Former winners Norway are fighting to stay in the Women’s World Cup after a draw against Switzerland left them bottom of Group A with one game to go.
After being on the receiving end of a shock defeat by co-hosts New Zealand on the opening day, Hege Riise’s side needed to respond but failed to score for the second straight game.
They lost star player Ada Hegerberg, who was named on the team sheet, moments before kick-off, the six-time Champions League winner walking down the tunnel amid reports she suffered a groin injury in the warm-up in Hamilton.
This was after Caroline Graham Hansen, another huge talent, did not make the starting line-up.
Norway had their chances, with captain Maren Mjelde blazing over from close range before a header by Sophie Haug – Hegerberg’s replacement – was clawed away by Switzerland keeper Gaelle Thalmann.
Switzerland, 2-0 winners over the Philippines in their first match, had chances of their own on a wet surface.
Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic fired narrowly over after creating space, while Nadine Riesen’s awkward cross was just about kept out by keeper Aurora Mikalsen.
At the other end, Haug forced another fine save from Thalmann in the second half before substitute Graham Hansen had an attempt turned behind on a hugely frustrating night for Norway who could not make the breakthrough.
Norway must defeat the Philippines in their final group game in Auckland on Sunday (08:00 BST) to stand any chance of going through.
At the same time Switzerland, who top the group with four points, play New Zealand in Dunedin.
Norway came into this tournament tipped as one of the dark horses to go deep, yet the two-time European champions find themselves in danger of making an early exit.
Riise’s side breezed through qualifying, winning nine of their 10 matches, but, as happened at Euro 2022, they have struggled when it really matters.
While they were disjointed and uninspiring against New Zealand at Eden Park, they at least posed more of an attacking threat against Switzerland as they carved out 12 chances without getting the all-important goal.
There were surprised looks from many Norway fans at the Waikato Stadium when Hegerberg walked down the tunnel moments before the game was due to start.
The Lyon forward and prolific scorer had taken part in the warm-up and emerged on to the pitch ready for the game.
With one group game to go, Switzerland are well placed to make the last 16 after a hard-working performance.
They only reached the World Cup after a play-off win over Wales after finishing runners-up to Italy in qualifying.
But they will be confident of getting the job done against New Zealand and reaching the knockout stages for a second time.
There were question marks whether Lia Walti would be ready for the start of the tournament after suffering a serious injury playing for Arsenal in May.
Walti has looked lively in both games and helped her team make a solid start in New Zealand.
