A brilliant performance twixt the sticks by Victoria Esson saved the Football Ferns' bacon at the Estadio Piededas de Santa Ana in San Jose on 22 February, as they held Costa Rica to a 1-1 draw in the first of two internationals between the teams as the Kiwi team began its journey along the road to the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup Finals in Brazil. Interim coach Michael Mayne named an experimental squad for this two-match tour, and three players - Kelli Brown, Maya Hahn and Manaia Elliott - made their debuts in its opening match, the first-mentioned a day after her 24th birthday - presents don't come much better than this! The Football Ferns fired the first shot in anger, Macey Fraser's fifth minute twenty-five yarder stinging the gloves of Daniela Solera after Katie Kitching had caught Stephannie Blanco in possession. "La Sele" hit back straight away, Maria Salas inviting captain Katherine Alvarado to let fly on the counter-attack. Esson was right behind this shot, then produced a fine flying save to her left to tip Emily Flores' long-range curling effort round the far post in the seventh minute. Solera matched her opposite number's acrobatics three minutes later, keeping out a Michaela Foster header after she was picked out by Kitching's free-kick. Another Kitching free-kick soon after prompted another Costa Rica counter-attack, Alexandra Pinell leading the charge before playing in Alexa Herrera. With three players surrounding her on the edge of the penalty area, she unleashed a shot which Esson blocked with her legs. New Zealand's best goalkeeper since the legendary Leslie King then produced a superb fingertip save at full stretch to keep out a Salas free-kick which was destined for the bottom far corner of the net - a fabulous stop. From the resulting corner, Alvarado and Herrera worked a one-two which saw the former pick out Salas with a cross. The striker headed past the post - she should have at least hit the target from eight yards out. The Football Ferns haven't played any matches since the 2024 Olympic Women's Football Tournament, and that lack of cohesion was frequently obvious in this encounter - it was a real "blow out the cobwebs" performance at times, but occasionally there were moments to savour, such as in the seventeenth minute, when Claudia Bunge's ball forward invited Brown to outmuscle Mariana Benavides. Alas for the striker, Solera was alert to the danger and saved at her feet. Costa Rica responded by opening the scoring in the twentieth minute. Alvarado led the charge downfield before feeding Herrera, who rewarded the angled run of Priscila Chinchilla with a pass which allowed her to flick the ball first time past the approaching Esson, who looked back in despair as the ball rolled into the unguarded net behind her. Only another superb save by Esson prevented "La Sele" from doubling their lead eight minutes later, the 'keeper thwarting Chinchilla in another one-on-one situation after Maria Coto and Salas had combined to open up the three-strong Football Ferns' rearguard, which saw Bunge and Liz Anton serving as stoppers in front of sweeper Kate Taylor. Costa Rica kept up the pressure, a teasing cross-shot from Coto dipping late, forcing Esson into a backwards dive to tip the ball over the bar. Pinell's resulting corner saw Blanco's header blocked by Anton, with Salas volleying the rebound past the post from ten yards. Along with captain Annalie Longo and playmaker Macey Fraser, Indiah-Paige Riley had endured a quiet first half, but this trio have that "X factor" about them whereby they can create more mayhem in ten minutes than most tend to contribute throughout an entire match.

So it was on this occasion, with the former Australian international unleashing a teasing cross-shot in the 44th minute which drifted narrowly past the far post. This was the perfect range-finder from Riley, however, for after a thirty yard free-kick from Kitching had crashed against the bar, the flank player rampaged downfield in first half stoppage time before unleashing an exquisite twenty-five yard chip which arced perfectly over Solera and just under the bar. That was the last kick of the first half, and a brilliant fillip for the Football Ferns to take to the dressing rooms, where coach Mayne made a couple of tweaks. Off came Brown and Hannah Blake, whose seventh appearance in eight years for the national side this was. In their places, Jacqui Hand - another who blew out birthday candles in camp this week - and Grace Neville entered the fray, with Riley switching flanks and Kitching joining Hand in a new-look forward line. Later in the half, Meikayla Moore seamlessly transitioned into Bunge's role. It was the host nation who enjoyed the ascendancy early doors however, but Esson was their nemesis, saving from Chinchilla - after good work down the left by Alvarado - and half-time substitute Veronica Matarrita, a parried denial which saw Taylor tidy things up in the fiftieth minute. Back came the Ferns, Fraser's super switch of play resulting in Riley having a shot blocked before Foster sent a volley flying over the bar. Longo swooped on a stray pass soon after and invited Hand to let fly, her dipping twenty-five yard effort being turned away by Solera. Esson denied Chinchilla again soon after, Longo having been caught in possession by the lively Matarrita, who was gifted possession by Taylor in the 69th minute. The substitute set up Chinchilla for what looked to be a certain second goal, but when Esson's in this sort of form, nothing is certain - another fabulous flying save to her right saw the ball tipped round the post and parity retained. Twelve minutes from time, Riley's rampaging run down the left resulted in a beautifully flighted cross which found Kitching six yards out from goal with just Solera to beat. She went for the ambitious volleyed finish, when time was her friend and a match-winning goal beckoned … 1-1 it remained. Substitutions had broken up the continuity of the half, as is so often the case in these friendly internationals, but the Football Ferns finished the stronger in the dying minutes, Hand, newcomer Hahn and Kitching combining to play in Riley on the left. Her shot was parried by Solera, with Blanco only clearing the loose ball to Longo, who lobbed the ball back into the danger zone. Solera fumbled the ball under pressure from Hand, but did enough to keep it out before turning a long-range free-kick from Kitching round the post in stoppage time as the Football Ferns went all out for a late winner. They'll be encouraged by this 1-1 draw, however, and rightly - it usually takes them a game to get up to speed on these tours, and with the likes of Milly Clegg, Grace Jale and Mackenzie Barry hoping to be selected in the second encounter between these nations in three days' time, there are high hopes that the Football Ferns could enjoy a successful first tour on the road to Brazil 2027. Costa Rica:     Solera; Guillen, Blanco, Benavides, Coto; Pinell (Morales, 80), Alvarado (booked, 90), Flores (V. Matarrita, 46), Herrera (M. Matarrita, 83); Salas, Chinchilla (Estrada, 83) Football Ferns:     Esson; Bunge (Moore, 67), Taylor, Anton; I. Riley, Fraser (Elliott, 80), Foster (Hahn, 67), Longo, Kitching; Brown (Hand, 46), Blake (Neville, 46) Referee:     Astrid Garmajo (Guatemala)