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Papua New Guinea
Second Half Goals Fire Ferns Past Papuans
by Jeremy Ruane
New Zealand's Football Ferns effectively booked their tickets for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Finals on 27 October, after recording a hard-earned 3-0 victory over host nation Papua New Guinea at Kalabond Oval in Kokopo.
The reigning OFC Women's Nations Cup holders were on the offensive from the outset in the clash between the two Matchday One winners, with PNG goalkeeper Fidelma Watpore soon in action as Sarah Gregorius, Ali Riley and Annalie Longo kept her gloves warm inside the opening twelve minutes.
Amber Hearn went close on a couple of occasions soon afterwards, while Helen Collins also went close before Gregorius finally forced the ball over the line in the 28th minute, only for the offside flag to quash the Kiwis' celebrations.
Watpore denied Hearn, Collins and Gregorius before the interval, while an Abby Erceg free-kick grazed a post and a Riley effort was narrowly astray as the Football Ferns continued to press.
They had to be wary of keeping a tight ship defensively, however, with Meagan Gunemba and Yvonne Gabong eager to take advantage of any opportunities which came their way on the few occasions PNG were given the chance to attack.
The local fans were delighted when the half-time whistle sounded with the score still 0-0 - it certainly wasn't a scoreline which had been anticipated by Football Ferns fans following the game on-line at this stage of proceedings.
But such was the pressure, persistence and all-round experience being applied by Tony Readings' charges, there was always a sense that once they scored the first goal, more would follow. So it was to prove.
But not before Hearn had been denied in splendid fashion by Watpore two minutes into the second half, the 'keeper straining every sinew to tip the goal-hungry striker's header over the bar.
Gregorius then went close before half-time substitute Rosie White became the latest victim of Watpore's goal-denying exploits, her latest save earning the Football Ferns a 59th minute corner.
The ball was cleared to the edge of the penalty area, where Rebekah Stott was lurking. The SC Sand star showed her team-mates the way to goal with an unerring drive through a crowded goalmouth to break the stubborn resistance of the Papuans, much to the delight of the scorer, whose first "A" international goal for New Zealand this was.
Gunemba immediately sought an equaliser from the kick-off, but Betsy Hassett was wise to that scheme, and it wasn't long before she and her long-time midfield partner-in-crime, Annalie Longo, were threatening PNG's goal once more.
Stott, White and Gregorius - she hit the post - all went close before the Football Ferns doubled their advantage twenty minutes from time. White flicked on a Riley cross which invited Hearn to go diving in where angels fear to tread, her 39th "A" international goal the reward for her fearlessness.
Two goals to the good, the Football Ferns continued to bombard PNG's goal with shots, Watpore being forced to deny both Gregorius and Erceg before attempts from substitute Daisy Cleverley, Katie Hoyle, Ria Percival and Riley flew past the frame of the goal.
The locals still kept plugging away, however, Gunemba providing a threat which, at one stage, prompted Erceg to use foul means rather than fair to enforce the Football Ferns' superiority, an action
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which earned New Zealand's lone "A" international centurion a talking-to from Fijian referee Finau Vulivuli.
The champions' response to this was to go up-field and finish the game with a goal, Longo's volleyed strike in stoppage time securing a 3-0 win for the Football Ferns and, barring a disaster of Titanic proportions, their passage to Canada 2015.
Coach Tony Readings admitted his charges found the going tough on this occasion. Speaking to OFC Media after the match, he said, "It was very hard and the conditions were a lot more difficult than they were in the last match, against Tonga.
"It was very hot and PNG played completely different tactics, putting everyone behind the ball and just making it hard. They were trying to frustrate us and did so for a large portion of the game.
"Hats off to them because they executed those tactics brilliantly - I thought they were excellent today, and gave us some good lessons to learn for ourselves. We created more than enough chances to make it a little more comfortable but we didn't so we'll learn from that".
Readings' counterpart, PNG's Australian coach, Gary Phillips, was rightly proud of his team's efforts, as he confirmed to OFC Media. "I thought they were magnificent. Nil-nil at half-time. Strange things happen in football and we gave ourselves a fighting chance.
"It's important that we held on as long as we could as you never know, a free kick or a set piece and we might have been able to pick something up. But in the end New Zealand outclassed us - they're number 19 in the world for a reason.
"Our organisation, our work-rate and our commitment to one another was magnificent. There's no question, we had to come into it with tactics. But even if I have the best tactics in the world it's up to the girls to carry them out and their commitment to carrying out instructions was testament to their attitude to this tournament. I'm very proud of them".
In the earlier encounter at the same venue, the Cook Islands and Tonga produced an absorbing 1-1 draw in which both teams scored late on, after Penateti Feke's penalty for Tonga was saved by Cook Islands goalkeeper Imelda Vakai ten minutes into the second half.
Tepaeru Toka thought she'd won the game for the Cooks when striking on the counter-attack seven minutes from time, but a stoppage time leveller from Heilala Loto'aniu ensured both Pacific Island nations of a point from their tussle.
Wednesday is the final Matchday of the OFC Women's Nations Cup, with the Football Ferns taking on the Cook Islands from 2pm NZ time, and Papua New Guinea and Tonga locking horns three hours later.
Details:
Papua New Guinea 0, Football Ferns 3 (R. Stott (59), A. Hearn (70), A. Longo (90)) HT 0-0
Tonga 1 (H. Loto'aniu (90)), Cook Islands 1 (T. Toka (83)) HT 0-0
F'ball Ferns: Nayler; Percival, Stott, Erceg, Riley; Longo, Hoyle, Hearn (Moore, 75), Hassett (Cleverley, 75); Gregorius, Collins (White, 46)
Papua NG: Watpore; Sesevo, J. Gunemba, C. Obi (Kurabi, 40), Siniu; Gabong (Muta, 58), Irakau, Birum, Kaipu (Kaikas, 45), Morris; M. Gunemba
Referee: Finau Vulivuli (Fiji)
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