Maybe Spain just felt Switzerland needed some help?
Laia Codina, the Barcelona center back whose future points to being one of the world’s best, gifted Switzerland the strangest goal of this World Cup, passing the ball into her own goal from beyond the center circle early in a round of 16 match at Eden Park in Auckland.
The goal was scored from so far out that even with Codina getting some air under an attempted backpass to goalkeeper Cata Coll (who made her international debut on the night), it took over four full seconds to travel the distance and cross the line.
In truth, the overmatched Swiss did need someone to lend them a hand. Spain had opened the game by pulling Switzerland’s shape apart, eventually taking the lead in the fifth minute through Aitana Bonmatí. Codina’s gift came six minutes later, but Spain took the lead back in the 17th minute on a finish from Alba Redondo.
That meant that the first 17 minutes of this game had more goals in total than all three Swiss matches in Group A, where Inka Grings’ side more or less drifted to a 2-0 win over the Philippines and two straight scoreless draws against a disinterested Norway and a toothless New Zealand.
Before the Swiss could sort themselves, the onslaught continued. Bonmatí struck again in the 36th minute, with the rest of Spain’s players apparently disagreeing Codina’s choice to help the Swiss make this match more of a contest.
Having been overruled, Codina got with the program, scoring a goal at the other end by fighting off basically the entire Swiss defense to punch home a corner in the late moments of the first half.
Jennifer Hermoso would add a fifth goal in the second half as Spain cruised to the quarterfinals with a 5-1 win.
Check out Codina’s impossible own goal
OH NO, IT'S AN OWN GOAL FROM SPAIN 🤯 pic.twitter.com/eTfLdXfB1d
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) August 5, 2023
[lawrence-related id=24694,24666,24512]