New Zealand's Football Ferns came desperately close to claiming a deserved point from their opening 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup Finals clash with Holland at the Stade Oceane in Le Havre on June 11, an injury time goal earning the Dutch a 1-0 win over their courageous Kiwi opponents in front of 10,654 supporters. Former FIFA Women's Player of the Year Lieke Martens set out her country's intentions inside the opening sixty seconds, with Catherine Bott left wondering where her opponent had disappeared to as the exciting flank player executed the perfect Cruyff turn to shake off her marker. The Football Ferns most capped player, Ria Percival, saw this, said, "Righto, Lieke, two can play at that game …", and promptly stripped Sherida Spitse of possession before crossing to the near post where Dominique Bloodworth stepped in to deny Rosie White. If the reigning European champions weren't startled by that early scare, Ali Riley's teasing early cross across the bows of the incoming Sarah Gregorius in the eighth minute must surely have got the message across - the Football Ferns weren't here to make up the numbers. Cue a lively, attack-laden affair, with Martens drawing a smothered save from Erin Nayler in the tenth minute, to which the Football Ferns responded with a glorious chance sixty seconds later. White caught Bloodworth in possession, with the ball breaking kindly for Olivia Chance. She took the ball on then delivered a delicious chip over Sari Van Veenendaal, only to see the sphere crash off the crossbar. Betsy Hassett was swiftly onto the rebound and pinged in a cross for Sarah Gregorius, who directed her header at the goalkeeper. Holland took that almighty scare in their stride, and after Vivianne Miedema had headed Desiree Van Luntenen's cross over the bar, were themselves prevented from taking the lead in the eighteenth minute by Rebekah Stott. She put an end to a raid featuring Shanice Van de Sanden, Miedema and Martens after the lively former Liverpool winger, famous for her outlandish hairstyles, had caught Percival in possession after Stott had put her team-mate under pressure with a hurried pass. Stott was to the fore again in the 22nd minute, stepping in to deny Miedema after Brazilian referee Edina Alves Batista had ignored a clear foul on White near the half-way line. To say the Dutch were a touch rugged is a bit of an understatement. The bruises Gregorius will be boasting from this match won't be pretty ones, while a few of her team-mates will be sporting scars which won't go away quietly either. White in particular came in for special attention, the striker being pushed over in the area in the 29th minute as a Spitse corner came into the danger zone. The referee missed this foul, looking on as Stefanie Van der Gragt headed the ball across goal. Abby Erceg's header did just enough to make the prospect of Mertens heading home the opener nigh on impossible - so it proved, despite her best efforts to the contrary. A vital block by Bott thwarted Jackie Groenen on the half-hour, after which the Kiwis went desperately close to breaking the deadlock again. Percival - a monumental first half - broke up a Dutch raid and instantly pinged the ball forward for Gregorius, whose lay-off invited White to storm forward and unleash a thirty yard volley which Van Veenendaal did superbly well to turn round the post at full stretch. How no one failed to make contact with Spitse's whipped corner in the 39th minute defied logic, the ball careering right across the goalmouth. Soon afterwards, Nayler punched clear a Kika Van Es cross intended for Miedema. Concerted Dutch pressure around the edge of the penalty area on the stroke of half-time tested the Football Ferns to their limits, but they stood firm, with Miedema's shot being deflected for a corner. Spitse's delivery picked out Danielle Van de Donk, who spread play wide to Van der Graft. White dived in - stay on your feet!! - allowing the fullback space in which to drill a cross into the goalmouth, Martens her intended target. Nayler and Riley combined to foil the Dutch star, but the ball fell perfectly to the feet of Bloodworth, who stabbed the ball past the post from four yards with the goal at her mercy. The Football Ferns began the second half brightly, going desperately close to breaking the deadlock in the 51st minute. Fine work by Bott on the right culminated in her laying the ball back to Percival,

who linked with White and Chance, marauding down the left. The latter sent in a low cross just beyond the incoming Gregorius. Hassett regathered the ball and clipped it back inside, where the recovering front-runner miscued a six-yard volley but still forced a superb save to her right by Van Veenendaal, a sight which prompted Gregorius to bury her face in her hands - she knew she should have scored. Holland looked to counter instantly, with Nayler saving at the feet of Miedema following Van de Donk's through ball. Van de Sanden, Miedema and Martens then teamed up to get in behind the defence, with the last-mentioned directing a rising drive over the angle of Nayler's near post. A timely headed clearance by Stott thwarted a Dutch raid just shy of the hour mark, with Van Lunteren getting in behind the defence to deliver a cross. Seconds later, Bott dived in on Martens, who spun round the defender and stormed downfield - that sound you're hearing right now is ringing alarm bells! Martens duly slid a pass into the stride of Miedema, and her first-time shot across the diving figure of Nayler crept inches past the far post - a real let-off for the Football Ferns. Tom Sermanni's side responded by going close again in the 62nd minute. Gregorius pursued a lost cause before playing the ball back to Bott. Her hanging cross saw White soaring between defenders to direct a header goalwards which Van Veenendaal plunged to her left to save. Back came the Dutch, Van de Donk picking out Miedema on the edge of the area, only for Stott to get in a timely tackle. Van de Sanden then slipped the hard-charging Van Lunteren to the byline, from where she delivered a low cross into the stride of Miedema at the near post. Nayler saved this chance with her legs. After Van Lunteren had chanced her arm with a long-range effort, Bloodworth picked out Van de Sanden in the 72nd minute with a ball forward which allowed the speedster to get in behind the defence. She pulled the ball back for Miedema, but the tracking figure of Stott managed to back-heel the sphere to safety, the tenacious Katie Bowen completing the clearance. This raid came in the middle of a string of substitutions, one of which saw Gregorius replaced by Paige Satchell. She was swiftly into her work, storming down the right past Dutch substitute Merel Van Dongen before being forced to shoot well wide of the near post - no one in white was anywhere nearby to provide an outlet Satchell could use to retain possession. Back came the Dutch, Van Dongen's cross picking out Van de Donk, whose header deflected to safety off Erceg. Cue more Dutch pressure - they were relentless in the final ten minutes of play, with the Football Ferns hanging on for dear life for much of that time. Spitse saw a piledriver blocked to safety, while Van Dongen sent a thirty-yarder sailing over the bar as time ticked ever closer to the relieving sound of the full-time whistle. But in the second minute of stoppage time, scenes of delight and despair were there for all to see, and you only need to know how cruel football can be at times to know which mood encapsulated the Football Ferns at this moment. Miedema held the ball up well in attack before turning it back towards Van Dongen. Her cross to the far post saw freshly introduced substitute Lineth Beerensteyn leaping with Riley to dispute possession. The ball was headed back across goal to where towering midfielder Jill Roord was lurking with intent. Her header across the covering figure of Erceg left Nayler unsighted, thus unable to dive to her left and prevent a heartbreaking moment for the courageous Football Ferns combination, who gave everything in their armoury as they took the European champions all the way in Le Havre. But Dutch delight was rife come the final whistle - even sour-faced coach Sarina Wiegman found reason to smile thanks to Roord's late winner, a goal which sees Holland sharing the group lead with Canada, the Football Ferns' next opponents in Grenoble in four days' time. Holland:     Van Veenendaal; Van Lunteren, Van der Gragt, Bloodworth, Van Es (Van Dongen, 70); Groenen (Roord, 76), Van de Donk, Spitse; Van de Sanden (Beerensteyn, 87), Miedema, Martens Football Ferns:     Nayler; Bott, Stott, Erceg, Riley; Hassett (Longo, 67), Bowen, White (Wilkinson, 74), Percival, Chance; Gregorius (Satchell, 74) Referee:     Edina Alves Batista (Brazil)