Sao Paulo

The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website | home

Sao Paulo

Birthday Girl Hearn Fires Football Ferns Past Brazil

by Jeremy Ruane

Pre-match combined team photo courtesy Rafael Ribeiro / CBF

Amber Hearn gave herself the best possible 31st birthday present on November 28, and the New Zealand footballing public celebrated along with her as the lethal number nine fired the Football Ferns into the history books at the venue which houses Brazil's national footballing museum.

The Oceania champions' 1-0 defeat of the host nation of the 2016 Olympic Games at the Estadio do Pacaembu in Sao Paulo ranks as one of the greatest victories in the history of New Zealand's national women's team since it first took to the field forty years ago.

And it was one they richly deserved, giving as good as they got as their full-strength hosts - ranked seventh in the world, looked to open the scoring straight from the kick-off against their sixteenth-ranked opponents.

Erin Nayler was plunging to her left to keep out an Andressa Alves drive just ten seconds after Brazil had kicked off. The Football Ferns' number one was relieved again four minutes later as Cristiane fired wide after Marta had outpaced Abby Erceg in a run down the right.

The travelling side soon got a grasp on proceedings through Kirsty Yallop, who sprayed the ball wide to Ali Riley (or was it Ria Percival? Harry Ngata, do your homework, lad! The identity blunders you were making in your TV commentary were simply inexcusable!)

Riley cut inside and picked out Jasmine Pereira on the far post, where the youngster, who was making her first start for the national side after ten substitute appearances, arrived on cue, only to guide her ninth minute header wide of the mark.

Five minutes later, Annalie Longo's artful through ball from half-way sent Hearn hurtling through the inside right channel. Barbara dashed off her line to avert the danger on this occasion, but the alarm bells were still ringing in Brazil's rearguard moments later.

Erceg and Yallop linked up with Pereira, who laid the ball back for Percival to ping in a peach of a cross to the far post, where Hearn launched into an overhead kick. The ball flew wide, but had she scored, a harsh offside call would have ruled out the strike.

From the resulting goal-kick, Yallop and Katie Duncan combined in midfield - with Longo, this trio got through a power of work for the cause. Rosie White was the beneficiary of her team-mates' teamwork on this occasion, only for Poliana to dash across in cover and clear the threat.

Brazil responded via an Andressinha free-kick which left Hearn in a heap following a clash of heads. Cristiane directed a header straight at Nayler before the whistle blew to allow the birthday girl treatment for a mouth wound.

The host nation came again three minutes later, Yallop's stray pass presenting Poliana with possession. Andressa Alves and Marta were quickly brought into play, but the touch of the former five-time FIFA Women's World Player of the Year deserted her on this occasion, much to Nayler's relief.

After a drinks break in the oppressive conditions, Nayler was directly behind another Brazilian header, Thaisa the latest player to be thwarted after Marta's corner had picked her out on the far post.

The Brazilians started getting a little tetchy with the referee after this, with two players booked in swift succession. Marta, in particular, remonstrated in quite lively fashion on the second occasion, while Andressinha's card came about in the 35th minute after plenty of jostling in and around Brazil's defensive wall.

White was patiently standing over the set-piece while the referee was establishing order to her satisfaction, and while all this was going on, Hearn was taking up a position level with the wall, and in line with the edge of the penalty area.

When the signal to resume play came, the Liverpool striker swiftly swept the ball into the stride of the Football Ferns' most prolific markswoman, who stormed into the penalty area and fair battered the ball across Barbara's despairing dive and in by the far post to add further to her formidable tally for her country, this one a birthday special she - and we - will never forget.

"Brasil 0, Nova Zelandia 1" read the Sao Paulo stadium's scoreboard, a scoreline with which Football Ferns fans will be familiar, given it was by this scoreline that Tony Readings' charges prevailed over the South Americans en route to winning the 2013 Valais Cup.

This time, however, it was 1-0 to New Zealand in the land where Jogo Bonito is a way of life, the rugby equivalent of Brazil leading the All Blacks at Eden Park. And there was still plenty of time for

the natives to redress the balance, given Hearn had had her cake and eaten it, too, in the 36th minute of play.

Before half-time, they had two chances to do so, but Marta blazed over on the volley upon receipt of Poliana's angled cross, while Nayler punched out an Andressinha free-kick in the shadows of the half-time whistle.

It was the Football Ferns' turn to suffer the referee's wrath in the second spell, with three players being booked before the hour mark, and two more in the remaining half-hour.

But in the crucial first twenty minutes of the half, the Football Ferns restricted their hosts to just one chance of note, Monica heading Marta's free-kick narrowly past Nayler's left-hand post in the 49th minute.

The nauseating heat was beginning to make its mark, however, with Pereira and Yallop withdrawn from the fray in quick succession around the hour mark. The introduction of two Energiser bunny-like replacements in Sarah Gregorius and Betsy Hassett served the cause well, however.

Yallop's departure meant there was a little less steel in the middle of the park, enabling the largely anonymous Thaisa to begin to have an influence on proceedings. Her 66th minute pass sent the ever-dangerous Cristiane careering through the inside left channel, and she got past Erceg in the process.

She didn't escape Nayler's attentions, however, the 'keeper diving at Cristiane's feet to save, despite colliding with Erceg in the process, an incident which left both players requiring treatment.

Encouraged by this, Brazil kept on coming, Poliana's angled ball in rewardng Formiga's darting angled run. The veteran midfielder's glancing header flashed past the post twenty minutes from time.

Two minutes later, Nayler and Rebekah Stott combined to thwart the progress of Beatriz Zaneratto, who had worked a one-two with Marta in an effort to prise open a Football Ferns rearguard whose solidity was formidable.

Erceg was next to demonstrate this impregnability, her vital interception cutting out a Debinha cross after she had combined to good effect with Andressa Alves. The Brazilian pair repeated the dose eight minutes from time, this time picking out Cristiane, who steered her shot wide of the mark.

In between times, the Football Ferns had given their hosts a couple of gentle reminders as to who was boss on the scoreboard. And while White's wayward long-range free-kick can most kindly be described as ambitious, the combination play of Stott and Hassett offered Brazil a great deal more to ponder twelve minutes from time.

Monica's alertness meant Hearn's hopes of a second goal on her birthday would have to wait, while after debutant Aimee Phillips had been introduced to the fray, Gregorius' cheeky twenty-five yard effort had Barbara rattled prior to the stanchion's intervention four minutes from time.

The natives were getting desperate by now, and hard labour aplenty was the Football Ferns' ethos as they continued to close their opponents down all over the park and deny them the space from which they could fashion a potential equaliser.

They contrived one last chance, with Marta's cross arcing just beyond Tamires in stoppage time after Thais Duarte and Andressa Alves had combined to play in their illustrious team-mate.

Time ran out for the Brazilians, however, much to the delight of the Football Ferns, for whom this 1-0 triumph in the land where the 2016 Olympic Games will take place was richly deserved.

It's a result which stunned the football world, too, given that, save for two personnel changes, this same Brazilian side had drawn 1-1 with the reigning world and Olympic champions, Team USA, in Seattle just five weeks ago.

That result alone puts this one into context - make no mistake, this is a big feather in the Football Ferns' cap. And if they can repeat the dose when the teams meet again, this time at the Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba on 1 December, Santa should give them a nice reward when the final FIFA rankings for the year are revealed a week before Christmas.

Brazil: Barbara; Poliana, Monica, Rafaelle, Rilany (Tamires, 65); Thaisa (Debinha, 74), Formiga (Maria, 89), Andressinha (booked, 35) (Beatriz Zaneratto, 65); Marta (booked, 39), Cristiana (Thais Duarte, 84), Andressa Alves

Football Ferns: Nayler; Percival (booked, 74), Stott, Erceg (booked, 48), Riley; Yallop (Hassett, 61), Duncan (booked, 90), Longo (booked, 58); Pereira (Gregorius, 57), Hearn (booked, 45), White (Phillips, 81)

Rio 2016