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Late White Leveller Earns Ferns Deserved Draw
by Jeremy Ruane
The Football Ferns produced one of their most pleasing performances in a rare outing on home turf at Mt. Smart Stadium on June 16, as they drew 1-1 with Brazil on a night better suited to water polo than football.
1,957 hardy souls braved the elements to see the world's 23rd-ranked women's football playing nation take on a team boasting, in Cristiane, a two-time FIFA Women's World Player of the Year finalist.
She didn't disappoint, but nor did her opponents, who started brightly and went close to opening the scoring in the third minute of play. Rebekah Stott played the ball forward to the industrious Betsy Hassett, whose through ball released Hannah Wilkinson down the right.
She was a menace to Brazil throughout the entire contest, and left-back Rilany had the devil's own job trying to cope with Wilkinson's powerful thrusts throughout proceedings.
The fullback didn't have a prayer on this first occasion, as the game's star turn surged to the by-line before firing in a cross. Tayla headed it clear, but only as far as Amber Hearn, whose well-struck shot deflected narrowly past Thais' right-hand post.
New Zealand's most prolific markswoman was the target of some early physicality from her Brazilian markers, but Hearn has never been a shrinking violet in this regard, and replied both in kind and via her undoubted talent, which saw her jink through a couple of challenges in the sixth minute before laying the ball off to Hassett.
Her fine through ball invited Wilkinson to terrorise Rilany once more, and once more the striker got the better of her opponent, only to undo all her good work by taking too many touches, instead of letting fly. Tayla and Bruna, Brazil's captain, combined to thwart Wilkinson's progress on this occasion.
You had to have some sympathy for Rilany. Not only did she have Wilkinson to cope with, but every so often flying fullback Ria Percival would rampage down the right to good effect, such as in the seventh minute.
On this occasion, she got in behind the fullback and fired over a cross which was destined for the head of the flying figure of Sarah Gregorius, until Thais tipped the ball to safety.
Brazil hadn't been sighted as an attacking force in the early stages of the match, but in the fifteenth minute, Cristiane made her presence known with a pass which invited Rosana to race past three opponents into the penalty area, where the combined efforts of Stott and Abby Erceg curtailed her progress in double-quick time.
After a cleared Percival corner had allowed Hassett to unleash a twenty-yarder which Thais was right behind, the midfielder directed another shot at the goalkeeper in the 24th minute, but only after Katie Hoyle had released the under-utilised Ali Riley down the left.
Through no fault of her own, the fullback had an unusually quiet game, due to most of the Football Ferns' attacks taking place down the opposite flank. But this one saw Riley deliver a pinpoint first-time cross for Wilkinson to head goalwards, only for Tayla's timely headed clearance to deny the striker the goal her performance merited.
The lack of service being afforded Cristiane was testament to the terrific work which Hearn, Hoyle, Hassett and Annalie Longo were doing in midfield. It prompted the striker to drop deep in search of the ball, and when she received it inside her own half in the 25th minute, there appeared to be no threat to the Football Ferns' goal.
Cue some individual brilliance which left two opponents trailing in her wake, before Cristiane picked out Andressa in yards of space on the left with a made-to-measure pass which invited the attacking midfielder to unleash a grasscutter which sizzled past the diving figure of Erin Nayler and the far post.
Back came the host nation, Wilkinson once more making Rilany's night a misery - it was to get worse with the increasingly intense rainfall, followed by a collision late-on with Percival which left the Brazilian fullback very much the worse for wear, to the extent that she couldn't complete the match.
This 28th minute episode saw Wilkinson cut a swathe to the by-line once more, from where she fired in a cross which arced over Thais' head, but found no-one in white on hand to turn the ball home.
Four minutes later, Brazil threatened once more, Cristiane dummying Fabiana's cross to present Andressa with a shooting chance. Percival blocked this, but within seconds, Cristiane was threatening again.
Latching onto the rebound from Debora's partial charge-down of a Nayler clearance, the striker dribbled through two challenges then swept past a third before unleashing a drive which the Football Ferns' custodian tipped round the post.
The host nation countered this effort by hitting the crossbar seven minutes before half-time. Hassett played the ball wide to Percival, this time operating on the left flank after having taken a corner seconds earlier. The fullback picked out Wilkinson with her cross, and the striker's header clipped the top of the bar - the closest either side had come to scoring to this point.
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That situation changed five minutes later, when Brazil took the lead. Cristiane's thirty-five yarder was tipped round the post by Nayler, and from the resulting Miraildes corner, Rosana rattled the upright with a drive before Cristiane rammed home the rebound via the same post.
Brazil's advantage was very nearly a short-lived one. Straight from the kick-off, the aggrieved Football Ferns tore downfield, Gregorius leading the charge. Her pass towards Hearn saw the number nine set up Wilkinson for a low drive which Thais could only parry, then scramble to safety as the Football Ferns' most potent attacking weapon of the first forty-five minutes raced in looking to turn home the rebound.
The second spell was barely eighty seconds old when the Football Ferns went close to equalising. Percival's angled ball in towards the near post saw Thais flapping wildly at the delivery, but she made enough contact on it to clear it as far as Wilkinson. She met it flush on the volley, but her effort cannoned to safety off Gregorius, who was felled by her team-mate's ferociously struck shot.
As the falling rain increased in intensity, so did the feeling evident in the clash, which wasn't aided by some of referee Anna-Marie Keighley's well-intentioned decisions throughout proceedings.
While her eagerness to allow play to flow as much as possible was admirable, particularly given the increasingly challenging playing conditions, there were numerous occasions when free-kicks - and perhaps the odd penalty - were warranted, but weren't given.
Slowly but surely, tempers started to fray, with Rilany unsurprisingly one whose fuse was sparking, given the twin menace Wilkinson and Percival running at her posed. She lashed out at the latter on one occasion, prompting a reaction from Percival which brought about an immediate gathering of the clans - feelings were running high at this point.
The situation wasn't aided when Hoyle went in a tad late on Tayla moments later, a challenge which prompted the first yellow card of the evening. The second soon followed, Miraildes the recipient after a rugged challenge on Gregorius in the 63rd minute, which prompted some activity on the Football Ferns' bench.
It also prompted a quickly taken free-kick by Erceg which saw Percival beat one player before shooting tamely. Brazil cleared the danger, much to the chagrin of the fullback, who was kicking herself for squandering New Zealand's best chance of the half thus far.
Gregorius was replaced by Rosie White in the 67th minute, and four minutes later, she contributed to a move which earned a corner. Percival's well-flighted delivery was met by a bullet header from Wilkinson which cannoned back off the crossbar. Brazil scrambled the ball to safety, but they had been desperately close to losing their lead.
The inclement conditions were proving really challenging for both teams as play moved into the later stages, as were some of referee Keighley's calls - how one foul on Hearn, in particular, came to be a Brazil free-kick defied logic. The offended player wasn't slow in making her feelings, however valid, known, which drew a brief but stern rebuke from the official in response.
Cue a late flourish from the Football Ferns, and the rare sight - in this match - of Riley's attacking instincts being exploited. Hearn inspired the move, but the fullback's contribution was the critical factor in an opening which Hassett looked to capitalise upon.
Her shot was blocked to safety, but seconds later, the 1,957 fans who gathered midst the rain and wind were cheering with delight as "The Golazo Girl" drew the Football Ferns deservedly level.
Hearn again was the instigator, a little slide-rule pass into Wilkinson's stride allowing her to once more run at a defence which had managed to contain the threat she posed during the second spell by doubling and at times tripling the numbers she had to take on.
On this occasion, however, Wilkinson was one-on-one with Tayla, but instead of driving for the by-line, she opted for an early, clipped cross into the goalmouth. Flying in to meet it was White, whose close-range header brought about a parity the Football Ferns richly merited.
They had to survive a late Brazilian flurry - substitute Maurine headed over in the aftermath of an Andressa free-kick - but when the final whistle sounded, the champions of Oceania had earned New Zealand's second draw with Brazilian opposition inside a fortnight.
On Thursday, from 6.30pm at Owen Delany Park, Tony Readings' charges will be aiming to go one better, and crown the Football Ferns' 200th "A" international with the win they will feel they could have had in this fixture against the highest-ranked international opponents, gender regardless, to ever visit these shores.
F'ball Ferns: Nayler; Percival, Stott, Erceg, Riley; Hassett, Hoyle (booked, 57), Hearn, Longo (Yallop, 75); Wilkinson, Gregorius (White, 67)
Brazil: Thais (Luciana Maria, 88); Fabiana, Bruna, Tayla, Rilany (Monica, 90); Thaisa, Miraildes (booked, 63); Debora (Maurine, 76), Andressa, Rosana (Raquel, 82); Cristiane
Referee: Anna-Marie Keighley
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