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DPR Korea
Gold Cap For Percival As Ferns Hold Koreans
by Jeremy Ruane
The Football Ferns stepped up their FIFA Women's World Cup Finals preparations on home turf on February 8 after deservedly holding 2014 Asian Games winners DPR Korea to a 1-1 draw on the artificial turf at Bill McKinlay Park.
On a night initially made special by a capella national anthems - both teams sung beautifully after the CD player failed - and the presentation of a gold cap to Ria Percival as she made her one hundredth "A" international appearance for New Zealand, both teams went at it hammer and tongs in a compelling encounter watched by 1157 fans.
The Football Ferns made the early running, Amber Hearn back-heeling a sixth minute throw-in into the stride of Hannah Wilkinson, who burst through before pulling the ball back for Sarah Gregorius to race onto. Her shot ricocheted to safety off Kim Nam Hui.
Five minutes later, the crowd roared with delight as their heroines scored their first-ever goal against the first-time visitors to these shores. Annalie Longo - a terrific display - intercepted a pass before rewarding Gregorius' supporting run.
The striker picked out fellow front-runner Hearn, whose lay-off for Wilkinson saw her thwarted initially by Kim Un Ha. But the sweeper's clearance only went as far as Betsy Hassett, lurking on the left flank.
Her cross picked out Hearn, whose deft touch gave Wilkinson all the time in the world to pick her spot and bury an unerring volley beyond the dive of Hong Myong Hui into the back of the net - 1-0 up, against a country which inflicted upon New Zealand its heaviest ever defeat - 11-0 - nigh on eleven years ago in Brisbane.
Hearn was the only player on the pitch from either side who was also in action on that dark night of 24 February 2004, so it was fitting that she should play an integral part in a goal which underlines just how much progress Tony Readings' charges have made in the 114 internationals they've since played.
The world's seventh-ranked women's football-playing nation weren't going to take this early setback lying down, however, and duly set about restoring honour almost straight away.
Kim Un Hyang - her overlapping runs down the right were a feature of the North Koreans' play - fizzed in an angled cross for captain Ra Un Sim in the sixteenth minute, but Rebekah Stott rose high to head clear.
Two minutes later, a Yun Song Mi corner to the far post wasn't cleared, and sweeper Kim Un Ha suddenly found herself in on goal with just Erin Nayler to beat. That she failed to owes much to the bravery of the Football Ferns' number one, whose cat-like response saw her save at the feet of the Korean defender.
The Asian side, who were suspended from entering the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup after five players tested positive for steroids from traditional musk deer gland therapy at the 2011 Finals in Germany, drew level in the 21st minute.
Jon Myong Hwa and Yun combined with Kim Un Hyang on the right, and her cross to the near post was met by Wi Jong Sim, who went in where angels fear to tread by executing a full-length diving header to beat the covering figure of Abby Erceg to the ball and direct it across Nayler and in off the far post.
Game on! And having equalised, the Koreans had their tails up. The Football Ferns' defence came under all sorts of pressure in the next fifteen minutes as they endeavoured to hold firm, but didn't aid their own cause with a number of imprecise passes in this period, particularly in the defensive third.
Only Erceg's vital tackle prevented Ra from shooting in the 24th minute, after Ri Ye Gyong's left flank raid had been aided and abetted by towering striker Kim Yun Mi - her partnership up front with Ra was akin to Liverpool's classic 1970s combination of Kevin Keegan and John Toshack.
Seven minutes later, a stray Erceg pass, intended for Hearn, was pounced on by Jon, who got through a power of work in midfield. She fed Kim Un Hyang - her distinct high-pitched screams meant everyone knew where she was on the pitch - and over came another cross. Ra was the recipient, and she rifled a shot narrowly past the far post.
Three minutes later, Erceg was quickly closed down as the Football Ferns looked to play out from the back, Ra her nemesis. The ball broke kindly for Wi, who sent a screamer sizzling across the face of goal - it was desperately close.
New Zealand regrouped, and it was their newest member of the "100 Club" who led the way back. Percival's progress down the right was curtailed by foul means rather than fair, the fullback picking herself up and dusting herself down before delivering a well-practiced free-kick into the 'D'.
Hassett came to meet it and let rip on the turn, but she didn't quite connect cleanly with the shot, which nonetheless forced a smothering save from Hong, who, it must be said, had had little to do since conceding the early goal.
But the pressure on her goal was maintained through to the end of the half by the Football Ferns, who knocked on the door again three minutes before the interval. Ali Riley had a torrid game, having to deal with both Wi and Kim Un Hyang on the right flank.
Occasionally, however, she was able to enjoy some payback, and releasing Gregorius at pace down the left was one such instance. The striker's cross was headed clear to Percival, who hooked it back into the danger zone for Hearn, whose header under pressure crept past the far post.
Right on half-time, Longo won possession and instantly sent Gregorius galloping away on another of her greyhound-like raids. The dead-ball line beat her on this occasion, but the pressure was
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maintained from the resulting goal-kick, with Riley exciting the jam-packed stand as she raced down the flank in front of them.
The flying fullback - a Swedish Damellsvenskan winner with her FK Rosengard club in 2014 - picked out Katie Hoyle inside her, and the midfielder saw her shot deflecting off a defender, Hearn beaten by the bounce of the ball as she sought to capitalise on the ricochet.
The Football Ferns' encouraging conclusion to the half was mirrored by a bright start to the second spell, with Katie Bowen having been introduced to the fray at Hassett's expense in between times.
She very nearly made an instant impact. Longo, Wilkinson and Percival combined on the right, the centurion's cross picking out fellow USV Jena team-mate Hearn, who guided the ball back into Bowen's stride. The substitute unleashed a wicked curling twenty yarder which deflected narrowly past the post.
Percival's resulting corner was cleared back to her, the angle inviting the fullback to fizz in the sort of vicious cross which only needs the merest of touches off a player on either side to divert it into the net. Sadly for the Football Ferns, no such touch came to pass - the sound of over 1000 patrons groaning simultaneously escaped into the night.
There was no respite for the North Koreans, not on Hearn's watch, at any rate. The number nine was on the case from the resulting goal-kick, and an under-hit back-pass had Hong hurrying off her line to deny Hearn the pleasure of sweet revenge for '04.
The disconcerting aspects of their performance hadn't gone away, however. A stray pass here, getting caught in possession there, and all of a sudden, a chance for the Koreans, Kim Un Hyang's cross being met by Kim Yun Mi, who was unable to guide her 53rd minute header on target.
Cue a further spell of Korean pressure, but only after Wilkinson had gone close with a twenty yard volley on the turn, upon receipt of Riley's 57th minute cross. Hong's save, this time, was far more challenging - low to her left by the upright. She did well to parry it away.
The Koreans careered downfield, and forced a corner. Kim Un Ju's delivery saw Stott's attempted headed clearance drop invitingly for Kim Yun Mi on the far post. Her header flew past it, and sparked a period in which the Football Ferns found themselves under the hammer.
The world's eighteenth-ranked team was subjected to a thorough examination of their collective resolve by their seventh-ranked rivals. Survive this, and you'd get the impression that they could resist all-comers, wherever, whenever.
They did. But only just.
The North Koreans threw everything at their opponents, but to no avail. Wi and Kim Un Hyang combined for Jon's benefit fifteen minutes from time, but Bowen stuck with the ship, and blocked the resulting shot to safety.
Six minutes later, Ri's wicked cross from the left touchline found Kim Yun Mi soaring above everybody to execute a towering header from fifteen yards, the ball looping inches over both Nayler's flailing fingertips and the crossbar, to the undisguised relief of all present.
Moments later, Kim Yun Mi was in again - another headed chance, this time contrived by the right flank tag team of Wi and Kim Un Hyang. Stott blocked this diving header to safety, before the Football Ferns buccaneered up-field, Hoyle engineering an opening which saw Longo's shot blocked to safety.
Inspired by this, the Kiwis continued to press, and in the 89th minute, substitute Rosie White was felled just outside the area. Referee Anna-Marie Keighley had her hands full all night dealing with the behaviour of both teams at free-kicks - the Koreans do get rather animated at defensive set-pieces, it must be said - and that behaviour persisted now.
Standing over the ball this time was Kirsty Yallop, freshly introduced to the fray, the fate of the game in her hands. Her dilemma? To curl home an artful 'up-and-downer' into the top near corner from twenty yards, or unleash the more predictable low power drive through a forest of arms and legs?
Work on the artful option, "KY", because the predictable one taken was cleared by the Koreans and sparked a counter-attack from which the visitors could have clinched victory.
All hinged on a twice-taken free-kick by Yun, her first effort ruled out because referee Keighley hadn't blown her whistle for it to be delivered. Take two saw the ball arc narrowly past the far post, to the relief of all present, who were pleased to see the Football Ferns commence this international tri-series with a 1-1 draw against opponents who take on Australia at Bill McKinlay Park from 3.30pm on Tuesday.
At the same venue two days later, from 7pm, the Football Ferns will be looking to end a sequence of results some twenty-six matches long, dating back to 14 October, 1994, New Zealand's last victory over the Matildas on the world stage.
Every time these trans-tasman rivals clash, that sequence is one game closer to being broken. Something tells me that this will be the match when it is.
Football Ferns: Nayler; Percival, Stott, Erceg (booked, 90), Riley; Hassett (Bowen, 46), Hoyle, Hearn, Longo (Yallop, 86); Wilkinson (Collins, 79), Gregorius (White, 63)
DPR Korea: Hong Myong Hui; Kim Un Hyang, Kim Un Ha, Kim Nam Hui; Wi Jong Sim (booked, 68), Kim Un Ju (booked, 89), Yung Song Mi; Jon Myong Hwa, Ri Ye Gyong; Kim Yun Mi, Ra Un Sim (Choe Mi Gyong, 58 (Jong Yu Ri, 71))
Referee: Anna-Marie Keighley
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