Chile handed a hugely disappointing Football Ferns combination a 3-0 hiding at the Estadio Bicentenario de La Florida in Santiago on September 23 in the first of two matches between the nations, the second of which will take place behind closed doors as the host nation finalises its preparations for next month's Pan-American Games, which it is also hosting. Jitka Klimkova's charges began brightly enough, and should have opened the scoring in the fifth minute, Gabrielle Rennie shooting wildly over the bar with just Cristiane Endler to beat after being played in by Indiah-Paige Riley, who won the ball halfway inside Chile's half and presented the ball to Rennie on a silver platter with all the trimmings - it was a delicious pass which begged a finish to match. Alas for Rennie, she couldn't provide it, snatching at the chance on an artificial surface which certainly didn't aid the cause of the travelling team, who found themselves under pressure in the tenth minute when Betsy Hassett - whose next match will be her 150th for New Zealand - found herself swamped by Chile's press in midfield. Rebekah Stott stepped in to avert the danger, but only succeeded in redirecting the ball to Yenny Acuna, who fired wide under pressure from Katie Bowen, the Football Ferns' stand-out performer during the FIFA Women's World Cup Finals. Acuna combined with Daniela Zamora in attack five minutes later, the latter darting in between defenders to capitalise upon the opening. Victoria Esson was little troubled by this threat from "La Roja", who were put under pressure by Malia Steinmetz in the sixteenth minute as she pounced on a wayward clearance. Hannah Wilkinson was the target of her pass, the striker laying the ball off for Riley's benefit. She sent a twenty-yarder flying past the post, while Wilkinson, seconds later, came close to charging down a clearance from Endler, one of the world's best goalkeepers, who didn't get to grace the world stage during July and August as Chile failed to qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup Finals. Her opposite number did, of course, and Esson was called into action in the 22nd minute to turn an Acuna drive round the near post after Ali Riley had gifted possession to Yanara Aedo, who swiftly played Acuna in through the inside left channel. The Football Ferns' captain's error was typical of a malaise which seemed to infect the entire team during this period. The lack of accuracy in their passing and general conviction in their play was so un-Ferns-like - this wasn't the same group of players which, but for the width of two uprights, would have topped their World Cup group, was it? With a handful of exceptions, yes it was, and Chile exploited the shortcomings in New Zealand's game twice in the next ten minutes to leave the Football Ferns with a mountain to climb, one which they never remotely looked like scaling. Stott's 27th minute pass to Steinmetz fell short of its target, and Yessenia Lopez wasted little time in swooping on the sphere in New Zealand's defensive third before unleashing a swerving drive which Esson tipped onto the bar. Zamora, following in, gleefully rammed the rebound into the roof of the net from point-blank range - 1-0. Four minutes later, fullback Fernanda Pinilla started a super Chilean move which saw a string of one-touch passes and one-twos taking place around and in between flummoxed Football Ferns, who were already dizzy from watching when Aedo and Yastin Jiminez combined with Karen Araya. She lobbed the ball in behind Stott to find Acuna stealing into the penalty area, the striker holding off Stott's challenge as the defender looked to atone for her error before volleying home from ten yards via the underside of the crossbar - 2-0 after 31 minutes. Given the Football Ferns had scored just four goals in their previous twelve matches in 2023, the task of scoring twice in an hour already suggested this game was done and dusted result-wise, and their penchant for misplaced passes and inability to retain possession in this match merely added to the evidence for the prosecution in that regard. They were well off their game - in effect, a return to what the Football Ferns are like whenever they play a couple of matches on foreign soil. All too often in this team's recent history, the first match is spent getting rid of the cobwebs and reacquainting themselves with one another - they struggle to hit the ground running without a warm-up fixture prior to the international. This game, just the third this team has played abroad in 2023, was a classic example of these circumstances - brief moments when you see their potential, such as in the 41st minute when Steinmetz played a free-kick short to Bowen, whose low, swerving thirty yard drive was well smothered by Endler at the foot of her left-hand post, then others … A minute after that free-kick, Esson played the ball towards Steinmetz, but Aedo pounced on the pass and instantly played in Acuna through the inside left channel. Her finish was woeful, but why had the chance even materialised? If you're going to give a ball, give a quality ball, otherwise live on it until you can play the right ball to begin to make things happen. Back came the Ferns, Wilkinson playing in Paige Satchell on the right, from where she picked out Rennie with a cross. Her first-time volley drew a flying save to her right from Endler, whose opposite number was also in flying formation to foil the final shot of the half, Esson diving to her right to turn an angled shot from Zamora around the post after Bowen had become the latest victim of New Zealand's inaccurate passing issue. The second half started with the Football Ferns

making two changes in attack as they looked to chase the game, but Chile's win was confirmed just two minutes after play resumed, as they made it 3-0. Pinilla made a break down the left before delivering a cross which Stott headed out to Zamora. She headed the ball inside to Araya, who unleashed a dipping thirty-yarder which Esson tipped onto the bar. Lopez was the first player to react to the rebound, and the roof of the net bulged once more. One of the newcomers to the fray was Milly Clegg, and she looked to get things back on track for the visitors in the 53rd minute. Catching Su Helen Galaz in possession in the penalty area, the youngster unleashed a first time drive which Endler turned round her near post. In the aftermath of the resulting corner, Wilkinson received a none-too-subtle shove in the back from an opponent, right in front of the referee's assistant. In remonstrating with the official, the striker accidentally made contact with her, prompting Uruguayan referee Nadia Fuques to stop play and brandish the red card - Wilkinson's day was done, and perhaps her international career with it, as she'll likely cop a significant suspension for this offence, however unintended. Their numbers reduced, the Football Ferns opted to match Chile's midfield quartet, which was outnumbering and outplaying the Kiwi trio. As a consequence, the ten women gave a better account of themselves than had been the case prior to the dismissal - the way forward revealed in the face of adversity, perhaps? It could have been ten-a-side on the hour, with Clegg being crudely taken out by Galaz halfway inside Chile's half. There was a case that she was the last defender, but the incident probably took place too far from goal to convince the referee that anything other than a yellow card was merited. The final twenty minutes was punctuated by substitutions, as both teams made use of the six available to them, in Chile's case to give a couple of players debuts. As a result, the rhythm and flow of the game was disrupted, but opportunities arose, and it was the host nation which enjoyed the first of them, in the 72nd minute. Only great tracking by Catherine Bott prevented Zamora's cross from reaching Acuna, racing in on the far post, while a minute later, Pinilla's corner to the far post saw Galaz's header diverted onto the upright by Esson - a let-off for the Football Ferns, whose fortunes were briefly transformed when Annalie Longo was unleashed on proceedings. "Flea" made an impact within a minute of entering the fray, beating two opponents on the right before delivering a cross to the near post from the by-line. Endler punched the ball off Clegg's head, the last time the visitors would threaten Chile's goal. 'Twas the home team which would produce the final opportunity of the match, and it was a chaotic one seven minutes from time. Araya's corner picked out the head of substitute Franchesca Caniguan, whose effort was parried by Esson. Bott failed to clear the loose ball, allowing substitute Sonya Keefe to present Caniguan with another chance to find the net. This effort was blocked, with the rebound falling kindly for yet another substitute, Javiera Grez, to attempt to make it 4-0. Her effort was cleared off the line by Bowen, whose denial ensured that the scoreline would only read 3-0 in Chile's favour. From the Football Ferns' perspective, however, this defeat was a significant backward step, make no mistake. Playing on an artificial surface didn't aid their cause, certainly, but after having spent so much time together in camp, both prior to and during the FIFA Women's World Cup Finals, much better was expected of them than was produced here, something the players will know all too well without needing to read it here. And not just the players. Tactically, shortcomings were exposed. Why did it take a sending-off to adequately address them? Given where our playing strengths lie at present, are the Football Ferns better suited to a 4-2-3-1 or 4-2-2-2 line-up in certain matches, rather than rigidly sticking to the 4-3-3 edict which has been in place for some time? Football as a game is continuously evolving, and the need for flexibility in formations, playing patterns and personnel to implement them has never been more pronounced than it is nowadays. Add to those aspects the investment many nations are directing towards the women's game … The upshot of it all is that NZ Football, despite or perhaps because of the lack of comparative resources available to the national body - a situation certainly not aided by our geographic isolation, one must hasten to add, has to do that much more and work that much harder and smarter to continue to be competitive on the world stage. Tuesday's behind-closed-doors affair - 3am Wednesday, NZ time - offers Jitka Klimkova and her charges a swift opportunity to show that this first encounter with Chile was an aberration, not the norm. Although we won't get the chance to see their efforts, one hopes the true Football Ferns will be well in evidence this time round, and a performance much more in keeping with the traditions of this team is produced at the Quilin Complex in Santiago. Chile:          Endler; Galaz (booked, 59), Olivares (Balmaceda, 89), Saez, Pinilla; Araya, Aedo (Herrera, 89), Jimenez (Alvarez, 82), Lopez (Grez, 75); Zamora (Keefe, 82), Acuna (Caniguan, 75) Football Ferns:     Esson; Bott, Stott (Taylor, 65), Bowen, A. Riley (Foster, 76); I. Riley (Neville, 85), Steinmetz (Longo, 76), Hassett; Satchell (Jale, 46), Wilkinson (sent off, 55), Rennie (Clegg, 46) Referee:     Nadia Fuques (Uruguay)