The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website | home
NZLvNOR
"Beyond Greatness"!
by Jeremy Ruane
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Where to start?
The unforgettable sound of 42,137 fans - a record crowd for a football game in New Zealand - at our national stadium, Eden Park, roaring as one in the 48th minute and again at the final whistle as they celebrated one of the great moments in our sporting history, one which must surely have decided the destiny of the Halberg Awards Sporting Moment of the Year for 2023!
The exhilarating experience of seeing our World Cup capture the imagination of so many sceptical and apathetic Kiwi sports fans, who'll doubtless be itching to jump on women's football's bandwagon now - welcome aboard! Fasten your seatbelts and enjoy what, this writer can safely say from four decades of living it, is one helluva ride.
The amazing sight of a nation which has a FIFA Women's World Cup in its trophy cabinet (1995 winners) and the first winner of the Ballon D'Or feminin (Ada Hegerberg) as well as a creative genius (Guro Reiten) in their ranks being laid low by a team which was rewarded for their self-belief by producing the collective performance of their lives, one which perfectly encapsulated the theme of these Finals - "Beyond Greatness".
New Zealand's Football Ferns ignited the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Finals on the opening night of this quadrennial celebration of all that is great about women's football by deservedly stunning twelfth-ranked Norway 1-0 at Eden Park to record the nation's first-ever win at a senior level FIFA Finals - a result and performance which will echo throughout eternity in the Kiwi sporting canon.
Jitka Klimkova's charges started hungrily, Indiah-Paige Riley's pass rewarded by Hannah Wilkinson's driving run through the inside-right channel to the by-line in the fifth minute. Support was in short supply, but Jacqui Hand benefitted from a Norwegian clearance to deliver the ball back into the danger zone, where another clearance invited Malia Steinmetz to let fly from thirty yards - an ambitious effort, but which sent a clear message - we're here to play!
To which Norway responded with a seventh minute raid which saw Julie Blakstad's cross diverted by Vic Esson to the edge of the penalty area, where the massed ranks of Kiwi defenders - Katie Bowen and Rebekah Stott, in particular, performed their duties impeccably - combined to force the ball out to the opposite flank.
Caroline Graham Hansen engineered space from which to deliver a cross which invited the talented Hegerberg to launch into an ambitious overhead kick. Her timing was a touch off, but the ball still threatened the target until Esson's decisive punch clear under pressure snuffed out any threat of an early Norwegian goal to silence the masses.
Back came the Ferns, the versatile Bowen's driving Alan Hansen-esque runs out of defence a feature of this phase of the game. But it was the white-clad "Red Flames" who were next to threaten via Reiten, whose set-piece prowess is without peer. She delivered an eighteenth minute corner to the far post, only for the massed ranks of native defenders to combine "As One" to scramble the sphere to safety.
Two minutes later, Blakstad turned the generally well-performed Catherine "CJ" Bott and whipped in a cross which Hegerberg headed down into the stride of Frida Maanum, whose wild ten yard volley was met with a collective sigh of relief from New Zealand's twelfth (wo)man.
They were buoyed again by the sight of Bowen winning the ball in the centre circle in the 24th minute, after a string of Norwegian fouls for which Japanese referee Yoshimi Yamashita would have been well justified in issuing a yellow card to Norway's captain, Maren Mjelde, in a bid to stamp out this collective persistent infringement by her team-mates.
Bowen fed Malia Steinmetz, who had a whale of a game, winning aerial duels aplenty. On this occasion, the route to Norway's goal opened up for her like the Red Sea, and she duly set sail towards the target, only for Mjelde and her mates to put up an impenetrable road block just outside the penalty area.
Bowen featured again in the 31st minute, this time executing a well-flighted free-kick which picked out the head of Wilkinson. She directed the ball across goal towards a spot where Indiah-Paige Riley would surely have been on hand to tuck it home had she not been prevented from reaching her target zone by Ingrid Engen's wily defensive efforts.
Ali Riley was next to rampage forward for the Ferns, down the left as she has done on so many occasions in her 155 appearances for the team she captains with pride aplenty. An untimely slip on the impeccable Eden Park turf prompted a turnover in the 36th minute, and Graham Hansen wasted little time in exploiting it, storming sixty yards down the flank before targeting Hegerberg with her cross.
The most prolific markswoman in UEFA Women's Champions League history was unable to exploit the opportunity, however, Stott producing a stunning tackle which slammed the door firmly shut on Norway's hopes of scoring before half-time.
For the remainder of the half was dominated by the women in black, with Ria Percival well to the fore - she was simply monstrous in midfield, making up for the last fifteen months of her injury-enforced absence with a display which called upon all the qualities which have earned her 164 caps and counting.
She it was whose cross five minutes before half-time was cleared to Steinmetz, who picked out Wilkinson in the area. So did the Norwegian rearguard - not this time, "Wilky", who featured again two minutes later, an angled cross from Bott parting her hair after some quite brilliant wing wizardry from "IPR", who bamboozled two defenders by the corner flag before seeking the support of her fullback.
A minute before the interval, Steinmetz and the hard-running Jacqui Hand combined to pave the way for Wilkinson to forge her way between two defenders into the area, where she was thwarted by Thea Bjelde's desperate tackle.
There was so much to like about the Football Ferns' first half performance, and the collective thinking was that if they were to supplement their efforts with a goal, "this place will go ballistic!"
Two minutes after half-time, Eden Park resounded to the nation's biggest-ever football audience doing just that.
And the Football Ferns achieved their objective in fabulous fashion - footballing poetry in motion. From Bowen's pinpoint goal-kick wide to Bott, whose deft lay-off invited Indiah-Paige Riley to turn and thread the needle with a delicious left-footed pass which allowed Hand to surge past Tuva Hansen through the inside right channel into the penalty area, from where she fizzed in a cross for Wilkinson to sweep home in majestic fashion from six yards … glorious!
And how they - and we - celebrated! Goals have
|
been such rare birds for the Football Ferns in recent times - prior to this one, they'd netted just seventeen times since France 2019 - so to see the ball hit the net on the occasion of just New Zealand's fiftieth international on home turf in the 48-year history of the national team … memories are made of this!
Norwegian manager Hege Riise - winner of the Golden Ball at the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup Finals - responded by going to her bench, the introduction of Emilie Haavi instantly adding impetus to a team which had largely lacked same thus far, in no small part due to the Football Ferns' phenomenal efforts.
Within seconds of her introduction, Haavi had fired a warning shot, a spectacular twenty yard volley which flew past the post. Two minutes later, she featured again, this time directing Hegerberg's cross into the stride of Maanum, who steered her shot wide of the near post from six yards - she should have hit target, minimum, and the relieved expression on Ali Riley's face said as much.
Normal service - New Zealand dominance - soon resumed, a cleared Bowen free-kick inviting Indiah-Paige Riley to slip a sumptuous through ball into the stride of Wilkinson, who shot early but exceptionally wide, to the dismay of the gathered throngs as they urged on their heroines.
Another enterprising attack unfolded in the 63rd minute, with Bowen, Steinmetz, Percival and Hand combining to good effect through the middle of the park. The last-mentioned skipped past Engen before inviting the younger Riley to scythe inside off the right flank and unleash a delicious curling effort which had "top far corner" written all over it until Aurora Mikelsen launched herself to her right to pull off a stunning one-handed denial.
Buoyed by their custodian's exploits - it was surely game over for Norway had that one gone in - Reiten and company attacked with renewed vigour, the Chelsea star letting fly, as did Haavi seconds later. Both efforts foundered on Percival, who took two for the team in quick succession as the European side stepped up their efforts to equalise.
Three minutes later, after Wilkinson had been caught in possession, Haavi hurtled down the left at pace. But with three team-mates up in support in the penalty area, the game's lone substitute to this point fired in an awful cross which landed on the roof of Esson's net.
New Zealand's first change was forthcoming, with Claudia Bunge taking over from Stott alongside Bowen at the heart of a lionhearted rearguard. Her arrival gave her team-mates fresh impetus, with Betsy Hassett - she worked her socks off in midfield - sending Wilkinson hurtling between two into the penalty area, where she was forced to check her progress.
The goalscorer duly played the ball back to Hassett, whose teasing, curling cross to the far post arced just beyond the head of "IPR". Moments later, a fabulous lung-busting off-the-ball run by Percival - she must have covered sixty yards to get to the ball - maintained the momentum of a counter-attack, the co-captain's efforts earning a corner.
After she'd caught her breath, Percival delivered a beauty into the danger zone, with Bowen just failing to meet it in the six-yard box. Minutes later, Percival featured again, this time blasting a thunderous twenty-yarder narrowly past the post after another powerful angled run through the inside right channel by Wilkinson - another who ran herself into the ground for the cause.
The Football Ferns were showing signs of tiring, however, and after Percival had blocked yet another shot, Hegerberg invited Hansen to let fly in the 81st minute. The fullback's fulminating twenty-yarder was goalbound until the fingertips of Esson diverted the sphere onto the bar, a denial met with a roar of approval by the crowd, who collectively sensed the need for their support to get their heroines over the line.
Norway pressed again, Graham Hansen doing a number on both Hassett and Ali Riley on the right before powering into the penalty area and whipping in a cross, only to find Percival there yet again to snuff out the threat.
Back came the Ferns once more, Steinmetz raiding down the right before delivering an 87th minute cross which struck the outstretched arm of Hansen, who was just inside the penalty area - cue the Video Assistant Referee, who deemed that referee Yamashita needed to have a wee look to confirm their opinion.
Thus it was that a penalty was awarded to New Zealand in the 89th minute. The penalty spot has afforded the Football Ferns little reward at previous FIFA Women's World Cup Finals, and despite being willed on by everyone present, Percival - undeservedly, given her performance - continued that trend, rattling the crossbar from twelve yards as a minimum of nine minutes of stoppage time was indicated by the fourth official.
Nine nerve-jangling minutes for the Football Ferns to hold on for a first-ever victory at a Women's World Cup Finals, for Norway to fashion an equaliser. The latter went close to doing so on a couple of occasions, with Reiten at the heart of all their threatening moments at the death.
Twas her pass which sent Haavi in on the left, from where she delivered a teasing cross which landed on the roof of Esson's net as the goalkeeper landed inside it. Haavi then raced down the left again before picking out Hegerberg with a cross which she laid off to Reiten … a heart-in-mouth moment …
Incredibly, fortune favoured the Ferns, as this brilliantly gifted creative talent poked the ball just past the upright - a collective fog of carbon dioxide briefly filled the atmosphere as over 42,000 fans and onlookers released the lungful of air they'd each been holding.
Another followed soon after, this time accompanied by a roar the likes of which has never been heard from as many New Zealand football fans gathered in one place previously. It was prompted by the sound of the final whistle - the Football Ferns had triumphed! Had achieved one of their ambitions for these Finals at the first attempt. Had gone "Beyond Greatness"!
A victory heard and seen around the world, with over two billion viewers watching a special moment in New Zealand's history, one preceded by an outstanding opening ceremony which brilliantly encapsulated the indigenous roots of the co-hosting nations, culminating in a hongi and, ultimately, a result which has made the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Finals.
Only one thing remains to be said - GO YOU GOOD FERNS!
Football Ferns: Esson; Bott, Stott (Bunge, 70), Bowen, A. Riley; Hassett, Percival, Steinmetz; I. Riley, Wilkinson (Satchell, 86), Hand (Rennie, 90)
Norway: Mikalsen; Bjelde (Sonstevold, 90), Mjelde, Harviken, T. Hansen; Engen, Maanum (Boe Risa, 74), Reiten; Graham Hansen, Hegerberg, Blakstad (Haavi, 56 (booked, 85))
Referee: Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan)
|