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Junior Ferns' Hopes Dashed By Ghana

by Jeremy Ruane

Ghana dashed the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup quarter-final hopes of New Zealand's Junior Ferns at the Stade Guy-Piriou in Concarneau on August 12, with the African nation prevailing 1-0 in a somewhat attritional tussle which never threatened to capture the imagination.

The Junior Ferns went into the match knowing that a decent-sized victory, allied to a loss for host nation France at the hands of Holland, could see the Kiwis reach the quarter-finals - a rare achievement for any representative side from Godzone at a FIFA tournament.

But after holding the French to a scoreless draw in their previous encounter - one of the finest ninety minute efforts in New Zealand football's history on the world stage, Gareth Turnbull's charges was unable to lift themselves for a second successive fixture, although things might have been different had they scored an early goal in this match against the already eliminated African side.

The Junior Ferns' first threat materalised in the third minute, when captain Malia Steinmetz pounced on a loose ball and instantly played it through for Maggie Jenkins, only for the retreating figure of Shine Agbomadzi to steer it past her own goalkeeper for a corner.

Nothing came of this, but New Zealand very nearly found themselves with a mountain to climb in the seventh minute, when Helena Obeng's angled cross found captain Sandra Owusu-Ansah rising between Liz Anton and Claudia Bunge to head goalwards. Anna Leat plunged to her left to keep the ball out.

The golden chance the Junior Ferns needed to convert materialised in the tenth minute courtesy a delightful move. Anton fed Bunge, who charged forward before finding Sarah Morton on the left. The fullback released Hannah Blake to the by-line, from where her cross was cut out by Agbomadzi.

The ball was cleared to Anton, who lobbed it back into the danger zone, where Grace Jale's flick-on left Tawharu with just Martha Annan to beat. Sadly for the striker and an expectant nation 10,000 miles away, she shot straight at the 'keeper …

Had she scored, there's no reason to think New Zealand wouldn't have gone on to record the handsome win they needed, even though it would have been in vain given the French rout of Holland which unfolded elsewhere.

Annan picked up an injury while denying Tawharu, but she had recovered in time to deny the striker again three minutes later, as she met Aneka Mittendorff's cross with a header. The ball was swiftly cleared downfield, and Justice Tweneboaa's pass invited Owusu-Ansah to dash past Bunge and round the advancing figure of Leat, only to run out of real estate - Ghana's captain was clearly in the mood.

A scrappy spell of play followed before Blake sent an angled drive careering over the bar, to which Ghana responded via the efforts of Owusu-Ansah and Grace Asantewaa, both of whom fired narrowly wide from the edge of the penalty area.

"The Black Princesses", as Ghana are nicknamed, continued to press for a goal before the interval, with Olivia Anokye going close from distance before Owusu-Ansah spotted Leat off her line and forced the 'keeper to recover her ground well in order to keep the ball out.

Ruth Anima also went close, her near post chip attempt landing on the roof of the net, much like Jale's headed effort in the 38th minute from a Maggie Jenkins corner, the only chance of note the Junior Ferns created in the final twenty minutes of the first half.

With captain Steinmetz having copped a buffeting during the first spell, Rose Morton was called upon

to commence the second half in the midfield anchor role, but the pattern of her country's play continued - far too many hopeful balls played forward, and far too much emphasis placed on trying to profit from set-piece plays.

It was low percentage football from a team which needed to play with quality and accuracy if they harboured hopes of securing victory. How they would have benefited from playing the passing game … which only added to the frustration from this writer's perspective, because through seeing these players in action on a regular basis domestically, they are well capable of producing the football which would have worked for them on this occasion.

Instead, with nerves increasing, and uncertainty growing in tandem with a lack of confidence, basic instincts - those methods taught at an early age - took over, and the aimless kicking game of a country steeped in rugby traditions was very much in evidence …

We can be so much better than this.

There were some openings engineered. Four minutes into the second spell, Mittendorff's long throw-in - arguably the Junior Ferns' most profitable tactical weapon all tournament - was once again to the fore. Tawharu flicked it on to Jenkins, who steered her shot past the near post.

Seven minutes later, Jenkins landed an angled cross on the roof of Ghana's net following a Blake free-kick, while in the 64th minute, Jale and Tawharu carved out a great chance for Paige Satchell. But her desire to beat one more defender got the better of the speedster, that extra touch allowing Ghana to snuff out the opening.

Fifteen minutes from time, the goal the game needed was scored by Anima, who followed in to head home after Asantewaa's charging run had culminated in her letting fly from twenty yards with a shot which crashed against the crossbar.

Seven minutes later, the Junior Ferns were fortunate not to concede a second goal. Anokye completely outfoxed Mittendorff, but Anton - now sporting the captain's armband - stepped in, only for Anokye's shot to ricochet off her into the face of Mittendorff, pole-axing the defender. The ball ricocheted straight to Obeng, whose shot beat Leat but hit the post - a genuine let-off for Oceania's champions.

After Mittendorff had recovered, Asantewaa drilled one narrowly across the face of goal after being set up by Owusu-Ansah. Jale led the Junior Ferns' belated response to these threats, but her 87th minute volley was blocked before Annan turned her well-struck free-kick round the post, New Zealand's last chance to stave off defeat.

Ghana mustered one more opportunity before the final whistle, with Leat forced to produce a fine fingertip save to keep out Asantewaa's chip in stoppage time, but the Africans had done enough to earn their first win of the Finals, sending New Zealand home as the fourteenth-ranked team in the tournament - poor reward for their efforts in doing so well against both Holland and France.

But they undid some of that good work with their performance in this match, their most disappointing display of the week, and one which showed that New Zealand football-wise still has much to do in so many facets of the game in the country's quest to improve, develop and grow on the world stage.

Ghana: Annan; Tweneboaa, Agbomadzi, Asuako, Agyemang; Asantewaa, Abambila, Anokye; Obeng (Acheampong, 86), Owusu-Ansah, Anima

Jnr Ferns: Leat; Mittendorff, Anton, Bunge, S. Morton (Mettam, 81); Satchell, Jale, Steinmetz (R. Morton, 46), Blake; Jenkins (Hand, 59), Tawharu

Referee: Edina Alves Batista (Brazil)

Project France 2018