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Argentina 1

Much-Improved Ferns Fall To Argentina

by Jeremy Ruane

Argentina scored their first-ever win over a New Zealand women's team at any level on 20 February as they downed the Football Ferns 2-0 in front of 3,622 fans at Waikato Stadium, the first of two matches in three days between the nations, both of whom will be competing in the FIFA Women's World Cup Finals later this year.

Jitka Klimkova's team sported five changes - some injury-enforced - from that which was pummelled by Portugal at this venue three days ago, but there was a far more significant change that was on show in this match - they were much more competitive and Ferns-like in so many aspects of their game, far more so than had been the case in that 5-0 drubbing.

Nonetheless, 'twas "Albiceleste" who made the early running in the contest, Erin Nayler saving well at the feet of Florencia Bonsegundo in just the second minute of play, after she had worked a one-two with Mariana Larroquette on the edge of the penalty area.

The Football Ferns responded to this via the promptings of the 24th captain of the side, Olivia Chance having been afforded the armband in the absence of the injured Ali Riley. Her corner picked out the head of Hannah Wilkinson, who sent the ball flashing past the far post in the seventh minute.

Six minutes later, Grace Jale's pressure forced a hurried clearance. Betsy Hassett and Katie Bowen then combined to win the ball halfway inside Argentina's half, with the latter threading a pass through for Wilkinson. She shot tamely at Vanina Correa from twenty yards.

Chance was weaving her way out of traffic on halfway in the sixteenth minute when, with all signs pointing forward, she played the ball back towards Hassett, who was caught completely flat-footed by this unanticipated change in direction of play.

Larroquette said "Thankyou very much!" and scooted forward before letting rip from thirty yards with a shot which had Nayler scrambling across her goal and diving to ensure the ball went past the far post, rather than into the far corner of the net, the very corner in which said sphere was found nestling just sixty seconds later.

There is a trend in football at present to take short goal-kicks, which is fine is you're a highly technically proficient team well capable of passing its way out of trouble in virtually any awkward situation. Unfortunately, the Football Ferns are not such a team, so when they play "silly buggers" at the back, they're asking for trouble, and on this occasion, it outstayed its welcome.

Bowen received Nayler's short goal-kick, but took the daft option of playing the ball into Daisy Cleverley, who just happened to be surrounded by three opponents. Little wonder she was swiftly stripped of possession by the outstanding Lorena Benitez, who then caught all-comers out with a delightful chipped pass over the defence for Larroquette to exploit.

Bowen turned sharply in front of her and got her body between the ball and her opponent, but instead of walloping the object of Larroquette's desires into the terracing she was facing at the expense of a corner, the defender tried to keep the ball alive via a pass towards Liz Anton.

Playing cute didn't work on this occasion, and Bowen paid a massive price for her blunder, watching on in despair as her attempted clearance ricocheted off the lunging leg of Larroquette straight past the stranded figure of Nayler and into the bottom far corner of the net.

You could just about hear the collective groan from right around the country - Invercargill to Cape Reinga and all points in between. By contrast, the Argentinian fans in the crowd were celebrating wildly, something they've done a wee bit in recent weeks courtesy Lionel Messi's magic in Qatar.

The goal was a real blow to the Football Ferns, and they took time to get back into the contest, by which time Yamila Rodriguez had done Grace Neville like a kipper on Argentina's left - even threw in a nutmeg, if you please! - before presenting Larroquette with the chance to double her own and her country's tally, one she spurned when firing past the near post just shy of the half-hour mark.

It took some brilliance from Hassett to drag the Kiwis out of the mire, the long-serving midfielder - this was her 150th appearance for the Football Ferns in all matches, capped and non-cap-earning fixtures - somehow escaping the clutches of Julieta Cruz, Paulina Gramaglia and Daiana Falfan along the left-hand touchline before inviting Wilkinson to wreak further havoc in the penalty area in the 33rd minute.

She instantly slipped a pass into the stride of Chance, who had at least three square yards of space around her on the edge of the goal area - time to make the proverbial cup of tea, so to speak. Certainly enough time to pick her spot and restore parity on the scoreboard.

But she hesitated, then shot straight at Correa, whose kicked clearance found its way to Jale. She instantly fired the ball back towards goal with venom aplenty, but Chance bore the brunt of it, the sphere striking the skipper before ricocheting to safety - a glorious chance spurned.

Three minutes later, Meikayla Moore - her "Glaswegian suntan" contrasting starkly against the Football Ferns' all-black kit - blocked a piledriver from Bonsegundo, a feat Cleverley matched in denying Larroquette seconds later. The ball broke for Benitez, who did what Bowen didn't do earlier - sent the ball soaring over the goal and into the empty terraces behind it.

Back came the Ferns, Hassett winning the ball again and linking once more with Wilkinson. Gabrielle Rennie was the next recipient in this move, but after beating her opponent, her cross flew over the head of Jale to safety.

Four minutes before half-time, Cruz delivered an angled cross from the right which Rodriguez met with a spectacular volley on the edge of the six-yard box on the far post. She wasn't able to control the scoring attempt, however, and the terraces came under threat from a flying object once more.

The "Albiceleste" were in the ascendancy again after the interval, Moore seeing her clearance blocked by Bonsegundo. Rodriguez, Benitez and Gramaglia were quickly brought into play before Rodriguez played in Larroquette, who copped a heavy knock from Nayler as the goalkeeper blocked then saved at the striker's feet.

Fully recovered, Larroquette was played in on goal in the 54th minute by Benitez, who had worked a delightful one-two with Bensagundo to open up New Zealand's defence. The striker let fly, but once more Nayler came to her nation's rescue, saving superbly with her outstretched leg to divert the shot past the post.

Two minutes later, it was the Football Ferns' turn to threaten. Hassett and Jale teamed up in midfield, with the ball arcing over the head of the offside figure of Wilkinson. Racing in beyond her was Chance, who, now on her favoured left foot, unleashed an unerring drive which arrowed into the bottom far corner of the net, to the undisguised delight of players and fans alike. Until …

The offside flag was raised. Not against Chance, surely? She'd run through beyond Wilkinson from midfield. There are times when the Video Assistant Referee serves the game well, and others when it's an absolute sod! This was one of the latter instances - no goal!

Unperturbed, the Ferns came again, Hassett's determination to keep the ball in play before it crossed the sideline not only being fulfilled, but with interest - she fired it into the penalty area, with Jale in hot pursuit. Aldana Cometti stood her ground, however, and the chance was soon lost completely when Wilkinson's eagerness to retrieve the ball saw her foul Romina Nunez.

After Bonsegundo had given Nayler something to think about from twenty-five yards, the substitutions which tend to break up the flow of play in the second half of matches started taking place. One of the newcomers, Malia Steinmetz, sent Jale down the right in the 68th minute, her first time cross on the run, intended for Wilkinson, being cut out by the retreating figure of Cometti.

The Football Ferns kept plugging away, but their passes just weren't sticking in the final third of the park. And after Benitez had battered a forty-yarder at the target after latching onto a clearance Nayler made from somewhere near the corner flag - the 'keeper recovered in time to make the save, Argentina went desperately close to doubling their lead in the 83rd minute.

Benitez teamed up with Larroquette, whose deft lob over the defence found Bonsegundo bearing down on goal with just the 'keeper to beat. But Nayler proved equal to the task, producing a fine save to turn the ball round the post which earned her a pat on the back from the Football Ferns' newest cap, Michaela Foster among the substitutes to have been introduced to the fray in the final half-hour of play.

The "Albiceleste" weren't done, however, and in stoppage time, they clinched victory from a Rodriguez corner. Nobody jumped with Cometti, whose six yard downward header bounced between three defenders and past Nayler into the net to confirm their 2-0 win.

The Football Ferns strove to reduce the deficit in the time remaining, Ava Collins' cleared cross falling to Chance, who sent a twenty-five yarder fizzing past the post. But Argentina weren't to be denied, with only a superbly timed and executed Mackenzie Barry tackle preventing Eliana Stabile from getting in a shot at Nayler, who grabbed a Rodriguez free-kick and smothered a long-range effort from Falfan before the final whistle.

Following on from their 4-0 thrashing of fellow South Americans Chile in a friendly at North Harbour Stadium on Friday night, this win leaves the Argentines in a great space heading into the FIFA Women's World Cup Finals in five months' time.

Not so the Football Ferns, however. They are enduring a wretched run of form at present, but it's even worse when one isolates their results on home turf. They last won on these shores in June 2012 - two games against China.

Since then, they've played eleven games in New Zealand for four draws and seven losses, with only one of those stalemates coming in the last eight fixtures. And given they'll need to win, at worst, at least two matches on home turf in five months' time …

Then there's the not inconsiderable matter of scoring goals, something which the Football Ferns struggle to do at the best of times. In the 38 games they've played since 1 January 2019, they've won six and drawn four, scoring in just sixteen matches, and twice in three of those contests - nineteen goals in total.

It's not that the players aren't trying. They are, perhaps too hard in a couple of instances. But fortune isn't favouring them - VAR ruling out goals in both of their games in Hamilton is proof of that - while what they're doing on the training ground seems to encounter a stumbling block when push comes to shove on matchday. Are all these issues partly psychological in nature?

There's no doubt that Jitka Klimkova's charges are due a change of fortune, for the better, sooner rather than later. Will it come at North Harbour Stadium, when these teams meet again in three days' time?

Here's hoping so, because time's running out on this project, and with exactly five months to go until the Football Ferns face Norway at Eden Park with the eyes of the world watching on, the opportunities to right the wrongs are reducing by the day.

Football Ferns: Nayler; Neville (Barry, 90), Moore, Bowen (booked, 69), Anton (booked, 27) (Foster, 62); Jale, Cleverley (Collins, 74), Hassett, Chance; Wilkinson (Satchell, 74), Rennie (Steinmetz, 46)

Argentina: Correa; Cruz, Mayorga, Cometti, Nunez (Singarella, 90); Falfan, Bonsegundo, Benitez (Pereyra, 85); Gramaglia (Lonigro, 70), Larroquette (booked, 73) (Stabile, 85)

Referee: Lara Lee (Australia)

Football Ferns build-up