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Austria Stun Experimental Football Ferns
by Jeremy Ruane
Austria stunned an experimental Football Ferns team 3-0 at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia on March 3 to extinguish Tony Readings' side's hopes of winning the Cyprus Cup for the first time in their history.
With captain Abby Erceg sitting out the match, and some further shuffling of the pack as the new 3-4-3 playing system was given another airing, Ali Riley donned the armband for the second time in her life, having first captained the Football Ferns against Australia in February 2010.
That match also ended in a 3-0 defeat, but on this occasion it was the Euro 2017 contenders who were calling the shots. Captain Nina Burger fired the game's first shot in anger in the twelfth minute, while the Austrians opened the scoring seven minutes later, Nicole Billa finding the corner of the net following a throw-in.
The Football Ferns strove hard for an equaliser before the interval, but found the rock-like Austrian rearguard in resolute mood. The Kiwis' cause wasn't aided by injuries to Hannah Wilkinson before the interval, and Ria Percival, who has been nursing a knock throughout the course of the competition.
Three minutes into the second half, Sarah Puntigam went desperately close to doubling her country's lead, but they had just five more minutes to wait before doing so, Verena Aschauer capitalising on an under-hit back-pass to get the better of Erin Nayler and leave the Football Ferns with a mountain to climb.
There was to be no comeback by Readings' charges, with one of the first tasks afforded fifteen-year-old substitute goalkeeper Anna Leat, who was introduced to the fray with fifteen minutes remaining, being to fish the ball out of her net two minutes later, substitute Jasmin Eder heading home from a Puntigam corner.
Oceania's champions showed flashes of their quality throughout the contest, and also gave a debut to Martine Puketapu in the dying minutes of the contest, but they were a distinct second-best in this match.
The Football Ferns now face the prospect of a renewal of rivalries with the Korea Republic at the A. Papadopoulos Stadium in Larnaca from 4.30am on Tuesday, NZ time, knowing that they are destined to finish no higher than ninth at this year's event, having earned an eleventh-placed finish when they last contested the Cyprus Cup in 2014.
Austria: Zinsberger; Schiechtl, Wenninger, Kirchberger, Naschenweng (Maierhofer, 57); Dunst (Prohaska, 57), Zadrazil (Eder, 71), Puntigam, Aschauer (Makas, 78); Billa (Pinther, 71), Burger (Leitner, 78)
Football Ferns: Nayler (Leat, 75); Moore, Stott, Green; Percival (Pereira, 46), Yallop (Hassett, 54), Bowen, Riley; Wilkinson (White, 40), Hearn (Puketapu, 88), Longo (Satchell, 68)
Referee: Sofia Karagiorgi (Cyprus)
In other Cyprus Cup action, Jane Ross became Scotland's latest centurion, but second half goals from Ji So Yun - soon after half-time - and captain Cho So Hyun - a penalty - meant Korea Republic marred her special day by a 2-0 scoreline at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia, a result which condemns the Football Ferns to a last-placed finish in Group B.
There wasn't a goal to be seen in that group on this Matchday, with the clashes in Paralimni between the Czech Republic and Wales, and between Eire and Hungary, both finishing with the Tasos Marko scoreboard reading 0-0. Fanni Vago missed a penalty for the Hungarians in their match.
In Group A, Belgium came from behind to hand Italy a 4-1 hiding at the A. Papadopoulos Stadium in Larnaca, where Daniela Sabatino had the Italians in front after ten minutes. But straight from the kick-off, the Belgians earned a penalty, and Tessa Wullaert levelled the scores from twelve yards in a match where Italian goalkeeper Sabrina Tasselli made a string of vital saves.
Six minutes before half-time, Elien Van Wynendaele gave Belgium a lead they never relinquished, with second half goals from Maud Coutereels and Davina Philtjens extending their advantage before the final whistle to leave them sharing the lead with Switzerland, who stunned DPR Korea 1-0 thanks to Rahel Kiwic's winner two minutes from time.
The final round of group games on Tuesday morning, NZ time, sees DPR Korea and Belgium meeting in Larnaca's GSZ Stadium at 1.30am, while Italy and Switzerland lock horns at the A. Papadopoulos Stadium across town at the same time.
Then it's Group B action, with the Football Ferns taking on Korea Republic at Papadopoulos at
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4.30am, while the two teams which have conquered the Kiwis, Austria and Scotland, square off within the confines of GSZ.
Both Group C matches take place in Paralimni, with Eire and Wales clashing at 1.30am before the Czech Republic and Hungary wrap up the action at Tasos Marko three hours later.
Cyprus Cup details:
Austria 3 (N. Billa (19), V. Aschauer (53), J. Eder (77)), Football Ferns 0 HT 1-0
Eire 0-0 Hungary
Italy 1 (D. Sabatino (10)), Belgium 4 (T. Wullaert (11 pen), E. Van Wynendaele (39), M. Coutereels (65), D. Philtjens (81)) HT 1-2
Scotland 0, Korea Republic 2 (Ji So Yun (48), Cho So Hyun (74 pen)) HT 0-0
Switzerland 1 (R. Kiwik (88)), DPR Korea 0 HT 0-0
Wales 0-0 Czech Republic
At the Algarve Cup, reigning champions Canada remain on course for back-to-back final appearances after overcoming Russia 2-1 at the Sao Joao de Venda in Algarve. Sophie Schmidt afforded them a tenth minute lead which Christine Sinclair doubled sixteen minutes later.
The Russians halved the deficit via Daria Makarenko's header from a free-kick just shy of the hour mark, but were unable to peg back the Olympic bronze medallists on a day Denmark hammered host nation Portugal 6-0 in the other Group A encounter.
Stine Larsen got them off to a flying start, scoring inside the first sixty seconds. Line Sigvardsen Jensen doubled the advantage eight minutes later, and when Sanne Troelsgaard Neilsen made it three with just 25 minutes on the clock, it became a case of 'by how many'.
Three more, as it turned out, with Larsen and Troelsgaard completing personal doubles either side of half-time, with Katrina Veje chiming in on the hour to earn the Danes the most convincing victory of the tournament so far.
In Group B, all the scoring came in the first half of the matches, with Yui Hasegawa scoring twice in six minutes as Japan cruised to a 2-0 win over Iceland at Parchal, while Spain thumped Norway 3-0 in Algarve, where the Norwegians changed their entire starting eleven for the match.
They paid the price. A Maria Thorisdottir own goal in the 25th minute was supplemented by two goals in two minutes from Jenni Hermoso and Olga Garcia Perez inside the last six minutes of the half, during which time the Spanish also had a player sent off.
While China and Sweden fought out a scoreless draw in their Group C encounter at Vila Real Sto Antonio, earlier in the day at the same venue, Australia and Holland fought out a humdinger, with the Matildas getting home by the odd goal in five.
Emily Gielnik scored direct from a corner on the quarter hour, then doubled the Matildas' lead fifteen minutes later via a free-kick. And when Alanna Kennedy's commanding header on the stroke of half-time made it 3-0, the game looked to be all over bar the shouting.
Of which the Dutch did plenty, setting up a grandstand finish by scoring twice in four minutes as the game entered its final fifteen minutes. Vivianne Miedema pulled one back moments before Sherida Spitse made it 3-2, the scoreline remaining unchanged thanks to a couple of fine saves from Lydia Williams to keep out potential Dutch equalisers.
Matchday Three action on Tuesday morning, NZ time, kicks off with the Group C matches. China and Australia meet in Albufeira, while Sweden and Holland lock horns in Lagos.
Then it's the Group B encounters, with Iceland and Spain squaring off in Vila Real Sto Antonio at the same time as Japan and Norway clash in Algarve, a match which will be followed by Canada's encounter with Portugal, which takes place simultaneously to that between Denmark and Russia in Vila Real Sto Antonio.
Algarve Cup details:
Australia 3 (E. Gielnik (16, 31), A. Kennedy (45)), Holland 2 (V. Miedema (75), S. Spitse (79)) HT 3-0
Canada 2 (S. Schmidt (10), C. Sinclair (26)), Russia 1 (D. Makarenko (57)) HT 2-0
China 0, Sweden 0
Japan 2 (Y. Hasegawa (11, 17)), Iceland 0 HT 2-0
Portugal 0, Denmark 6 (S. Larsen (1, 32), L. Jensen (9), S. Troelsgaard (25, 68), K. Veje (59)) HT 0-4
Spain 3 ("oggie" (25), J. Hermosa (39), O. Garcia Perez (41)), Norway 0 HT 3-0
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