The 2023 Women’s World Cup is in full swing, and these daily files will give you the latest reporting from around the tournament as well as betting lines, what-to-watch-for information and best reads. Check in with ESPN throughout the tournament as we bring you the latest from Australia and New Zealand.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — It’s always impressive how a football crowd can create a wall of noise; how fans can find the right frequency to make it sound like you’ve stuck your head into a speaker. That’s what it was like, sitting in Wellington Regional Stadium — fondly referred to as the “Cake Tin” by locals — when Philippines midfielder Sarina Bolden powered a header at Victoria Esson, only for the New Zealand goalkeeper to fumble it over the line. Beyond simple cheers, it was an eruption of adulation to match New Zealand’s volcanic heritage.
The winning goal was a cold, hard comedown for the tournament hosts, who had played with a freedom afforded to underdogs against Norway, before struggling for fluency as favourites against a debuting nation on Tuesday. Statistically the better team and ranked 20 places above their opponents, New Zealand’s game reeked of frustration as they sparred with a stubborn Philippines side, and…
