain passes stuck, had certain changes been made (or not, as the case may be), had the ball bounced in off the upright instead of back into play, had the Video Assistant Referee never been conceived as an idea to (supposedly) improve the game … what might have been, as opposed to our reality the day after the night before. "Das Ist Fussball!", as they say in Deutschland. 25,947 fans piled into the only fully enclosed stadium being used in this tournament, and every time their white-and-teal-clad heroines were in possession they cheered and clapped and roared and kicked every ball in spirit, knowing that the noise they were generating would sound twice as loud as normal given it was contained by the stadium roof above them. At first, it appeared to adversely affect the Football Ferns, for they were nervous early doors, something which Switzerland looked to capitalise upon via Ramona Bachmann, whose second minute shot was blocked by Malia Steinmetz. Once Catherine Bott had executed a perfect block tackle to regain possession after the charging figure of Rebekah Stott had conceded it inside "Die Nati"'s half of the pitch, however, the Ferns seemed galvanised, and duly tore into their qualifying mission with a vengeance. Steinmetz, Ria Percival and Annalie Longo created an opening for Bott which resulted in an eleventh minute corner. Olivia Chance's delivery wasn't cleared, Stott's shot was blocked, Switzerland heaved a relieved sigh. Three minutes later, Longo sent a volley past the post, a move which owed much to the up-field surge of the magnificently performed Katie Bowen. She was up for this game big-time, and it showed in an individual display in which she erred on fewer than five occasions ... a personal performance which will live long in the memory, one which deserved greater reward. One of those errors saw her fire a nineteenth minute free-kick into the defensive wall after Hannah Wilkinson had been fouled in the penalty area - nothing doing spot-kick-wise. Bowen gathered the rebound and fed Percival, who fired the ball into the heart of the goalmouth, where "Wilky" and Longo were in the thick of things. The latter again pulled the trigger, and again, her radar was off. The Football Ferns were warming to the task by now, and in the 23rd minute, Bowen pinged a ball over the top which found Jacqui Hand exploiting gaps in Switzerland's defence. She got herself into a shooting position and duly let fly over Gaelle Thalmann's head, only to see the ball cannon back into play off the far post, the second time in as many matches the woodwork had foiled our Finland-based front-runner. Soon after, another corner from Chance landed in the heart of the six yard box, the ball ricocheting off three Swiss defenders before it was cleared. An attacking free-kick soon followed, Percival's delivery being punched out by Thalmann. The ball fell to Bowen, whose volley was blocked by Swiss  captain Lia Waelti, the ricochet heading towards Geraldine Reuteler … did it hit her hand? Without question, but purely accidentally - had a penalty been given for this, there'd be no limit to what they could be awarded for. A common sense decision from VAR - there's hope yet! After the half-hour mark, the Swiss started to offer an attacking threat, buoyed by a string of inaccurate Football Ferns' passes which simply invited trouble, something Bachmann, Ana Maria Crnogorcevic and company are well capable of producing without encouragement from their opponents. This duo duly teamed up with the rampaging Reuteler in the 33rd minute, only for Bowen to race across and provide the defensive cover which was essential, given it was Stott who had conceded possession on another forward foray. Three minutes later, Stott made amends with a challenge which curtailed the progress being made by Coumba Sow, after Crnogorcevic had combined with Eseosa Aigbogun on the right. Soon after, Hand's awkward landing following an aerial duel saw her being treated for an ankle injury from which she never quite seemed to recover - the spring in her step prior to this incident wasn't evident thereafter. Hand was still receiving treatment when another Bachmann raid foundered on Bowen Rock, a new feature of the New Zealand footballing landscape. And on the stroke of half-time, the hitherto unoccupied Vic Esson got her gloves dirty for the first time in the match when Seraina Piubel let fly. The half-time break afforded a chance to assess, and it was decided that Chance wasn't part of the equation going forward. Movement off the ball in the attacking third was required - Indiah-Paige Riley's on-field presence was imperative. But would Hand last the distance with her injury - "GJ" time too? Grace Jale's natural explosiveness is an attribute to which Klimkova has turned sparingly during her tenure to date. Yet when properly utilised, she boasts an "X factor" few in this squad

possess. She would be called upon, but not just yet. Switzerland stepped up their game after the interval, Bachmann's initial break being thwarted by New Zealand's solid defensive effort. Then Waelti picked out Nadine Riesen's raiding run with an angled pass. "Oh no you don't!" growled Bott, whose perfectly timed tackle in the penalty area sent a clear message to all watching. But the Swiss had switched to a diamond midfield, and it was this which was the source of the Football Ferns' problems - no longer could they attack from deep, as the loss of possession meant a swift counter-attack against a short-handed defence was even more likely, and was the case in the 54th minute, with Waelti and Sow teaming up to send Crnogorcevic careering through … Bowen came to the rescue once again. Changes were afoot on the hour. Betsy Hassett for Longo - fresh legs in midfield. Claudia Bunge for Stott, on the occasion of the substituted player's 100th appearance for her country in all matches - what a joy it is to write that sentence given what Stott has endured in recent times! Ten minutes later, another, more perplexing in nature. Jale's introduction was inevitable, with Wilkinson the player most likely to make way. Our scoring star against Norway was well off her game in this encounter - borderline anonymous, to be blunt, and a fresh injection of pace and mobility in attack was critical given time was now becoming an increasing factor in the pursuit of that much-needed goal. Quite why Percival, our most capped player, made way at this juncture instead … the co-captain's head wasn't the only one shaking in disbelief! But the changes seemed to have an effect - chances materialised inside the next ten minutes, with Bowen threading one through for Steinmetz, whose corner ten minutes from time picked out the head of Bunge. Both efforts were foiled by Thalmann, whose international retirement hinged on the outcome of this match. In between these attempts, a Piubel raid came to grief on Bowen Rock, and after Wilkinson was finally replaced - eight minutes from time by Gabrielle Rennie, the Football Ferns threw caution to the wind and let Switzerland have everything they had in their armoury, including the most unlikely weapon of all. In the 87th minute, Jale engineered an opening for Hand, who jinked past one before battering a twenty-yarder at the target. Thalmann saved it, and sparked a Swiss counter-attack which culminated in Esson grabbing Sow's chipped effort - just the second save she'd had to make in the entire match. Eight minutes showed on the fourth official's board, eight minutes to fulfil those pre-match hopes and expectations … the substitutes threatened first, Hassett, Riley and Rennie combining down the right, Riley's run resulting in a cross which picked out Jale's bandaged bonce, off which the ball did not head goalwards. Soon after, another chance, this time from a set-piece. With Percival off the park, the task fell to Steinmetz to deliver quality, with virtually everyone sporting a silver fern ensconced in the Swiss penalty area - aye, Esson included. Switzerland cleared the danger, prompting Indiah-Paige Riley to race downfield and tidy things up in the absence of the fast-back-tracking figure of her goalkeeper, who ventured up-field once more when a free-kick was awarded just outside the penalty area. This time, Bowen took charge of proceedings, and in a sea of red and white, amid an all-black backdrop, the lass in canary yellow stood out. Would this be the Football Ferns' Allison Becker moment? Alas, no. Esson's headed attempt from Bowen's pinpoint free-kick flew past the post, and with it went New Zealand's last chance of making footballing history, for now at least. The final whistle's sound prompted Swiss delight, of course, but it was far outweighed by the scenes of despair and dismay on and off the field in Dunedin, as the Football Ferns' World Cup dreams were dashed. Tears flowed, sadness tinged with pride, the win over Norway marking New Zealand's first-ever victory at a senior FIFA Finals tournament, the co-hosting of the biggest women's sports event on the planet capturing Kiwi minds and further broadening the horizons for women's football. 'Twas the goals they most coveted - the ones which end up in the back of the net, as well as those fulfilling a long-held aim of advancing to the knockout stages at this quadrennial celebration of the women's game globally - which went unfilled, desires which will never be satisfied, particularly for those for whom this fourth - in some cases fifth - successive FIFA Women's World Cup Finals was very likely the last chance to realise them. The core of this squad is no longer made up of players aged thirty or more, however. During her tenure to date, Jitka Klimkova has gradually  introduced new blood, fresh talent, youthful exuberance. More is needed, of course, particularly players with that "X factor" about them - if this campaign has proved anything, it is New Zealand's need to embrace and harness the gifted alongside those for whom athleticism and courage are by-words, a feat we rarely achieve. Opportunities abound for such players to shine. The Junior Ferns have already qualified for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Finals in Colombia in September 2024, while in six weeks' time in Tahiti, the Young Ferns commence their bid to qualify for the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Finals, which are being hosted by the Dominican Republic. The experience of this home World Cup campaign will serve the Football Ferns well in their quest to build on the platform laid by their predecessors dating back to 1975 and ultimately go "beyond greatness" in a bid to realise these ambitions in future years. We all hoped it would be a dream that would be fulfilled on home turf, but while we're now on the outside looking in at our World Cup after this result, this journey isn't over - far from it. With the Olympic Women's Football Tournament in Paris now just a year away, how could it be? Football Ferns:     Esson; Bott, Stott (Bunge, 62), Bowen, A. Riley; Longo (Hassett, 62), Percival (Jale, 72), Steinmetz, Chance (I. Riley, 46); Hand, Wilkinson (Rennie, 82) Switzerland:     Thalmann; Aigbogun, Maritz, Stierli, Riesen; Sow, Waelti, Reuteler (Lehmann, 72); Piubel (Calligaris, 85), Crnogorcevic (Terchoun, 90), Bachmann (Mauron, 85) Referee:     Tori Penso (USA)