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Football Ferns To Four In Valais Cup Triumph

by Jeremy Ruane

This report is dedicated to my father. Requiescat In Pace, Dad.

September 25, 2013 will go down as a red letter day in the history of the Football Ferns, as they stormed to a thumping 4-0 triumph over China in the inaugural Valais Women's Cup Final at Stade St. Germain in Switzerland.

Having beaten the world's most famous footballing nation, Brazil, to reach the final, New Zealand's champions produced a clinical second half display to see off the world's most populous nation, and did it in some style, too.

The first forty-five minutes were fairly cagey, to be fair, although it was the more experienced Kiwi combination - against the Steel Roses? When has that ever been written before? - which took the initiative, pressing their opponents at every turn, and denying them space in which to play.

And they created the majority of the attacking opportunities in the first half, too, the first materialising in the eleventh minute, when Ria Percival's super interception sparked a swift counter-attack featuring Amber Hearn, whose defence-splitting pass invited the recalled Hannah Wilkinson to race through.

China's goalkeeper, Zhang Yue, was alert to the danger on this occasion, but was spilling a cross from Wilkinson soon after, the striker having worked a one-two with Betsy Hassett on the left. Zhang recovered the ball before the hovering figure of Sarah Gregorius could pounce.

Abby Erceg and, particularly, Rebekah Stott were in dominant form in the Football Ferns' rearguard, and on the rare occasions China mustered an attack of consequence, the latter stepped in on a timely basis.

The first time Stott was called upon in this way was in the twentieth minute. Yao Shaung-Yan and Wang Li-Si worked a one-two which allowed the former to release overlapping fullback Wang Shan-Shan at pace down the right. She picked out Lou Jia-Hui with a cross, but before the striker could capitalise, Stott intervened - danger over.

The Football Ferns' dominance was occasionally undermined by stray or forced passes, with Hassett and the recalled Kirsty Yallop every so often allowing both impatience and instinct to get the better of them in their eagerness to break down China's stubborn resistance.

Generally, however, they bossed proceedings, and forced errors, such as that in the 34th minute, a stray Wang Shan-Shan pass which Hearn pounced on before powering into the penalty area, where she was deliberately obstructed by Li Jia-Yue. Swiss referee Simona Ghisletta, much to the disbelief of the Kiwi team, waved play on when pointing to the spot was the most logical option.

Unperturbed, the Football Ferns attacked again seconds later, Wilkinson this time leading the charge. The progress she made engineered space for Percival to whip in a cross from the right was

punched off Yallop's head by Zhang.

On the stroke of half-time, Stott stepped in once more, this time thwarting Yao's progress after Gao Qi and Wang Li-Si had combined to prise open the otherwise watertight Football Ferns rearguard.

That meant the first half ended without a goal being scored, and the game was beginning to look as if it needed a goal to break open the shackles. Yallop did her best to oblige five minutes into the second half with a dipping thirty yarder which narrowly cleared Zhang's crossbar, but the Football Ferns didn't have too long to wait before finally making a deserved breakthrough.

Percival's prowling up and down the right was a regular feature of the Oceania champions' play, but when she got to the edge of the penalty area in the 53rd minute, Yao decided that was far enough - down went the fullback, and referee Ghisletta had another decision to make.

She deemed the offence took place right on the edge - another stride, and it was a penalty. Percival picked herself up, dusted herself down, and delivered an inch-perfect cross onto the head of Wilkinson, who expertly guided the ball into the top far corner from eight yards - 1-0 Football Ferns.

It was a blow from which China never recovered. Three minutes later, a gorgeous interchange of passes involving Yallop, the indefatigable Katie Hoyle and Hassett culminated in the last-mentioned slipping a ball through for Gregorius to latch onto in the penalty area.

She was prevented from doing so by another ill-timed challenge from Li, this time from behind. A penalty, surely? Once again, referee Ghisletta erred in her judgement, signalling instead a goal-kick when the just call would have favoured the Football Ferns.

"If we're not going to get any help from the referee, we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way", Tony Readings' charges collectively agreed. In the 65th minute, they were rewarded for their initiative with a second goal.

A delightful one-touch interchange featuring Stott, Percival, Hassett, Hearn and Hoyle saw freshly introduced substitute Helen Collins released at pace down the right. She outmuscled two defenders before whipping in a cross to the near post.

Gregorius was mere inches away from meeting it, but lurking behind her was Hearn, who calmly hooked home into an empty net to the delight of her team-mates, who knew that, barring disaster, New Zealand's first trophy triumph outside Oceania since 1975 was at hand.

China had to score next if they harboured hopes of retrieving the situation, and Liu Shan-Shan's 69th minute effort had half-time goalkeeping substitute Rebecca Rolls at full stretch as it grazed New

Zealand's crossbar.

Hoyle replied with a wayward twenty-five yarder, after Yallop had broken up a China move half-way inside the Steel Roses' half, before the Football Ferns iced the cake and added a red cherry with two goals in the last seven minutes of the Valais Cup Final.

Substitute Annalie Longo combined with Hoyle to break up another China move, the latter picking out Hearn with a pass as she lurked on the left flank near half-way. Instantly, the striker cut a swathe for goal, four opponents left in her wake as Hearn scythed her way in-field in the 83rd minute.

Twenty-five yards out from goal, the Football Ferns' most prolific markswoman let fly, onjly for Zhang to tip her top far corner-bound shot onto the post. Unfortunately for the 'keeper, New Zealand's most prolific markswoman in age-grade internationals was following in, and the mile-wide smile on substitute Rosie White's face duly lit up the early evening in Saviese.

3-0 became 4-0 five minutes later. Once again, Hearn found herself being crudely fouled by Li, this time outside the penalty area. Substitute Anna Green took charge of the set-piece, and delivered a delicious variation to the Football Ferns' repertoire, an inch-perfect near post pass which Hearn, moments before being named Player of the Tournament, swept into the net with the minimum of fuss, but with massive repercussions for the world of women's football.

If there were any doubts before this tournament that the Football Ferns are a team on an upward trajectory on the world stage, they should surely have been dispelled, not only by a defeat of Brazil but a four-goal hammering of China which could so easily have been five.

Collins, remarkably, given her goalscoring prowess in domestic football, was guilty of squandering the chance to make it a nap hand in the final minute, Hoyle's hard work allowing the striker to scamper clear through the inside right channel. Into the penalty area Collins powered, before shooting straight at Zhang when a yawning gap at the near post beckoned invitingly.

It mattered little, however, the 4-0 scoreline a more than satisfying statement from the Football Ferns, who gleefully brandished the Valais Women's Cup aloft soon afterwards, tangible reward at last for their efforts over a number of years.

China: Zhang; S. Wang, Wu, Li, Liu; L. Wang, Yao (Luo, 58), Huang, Lou; Gao, Xu

F'ball Ferns: Nayler (Rolls, 46); Percival (Green, 85), Stott (Moore, 89), Erceg, Riley; Hassett, Hoyle, Hearn, Yallop (Longo, 72); Wilkinson (Collins, 63), Gregorius (White, 79)

Referee: Simona Ghisletta (Switzerland)

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