On an afternoon that began with tragedy, the Football Ferns triumphed.
Hannah Wilkinson scored to open the second one part and New Zealand went directly to dissatisfied Norway 1-0 on Thursday for its first-ever win on the Women’s World Cup, hours after a capturing in downtown Auckland surprised the host country.
A gunman stormed a high-rise building web site close to Norway’s staff resort and opened fireplace, killing two other folks. The gunman used to be discovered lifeless after a police shootout.
There used to be greater safety at Eden Park Stadium, the place 42,137 — a report crowd for a football fit in New Zealand — have been available to cheer at the house staff, co-hosts of the event with Australia. New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins used to be amongst the ones on the sport. He went into the locker room after the sport and thanked the staff for an inspirational efficiency.
After a gap rite that commemorated New Zealand’s Indigenous heritage, there used to be a second of silence for the sufferers of the capturing. Five other folks have been injured within the assault, together with a police officer.
New Zealand’s Football Ferns had performed in 5 earlier World Cups, however hadn’t received a fit.
“We really wanted to inspire young girls across the nation and I think we did that tonight. We showed that anything is possible,” said Captain Ali Riley, who had happy tears in her eyes.
Norway couldn’t finish off its chances in the first half while the Ferns defended well. Ada Hegerberg’s attempt in the 37th minute was deftly defended by Rebekah Stott and the match was scoreless after the first half.
The first woman to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or award, Hegerberg has 43 goals in 77 international appearances. Currently playing professionally for Lyon, she has scored a record 59 goals in the Champions League. But she couldn’t find the back of the net in Auckland.
Instead, Wilkinson scored in the opening moments of the second half. Jaqui Hand moved up the right side and placed a perfect cross at Wilkinson’s feet for the goal. While the home crowd celebrated wildly, Norway goalkeeper Aurora Mikalson stood with her hands on her hips.
Norway won the World Cup in 1995. At the last tournament in 2019, the team fell to England in the quarterfinals. At the Women’s Euro in 2022, England routed the Norwegians 8–0. In the run-up to this game, winger Caroline Graham Hansen called the World Cup a chance to “start fresh.”
“(It’s) the opening game, they are the hosts. We have talked about this. We knew they were going to go out there and be aggressive,” Norway midfielder Guro Reiten said. “We knew exactly how they wanted to play but still, we were so poor, especially in that first half. I’m very disappointed.
Tuva Hansen nearly tied it for Norway in the 83rd but her shot caromed off the crossbar. The Ferns had a chance to double their lead in the 89th after video review awarded them a penalty, but Ria Percival’s attempt hit the post.
Stoppage time stretched for more than 10 minutes before the whistle blew and New Zealand’s benches rushed the field in celebration. Riley pounded her chest for the electrified fans.
“It’s really hard to put into words, but absolutely surreal,” Ferns defender Katie Bowen said of the droughtbreaking victory. “I mean we made history tonight, but we can’t rest on that. Our goal is to get out of the group.
Bowen said she was awakened by an early morning call from her brother, checking if she was OK after hearing about the Auckland shooting.
“I think everyone was just pretty taken aback, because this doesn’t really happen in New Zealand,” Bowen mentioned. “But I feel, particularly on a sport day, it is down to simply every particular person doing what they had to do to procedure it and ensure they might focal point at the sport on the similar time.”
New Zealand got the nod to stage the World Cup’s first game, although co-host Australia’s match against Ireland in Sydney started about an hour after fulltime in Auckland.
Considered the favorites in Group A, the Norwegians went into the game 5–1–1 all-time against New Zealand, with the only loss coming in a 2019 exhibition match.
Norway coach Hege Riise said her players were not affected by the shooting, despite the incident happening near their hotel.
“We knew it was under control, we felt safe. Some players slept through it,” Riise mentioned. “We had an early morning meeting with everyone. It hasn’t had an effect on how we performed in the game.”
New Zealand had struggled within the run-up to the event on house soil, with only one win in its ultimate 11 suits.
The two groups had met simply as soon as sooner than on the World Cup: Norway beat the Ferns 4–0 in 1991.
UP NEXT
Group A play continues Friday with Switzerland enjoying the Philippines in Dunedin. New Zealand’s subsequent fit is Tuesday towards the Philippines in Wellington, whilst Norway performs Switzerland in Hamilton. The best two groups within the team will advance to the knockout degree.
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