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Brazil Join Junior Ferns In Early World Cup Departure
by Jeremy Ruane
Annalie Longo tangles with Brazilian substitute Edna
all photos on page courtesy FIFA / Getty Images
The Junior Ferns bowed out of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Finals on the wrong end of a 4-1 defeat by Brazil at the Rudolf Hardig Stadium in Dresden on July 20, but their conquerors will also be heading home from the tournament earlier than planned, after failing to progress to the last eight of a FIFA Women’s World Cup Finals event for the first time in their history.
After a quiet opening period, the game burst into life in the twelfth minute when an Andressa corner arced into the heart of the New Zealand goalmouth. Bridgette Armstrong waited what seemed an eternity for the ball to settle before attempting to clear it, and even then, only succeeded in driving it against the incoming Juliana Cardozo.
Renee Leota was well placed beside the post to block the ricochet, but Cardozo and Alanna immediately swooped in an effort to force the ball home between Leota and Erin Nayler. Referee Dagmar Damkova spotted an infringement in the ensuing scramble, and the Junior Ferns breathed again.
Rosie White and Annalie Longo - her best performance by some distance in these Finals - both saw shots blocked in the fourteenth minute after Brazil failed to clear an Anna Green corner, with another such delivery from the Junior Ferns captain seven minutes later seeing White wallop the ball wildly over the target, after Brazilian goalkeeper Aline had again been found wanting by the quality of Green’s delivery.
In between times, Brazil had twice threatened to break the deadlock. Alanna stung the gloves of Nayler with a twenty yarder on the run, soon after her pace had almost caught Briony Fisher napping. The defender’s rushed clearance directed the ball into the stride of Ludmila, who was unable to deliver a quality cross after getting in behind Liz Milne.
Brazil were targeting the right side of the Junior Ferns’ rearguard, the source of so many of their defensive concerns in these Finals. But coach Tony Readings looked to resolve that in this match by introducing Milne to the right-back role and releasing Hannah Wall into her natural attacking habitat, sacrificing Hannah Wilkinson in the process.
The absence of the powerful striker ironically saw the Junior Ferns produce their best football of the tournament, their passing game much more to the fore in this match, with Longo and Betsy Hassett (below, bettering Andressa) instrumental as their strengths were given the chance to shine.
 They were matching Brazil stride for stride until the 25th minute, when As Canarinhas opened the scoring in unfortunate circumstances. Alanna gained possession half-way inside the Junior Ferns’ half and threaded a pass through towards Ludmila’s angled run.
Fisher, whose intervention was well-intentioned, lunged at the ball but succeeded only in diverting it away from Nayler, who was advancing off her line to gather it at the striker’s feet. Ludmila took full advantage, latching onto the sphere and swerving round the ‘keeper’s despairing dive before rolling the ball home into an empty net.
To say Fisher was frustrated was something of an understatement, and her mood wasn’t improved three minutes later when referee Damkova thrust the yellow card in the former Young Ferns’ captain’s face as she protested a decision.
So you can appreciate how she felt in the 32nd minute when another splendidly flighted free-kick from Green - her set-piece deliveries were a feature of New Zealand’s play throughout the Finals - struck Fisher and ricocheted off the crossbar to safety. Not her day, again!
Three minutes prior to that near equaliser, a surprisingly nervous Nayler nearly handed Brazil a second goal when fumbling a cross from Camila towards her own net. She scrambled back to paw the ball away from goal at the foot of her right-hand post, but the ‘keeper certainly wasn’t as calm and composed as she had been in the other two matches, of which more shortly.
For prior to more nervous moments for Nayler, her opposite number, Aline, was made to look far from comfortable by another vicious set-piece delivery from Green. Her angled 41st minute free-kick arrowed into the danger zone, and found the goalkeeper flapping windmill-like at the ball, clouting Armstrong on the head in the process.
The treatment both players were afforded contributed to the three additional minutes of first half action, during which Nayler was again found to be of nervous disposition. On the first occasion, diminutive but deadly fullback Leah played a precise pass down the flank into Camila’s path, and her sweeping low cross in behind the defence to the near post saw Nayler scrambling to thwart Ludmila’s efforts to capitalise on the opening.
Armstrong assisted her ‘keeper with a clearance, only to pick out Alanna, who whipped in a cross which found Ludmila, Fisher and Nayler competing for the ball at the near post. The ‘keeper eventually prevailed at the third attempt, and she hurriedly cleared her lines.
That set up a chance at the other end of the park, with Milne’s cross not cleared by the Brazilian defence. Only the bounce of the ball denied White on this occasion, although in truth, this was far from the most memorable performance of her career to date.
Milne and Nadia Pearl were similarly subdued, and both were replaced at half-time as the Junior Ferns looked to get back into the contest via the attacking thrusts which Wilkinson and Sarah McLaughlin would offer.
It meant a slight reshuffling of the team’s structure, the most noteworthy change being the return of Wall to a position which could be described as a round hole, despite the fact she is more of a square peg by comparison!
By nature, she is attack-minded, instinctive, a player who thrills and excites and who captures the imagination. Defensive duties do not dovetail neatly with such a profile, and as you would expect at a World Cup Finals, New Zealand’s opponents have been quick to spot this tactical shortcoming in the Junior Ferns’ game, and have looked to exploit it at every turn.
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Brazil were to do so with success on the hour mark, but ten minutes prior, Cardozo sent Ludmila lumbering down the right, the striker wrong-footing Green in the penalty area before setting up first half substitute Edna. Fisher blocked this effort to safety.
Six minutes later, As Canarinhas failed to deal with a Wall throw-in, and the somewhat subdued Leota suddenly burst into life, exploding onto the ball and drilling a low cross across the six-yard area. McLaughlin was just a yard away from turning home an equaliser few would have begrudged the Junior Ferns.
Instead, the game was savagely taken away from them in the 59th minute, and it was the right-hand side of New Zealand’s defence which was again exposed. Wall was caught out of position, leaving Fisher faced with a two-on-one situation. The luckless defender saw her clearance cannon off Ludmila and straight into the stride of Alanna, dashing through behind her.
The classy number ten scampered to the by-line before whipping in a low cross which Nayler deflected away from the incoming Camila with her leg. Unfortunately for the ‘keeper, Leah was following in, and from a tight angle, unhesitatingly rammed the ball into the roof of the net - 2-0 Brazil.
 Within seconds, the scorer had turned provider - Leah’s spectacular somersault throw-ins (above) were an outstanding feature of As Canarinhas attacking play. This one found Ludmila lurking near the edge of the penalty area, but Armstrong stood firm to block her shot to safety.
After Fisher had headed a deep corner from Green narrowly past the far post, the resulting goal-kick from Aline was flicked on by Ludmila into the stride of Alanna, who found herself one-on-one with Nayler.
The ‘keeper stood her ground and blocked the shot well, then saved superbly at the feet of the charging figure of Ludmila in the 69th minute, after Alanna had split the defence with a peach of a pass.
Ludmila landed awkwardly as a result of this challenge, and was soon withdrawn, Debora her replacement. What an impact she made! Within seconds of coming on, she slalomed her way through two challenges inside as many yards in the penalty area before deftly chipping Nayler, only to see the back-pedalling ‘keeper paw the ball narrowly over the bar in the 74th minute.
After Wall had warmed Aline’s gloves with a rasping twenty-five yarder upon being picked out by McLaughlin, the massed ranks of New Zealand’s rearguard finally got the better of Camila and Debora, as the duo attempted to wriggle their way through the wall of black-clad bodies just inside the penalty area nine minutes from time.
Five minutes later, Nayler saved at the feet of Alanna following a poor goal-kick, an incident which preceded three goals in a four-minute flurry, as both teams looked to bow out of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Finals by leaving with a goal by which they would be remembered.
Brazil made it 3-0 in the 87th minute, Aline Fernanda sending Camila careering down the right into the penalty area, from where she pulled the ball back into Debora, who deftly turned the covering figure of Fisher and fired a fulminating eight yard shot on the turn past the diving figure of Nayler.
As Canarinhas were still celebrating when the Junior Ferns’ best performer on the day set up the goal of the game, a minute from time. Longo’s last appearance as a New Zealand age-grade representative - this was the nineteen-year-old’s 62nd international for her country, all told - was crowned in style, the midfielder cleverly evading two challenges before playing an angled slide-rule pass into the stride of White.
The striker had plenty to do as she darted in between two defenders, but the artful manner in which she beat both players - an instinctive back-heeled flick with a dash of back-spin on it - was the sort of touch you would expect to see a Brazilian produce, not see used against them in the act of scoring.
But produce it White did, and she side-stepped the wrong-footed Estergiane before battering the ball into the top far corner of the net from ten yards - a quite "Brazilliant!" ’golazo’ which gave the Junior Ferns something to savour from their final appearance at Germany 2010.
It wasn’t the game’s final act, however. That came straight from the kick-off, a raking ball forward by Thaynara catching Armstrong out of position, but not Debora unawares. The striker was through, and after rounding Nayler on the edge of the penalty area, coolly slotted home the final goal of the game to cap off a 4-1 win, but one which did Brazil no good whatsoever.
With Sweden having stunned North Korea 3-2 to win the group, As Canarinhas, like the Junior Ferns, were out of Germany 2010, with this Brazilian team the first in the history of FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Finals to fail to progress past the group stages.
New Zealand, of course, have never reached the last eight at any FIFA Finals, and this U-20 women’s squad was considered by many to represent our best chance of doing so to date, even though this was Germany 2010’s "Group of Death".
Three defeats from as many matches will forever look bad in the annals, but the Junior Ferns weren’t that far away from getting some reward for their efforts in all three games.
It was a combination of tactical shortcomings and a lack of preparation by a handful of players - no matter how much training you do, there is no substitute for regular competitive match-play to improve individual skills and sharpness - which ultimately led to New Zealand’s disappointing return from this tournament, one which marked the last hurrah for many players in age-grade action on the world stage.
Junior Ferns: Nayler; Milne (Wilkinson, 46), Fisher (booked, 28), Armstrong, Green; Longo, Pearl (McLaughlin, 46), Hassett; Leota (Wood, 71), White, Wall
Brazil: Aline; Leah, Estergiane, Juliana Cardozo, Aline Fernanda; Camila, Andressa (Edna, 41), Thaynara, Rafaelle; Alanna, Ludmila (Debora, 73)
Referee: Dagmar Damkova (Czech Republic)
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