A last-gasp equaliser from Toni Duggan spared the blushes of the “Empire” at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Finals in Santiago on November 27, and served to break the hearts of the “Colonial Upstarts”, who were just thirty seconds away from a famous victory and a special place in New Zealand's footballing history. The Junior Ferns were denied the honour of becoming the first NZ representative team, male or female, to qualify for the knock-out stages of a FIFA tournament by England's late leveller at the Estadio Municipal de la Florida. It was a goal which secured Mo Marley's team a 1-1 draw and their passage to the quarter-finals at the expense of John Herdman's defiant young charges, who wept unashamedly come the final whistle, their World Cup dreams having been denied them in dramatic circumstances. The Junior Ferns had led through Sarah McLaughlin's 27th minute strike, but had to play the final twenty minutes, plus an exceedingly lengthy period of stoppage time, without captain Katie Hoyle, whose second bookable offence saw her become the second Lynn-Avon United star to be sent off for New Zealand in as many matches at this tournament - club- and country-mate, Ria Percival, was suspended for this match. Duggan's strike, four minutes into time added on at the end of the second spell, was a devastating blow for the Kiwi team, who head for home with a ninth-placed finish and the reputation of being the Finals' most entertaining side, if not its most disciplined. A battle between two well-matched teams was the way of life from the very first whistle, although it was the team who had to win - New Zealand - who looked to gain the upper hand early on. Indeed, within ten seconds of the kick-off, Caitlin Campbell had stormed downfield and sent a twenty-yard drive crashing into the advertising hoardings behind Rebecca Spencer's goal. England's goalkeeper looked on as Rosie White headed a Campbell corner over the crossbar soon afterwards, then had her gloves warmed by a tame Betsy Hassett strike as the Junior Ferns sought an opening goal inside the first ten minutes of a match in which Bridgette Armstrong looked a tad suspect when one-on-one with English attackers. The group leaders, who knew that a draw would be enough to see them advance to the quarter-finals, began to flex their attacking muscles after weathering their opponents' early efforts, with Brooke Chaplen intercepting a Campbell pass to send Jessica Clarke clear in the thirteenth minute. She shot early but well wide of the target on this occasion, while three minutes later, a wicked corner from Claire Rafferty had the Junior Ferns' defence on tenterhooks as it careered across the goalmouth - all it needed was a touch and England would have been in front. White was caught in possession half-way inside her own half by Natasha Dowie in the eighteenth minute, as the Young Lionesses' pressure continued. Remi Allen took over from her team-mate, and unleashed a stinging twenty-five yarder which Charlotte Wood grabbed greedily. Her opposite number, Spencer, was in action next, saving from McLaughlin in the 26th minute. The striker had wrongly been called offside, however, after Hassett's surging run from midfield and subsequent pass had slipped McLaughlin through. Miffed, McLaughlin didn't have too long to wait to make amends - mere seconds, in fact. For England made a right pig's ear of the clearing free-kick, and effectively invited the striker to have another go by presenting the ball to her just outside the penalty area. A twenty yarder duly thundered past Spencer into the bottom corner of the net - 1-0 New Zealand after 27 minutes. Stunned, England stormed onto the attack, for as things stood, they were on their way out of Chile 08! A Rafferty corner to the far post on the half-hour picked out Allen, whose header prompted a save from Wood. The Kiwi `keeper looked on four minutes later as a dipping long-range effort from Chelsea Weston narrowly cleared her crossbar. England were stringing some neat passing interchanges together, particularly down the right, but it was the Junior Ferns who finished the half more strongly. Five minutes before the interval, Campbell and Liz Milne linked on the right, with the latter's deep cross being headed past the far post by the effervescent Hannah Wall, one of the brightest stars to shine throughout New Zealand's U-17 and U-20 campaigns. Another, at U-20 level at least, was Abby Erceg, who was a veritable Rock of Gibraltar in defence throughout this match. In the 41st minute, she hooked clear a Danielle Buet free-kick, only for Weston to lob the ball back into the danger zone. Duggan's header sailed over the bar as England's last attack of the half petered out. As had been the case in the first spell, the Kiwis began the second half in lively fashion. Campbell hoisted a free-kick into the penalty area from the centre circle, and found Wall ghosting in behind the defence. The seventeen-year-old directed her header onto the roof of the net. Three minutes later, Campbell spurned a great chance to double New Zealand's lead after McLaughlin had been fouled by Stephanie Houghton just outside the penalty area. The dead-ball specialist battered her

Bridgette Armstrong fends off Jessica Clarke Caitlin Campbell helps Sarah McLaughlin celebrate her goal Jessica Clarke holds off the challenge of Katie Hoyle The following pictures speak for themselves ...

free-kick straight into the defensive wall. This prompted England to redouble their efforts in search of an equaliser, but the colonial upstarts continued to snub their noses in the face of the Empire! Dowie and substitute Rachel Williams combined in the 57th minute to present Duggan with another opening, but Wood proved equal to her twenty yard effort. Six minutes later, Buet blazed the ball over the bar, an effort which preceded an angled Rafferty free-kick from twenty-five yards which gave Wood scant cause for concern. Something which can not be said for the two bookings Hoyle received in a five-minute spell which left the Junior Ferns captain crestfallen. The second, a late lunging tackle on Duggan, was certainly a yellow card offence, but the first was a rather harsh decision by Japanese referee Sachiko Baba, who deemed that Hoyle had held back Williams in her attempts to get the ball. Either way, the two bookings together meant New Zealand had to rely on the services of ten players throughout the last twenty minutes, which, with England hotly pursuing an equaliser, meant a rearguard action was inevitable. The first task for the Junior Ferns was to survive the free-kick Hoyle had conceded. Buet whipped it in towards the far post, and Wood was flapping as the ball sped past her and, thankfully, just beyond the incoming figures of Allen and Williams, who pounded the post in frustration with her fists. Back came the Kiwis, White laying the ball off to Hassett in the 74th minute. She surged downfield, with Wall and substitute Grace Vincent providing excellent options in support. Hassett opted to fly solo, however, and Spencer saved her effort comfortably. It was effectively New Zealand's last attack of note, because for the rest of the match, England laid siege to the Junior Ferns' goal. Rafferty picked out Dowie with a corner, and the striker directed her header against the crossbar. Williams swooped on the rebound, only to see Armstrong's face take the full force of her piledriver. The ball ricocheted away for another corner, and after the defender had recovered her senses, Rafferty's delivery was pawed to safety by Wood, who looked on again in the 83rd minute as Duggan headed wide following a Houghton pull-back. Seconds later, Duggan was in again, this time on receipt of a Buet ball forward. Wood raced off her line to save bravely at the midfielder's feet, and was in action again in the 87th minute to deny Allen, as she and Duggan linked up to prise open a resolute Kiwi rearguard in which Erceg, in particular, was simply awesome. Into stoppage time, five minutes of which had been signalled by the fourth official. Duggan and Williams combined to beat Hassett before the former thrashed a shot through the legs of Erceg but just wide of the target. Duggan then cut in from the left to send a grasscutter skidding past the post, before England mounted an almighty assault on the New Zealand goal in a desperate attempt to grab the equaliser. Clarke crossed from the left, and Wood parried the ball against the incoming figure of Dowie. Erceg cleared the rebound to Buet, who drove in a cross for Clarke. Armstrong thwarted the midfielder, but her clearance sat up kindly for Duggan. Wood grabbed her twenty-yarder in the 93rd minute - surely the Junior Ferns were through now? Incredibly, devastatingly, heartbreakingly, no. There was time for one last English assault, and Houghton wasted little time in hoisting the ball forward, picking out Williams. She laid the ball off to Duggan, who jinked her way across the edge of New Zealand's penalty area, taking advantage of the confusion being posed by Allen and substitute Jade Moore to engineer some space for a shot … The ball swerved away off her right boot, beyond the reach of Wood, and crashed against the upright, off which it ricocheted into the net. Cue pandemonium among one team, total despair for the other, and no prizes for guessing which category most accurately described the Junior Ferns … How different things would have been just thirty seconds later. Victory and a first-ever appearance in the quarter-finals of a FIFA World Cup beckoned … instead, frustration, tears, and heartache ensued. So, so close. Never before has a 1-1 draw felt so much like a loss in New Zealand football. Never before has the game in this country come so close to scaling hitherto unknown heights - qualifying for the knockout stages of a FIFA tournament. Come Germany 2010 (the U-20 Women's World Cup Finals), Trinidad & Tobago 2010 (the U-17 Women's World Cup Finals), Germany 2011 (the Women's World Cup Finals), and London 2012 (the Olympic Women's Football Tournament), mark my words - those heights will be well and truly scaled. Junior Ferns:     Wood; Milne, Erceg, Armstrong, Green; Campbell (Vincent, 69), Hoyle (booked, 65, 70 - sent off), Hassett, Wall; White (Smith, 90), McLaughlin (Leota, 60) England:     Spencer; Weston, Houghton, Whelan (Moore, 89), Rafferty; Duggan (Hall, 90), Allen, Buet, Dowie; Clarke, Chaplen (Williams, 56) Referee:     Sachiko Baba (Japan)