New Zealand has upstaged former champions Norway in the opening match of the Women’s World Cup with a 1-0 triumph delivered by striker Hannah Wilkinson.
Wilkinson finished Jacqui Hand’s superb cross just after half-time to secure New Zealand’s first ever win at the tournament and thrill a capacity crowd at Eden Park.
Ria Percival could have sewn the game up with an 89th-minute penalty but hit her shot onto the bar to give the 42,137 crowd – a record for a football match in New Zealand – late jitters.
The Football Ferns withstood more than 10 agonising minutes of injury time to claim the win, rising to the occasion of a home World Cup.
The whole Kiwi squad then raced onto the pitch as if they had won the tournament.
Jitka Klimkova’s NZ outfit looked nothing like the side that endured 10 winless matches in the 10 months before this one.
Defying predictions as tournament easybeats, the Football Ferns can now raise their sights and look to qualify for the last 16 when they next face the Philippines in Wellington.
Norway, which crashed out of last year’s European Championships at the group stage, will need a sharp reversal to avoid a repeat.
The Football Ferns frustrated their higher-ranked opponents in the opening half, with Malia Steinmetz excellent in the middle and captain Ali Riley sharp at left back.
However, the chances didn’t come early: Both sides combined for eight shots without hitting the target.
Superstar Ada Hegerberg tried an overhead kick, Frida Maanum blazed over from a knockdown, and Rebekah Stott arrived at the 11th hour to block Hegerberg at close range.
Willed on by the crowd and playing with more desire, New Zealand brought the worst out of Norway, which committed a series of fouls.
The first-half count read 10-0 against the Scandinavians.
Many gave the Kiwis a standing ovation as they left for half-time, and on 48 minutes, they were all on their feet.
Wilkinson produced a first-time finish after Hand’s pulsating run and cross, then ran to the corner bashing the fern on her shirt in wildly emotional scenes.
The goal nearly opened the floodgates, with a VAR check for handball dismissed before Indiah-Paige Riley’s effort drew a smart save from Aurora Mikalsen.
Norway did come for the Ferns late, with Tuva Hansen’s looping shot gloved onto the bar by Victoria Esson.
Percival had a golden chance to put the game out of reach when a VAR check revealed a cross was blocked by Hansen’s hand marginally inside the box, only for the New Zealand co-captain’s shot to cannon off the woodwork.
The Ferns were not to be denied, standing strong for a famous victory.
Prior to the match, pop stars Benee and Mallrat performed Do It Again, the tournament’s official song to cap an opening ceremony rich with indigenous culture.
Players linked arms around the centre circle for a well-observed minute’s silence in honour of victims of a shooting earlier that day in Auckland.
-AAP
