Switzerland was looking to get off to a strong start in their opening FIFA Women’s World Cup match against The Philippines earlier today.
So when they were presented with a golden opportunity in the form of a penalty kick at the end of the first half, they turned to Ramona Bachmann.
With the eyes of the world on her, she delivered with flying colors for the first goal of Switzerland’s eventual 2-0 victory.
During the 41st minute, Switzerland’s Coumba Sow was upended after being kicked in the ankle while attempting a pass out of the box. After consulting VAR, the referee awarded a penalty kick to the Swiss.
Bachmann, who came out publicly as LGBTQ when she spoke about her girlfriend during the 2015 World Cup, took the pressure-packed assignment.
Her penalty kick was practically a work of art. Turning up the tension, Bachmann began by slowly stalking the ball like a lioness on the hunt, almost to the point where it felt like this portion of the match should’ve been guest narrated by Sir Richard Attenborough.
She then somehow slowed further in her approach to the ball and almost paused before exploding with a furious kick to the left corner.
Philippines goalkeeper Olivia Davies-McDaniel feinted one step to the right corner and that was all it took for her to have no chance at stopping Bachmann, who was quickly mobbed by her teammates as the Swiss crowd engulfed the stadium in cheers.
“I wasn’t that nervous, but I knew it was an important moment,” Bachmann explained after the match, “I knew that it would be important for our team to get to halftime with a 1-0 so I was really focused and I obviously tried to score, but I feel quite confident in shooting penalties. So I was really calm.”
That calmness and confidence was readily apparent to everyone watching. And Bachmann’s belief in herself got Switzerland rolling to an impressive World Cup opener.
