The Filipinas' historic campaign in the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 came to a tough end on Sunday at the Eden Park in Auckland, where they were outclassed by Norway in their final game in Group A.

Sophie Roman Haug netted a hat-trick, and Caroline Graham Hansen was sensational in her return to the starting lineup as Norway romped past the Philippines, 6-0, in front of a crowd of 34,697 fans in the New Zealand venue.

With the result, Norway now progresses to the round-of-16 as the second seed in Group A. Switzerland won the group after a goalless draw with New Zealand in Dunedin, which meant that the co-hosts will not advance to the knockout phase of their home tournament.

Hopes were high for the Filipinas heading into the match, thanks to their stunning 1-0 upset of New Zealand last Tuesday that kept them in the hunt for a place in the round-of-16. Norway, for its part, was not at full strength with former Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg ruled out due to injury, and head coach Hege Riise under fire for some of her decisions, including benching Graham Hansen in the first half of their match against Switzerland.

But they were given little chance by Norway, as the former champions played up to their standard after a pair of disappointing performances in their first two matches. They had lost to New Zealand, 1-0, and settled for a goalless draw against Switzerland in their second game.

"We knew that we would need to score goals, we need to win the game. That was the main focus for the last couple of days, how we can create chances and score goals," Norway coach Hege Riise said after the match.

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ROMAN HAUG STARS

It took just six minutes for Norway to snuff out the Filipinas' bright start, as Roman Haug turned in a ball from a tight angle to beat Olivia McDaniel. The towering striker made it 2-0 in the 17th minute, rising over both Hali Long and Alicia Barker for a header that eclipsed McDaniel anew.

Barcelona's Graham Hansen then showed her class in the 31st minute, firing a screamer from way outside the box for a 3-0 Norway lead.

The pro-Philippines side at the Eden Park in Auckland tried to egg the Filipinas on as the half wore down, but their lone chance came from an Angie Beard strike that was well-controlled by Aurora Mikalsen.

Norway poured it on in the second half, with Alicia Barker forced into an own goal in the 48th while trying to cut off a pass meant for Guro Reiten. Reiten made it 5-0 in the 53rd minute, slotting past McDaniel from the spot after she was brought down inside the box by Jaclyn Sawicki.

More trouble came for the Philippines in the 67th minute, when Sofia Harrison was booked for a straight red card after a late challenge against Thea Bjelde. It was a disappointing development for Harrison, who had been subbed just ten minutes earlier to give the Filipinas a lift on defense.

That left the Philippines with just 10 players for the rest of the match, and they did well to keep Norway out of their net until the 95th minute, when Roman Haug completed her hat-trick with a header off a fine cross from Chelsea's Reiten.

"Today, we were outclassed by a better opponent," Philippines coach Alen Stajcic said. "That's how it goes in football sometimes."

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RARE CHANCES

It was a comprehensive triumph for Norway, which controlled 61% of the possession and had 30 attempts at goal -- 13 of which were on target. McDaniel did well to keep Reiten from adding to her tally when she palmed a shot away in the 83rd minute, but the Filipinas' shot-stopper was beaten by Roman Haug in added time.

For the Filipinas, chances were rare. They had just four attempts, only two of which were on target. Sara Eggesvik, their Norway-born midfielder, had a chance late but her chip was just off the mark.

Despite how their campaign ended, Stajcic remains as proud as ever of his history-making squad.

The Filipinas were massive underdogs in their first-ever World Cup, but they showed that they could be competitive against world No. 20 Switzerland before silencing the home fans in their upset of world No. 26 New Zealand last week.

Falling to a team ranked 12th in the world is no reason to be ashamed, says Stajcic.

"I'm proud of the heart and spirit of our team. They fought to the end, they fought to the death. And from that perspective, it's been an amazing World Cup," he said.

"The players have punched so far above their weight. They've delivered an amazing memory, and history to Philippines football, and one that will go down into the annals of Philippine sporting history."

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