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Mexico Hand Young Ferns Opening Day Hiding

by Jeremy Ruane

New Zealand's Young Ferns were handed a 5-0 hiding by a far superior Mexico side in their opening FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Finals encounter at the Amman International Stadium in Jordan on September 30.

Gareth Turnbull's young charges began brightly enough, probing passes in behind the defence inside the first four minutes just too far in front of Hannah Blake and Sammi Tawharu to capitalise upon, with the latter close to being the beneficiary of a sumptuous one-touch move in the fourth minute, Malia Steinmetz combining with Blake and Jacqui Hand to prise open the Mexican defence.

Only a vital tackle by Jimena Lopez denied Tawharu in the fifth minute as another enterprising move came close to realising its objective, after which the Mexicans mounted their first raid of the match, the speedy Jacqueline Ovalle standing up Claudia Bunge on the left before whipping in a cross which Dayana Cazares sliced past the far post in the sixth minute.

Eight minutes later, an angled ball in from Lopez dropped invitingly into no man's land, that space in between the central defenders and goalkeeper Anna Leat. Daniela Espinosa darted in to capitalise upon it, only to be thwarted by Ally Toailoa's timely tackle.

It was made at the expense of a corner, which saw Montserrat Hernandez's delivery cleared to Alexia Delgado. The Mexican captain unleashed a scorching twenty-five yarder which skimmed off the shin of Toailoa and clipped the base of Leat's right hand post, with the 'keeper beaten.

Three minutes later, she was beaten again, and while the net bulged on this occasion, it wasn't for the want of trying to prevent it on Leat's part. Nicole Mettam headed the ball clear to Cazares, who promptly careered into the box before fizzing a cross across the goalmouth to the far post.

Arriving on cue was Ovalle, whose close-range shot was somehow kept out by Leat, only for Espinosa to lunge forward where angels fear to tread - the general vicinity of Toailoa's toes - and head home the rebound, albeit at the cost of a headache.

Her countrywomen didn't mind one bit, however - Mexico were a goal to the good, and after Blake had fired New Zealand's first shot in anger past the near post seven minutes later, after Steinmetz and Tawharu had combined to unlock the defence, the Mexicans went close to doubling their advantage in the 28th minute.

Leat anticipated Ovalle's ambitious lob, however, and sparked a counter-attack which culminated in the Young Ferns' best chance so far. Blake played in the well-contained Grace Jale on the right in the penalty area, but she pulled the ball back behind the incoming figure of Steinmetz.

In some ways, it summed up the Young Ferns' display to this point - well-intentioned passes, but ill-timed or inaccurate execution. A lot of their play had offered promise aplenty, but they let themselves down with their option-taking and decision-making in the heat of battle.

This tended to put them under further pressure - as if Mexico weren't applying enough! Ovalle's pace was a constant problem for Bunge at right back, and the speedy winger stood up the defender once more on the half-hour before getting to the by-line and pulling the ball back for Espinosa.

Toailoa's timely challenge curtailed this particular raid, but it was an attempted headed clearance by the defender nine minutes before half-time which presented the Mexicans with the chance to double their lead, one they took with aplomb.

Ashley Soto's free-kick was headed out by Toailoa to Cazares, who instantly fired over a cross to the far post which Bunge misjudged. Lurking beyond her was Ovalle, whose first touch controlled the ball and second sent it arrowing through the legs of the advancing figure of Leat, who looked round in despair to see the ball crashing into the net behind her.

At 2-0 down, the Young Ferns had to score next to get back into the contest, and on the stroke of half-time, they very nearly did so. Steinmetz angled a ball in behind the defence which Jazmin Enrigue attempted to clear, but only as far as Tawharu, who was promptly denied by Miriam Aguirre's smart reflex save.

Jacqui Hand - she cut an increasingly frustrated figure throughout proceedings - was unable to capitalise on the rebound, and in the 56th minute was unable to capitalise on some sloppy Mexican defensive work, which allowed captain Michaela Foster's angled ball to reach the striker, whose resulting shot was blocked by the recovering figure of Enrigue.

By the time New Zealand next fired a shot in anger, the game was well and truly beyond them, with Mexico taking full advantage of their superior quality to comfortably overcome the Oceania champions.

Soto ignited a lovely move in the 58th minute. Surging out of defence, she carried on her run after laying the ball off to Espinosa, who slipped it into the stride of Cazares. One touch later, and Soto was in on the overlap, the space in which she found herself allowing her to measure a cross into the goalmouth.

Hernandez missed connecting with it by the narrowest of margins, while Ovalle, following in behind her, made a desperate but vain attempt to make contact with the ball.

Eight minutes later, only Mettam's timely tackle on the edge of the penalty area denied Hernandez, with the impressive Luisa Delgado narrowly astray with her follow-up effort.

She was a lot closer to hitting the target than Leat was to punching clear a Hernandez corner in the 68th minute, that's for sure. The fifteen-year-old custodian came for the delivery, but realised very quickly she had misjudged the ball's flight, unlike Lopez, who headed home into the unguarded net gleefully - 3-0.

A long-range free-kick from the goalscoring fullback seven minutes later was one which Leat was pleased to see fizz narrowly past the far post, after which the Mexicans looked to hand the Young Ferns a lifeline in the contest.

Aguirre failed to adequately deal with a teasing corner from Foster twelve minutes from time - her defenders baled her out, while the 'keeper got in a right royal mess with Rodriguez sixty seconds later as Emma Main - one of three Young Ferns substitutes introduced in the second spell - showed great intent in chasing down a hopeful ball forward sixty seconds later.

Nine minutes from time, it was 4-0. Francesca Grange, another of the newcomers, cleared the ball as far as Hernandez, who got in behind the Young Ferns defence on the left before setting up substitute Veronica Avalos for a tap-in with her first touch since entering the fray.

The habit proved infectious, for after Leat had smothered an angled shot from Hernandez after the midfielder had nutmegged Foster on the right, the goalkeeper's thrown clearance was swooped on by substitute Gabriela Juarez.

She touched the ball to fellow newcomer Celiana Torres, who, with her first touch since entering the fray, picked out an absolute gem - a thirty-five yard screamer which thundered past Leat en route to the back of the net for the pick of the goals in this 5-0 hiding.

Main never gave up the ghost, and was nearly rewarded for her enterprise in stoppage time when capitalising on another Aguirre blunder. The substitute's snapshot under pressure flew across the face of goal, while Luisa Delgado's curling twenty-five yarder in stoppage time required the intervention of Leat to prevent Mexico's advantage extending to six goals.

Five was a more than ample tally, however, one which leaves the Young Ferns on course to follow their four predecessors in exiting these Finals at the group stage. They next take on Spain in a match which kicks off at 2am NZ time on October 4 at Irbid's Al Hassan International Stadium.

Mexico: Aguirre; Soto, Enrigue, Rodriguez, Lopez; A. Delgado, L. Delgado, Hernandez; Cazares (Avalos, 76), Espinosa (Torres, 86), Ovalle (Juarez, 65)

Young Ferns: Leat; Bunge (Grange, 52), Lake (booked, 49), Toailoa (booked, 73), Foster; Steinmetz (Main, 60), Mettam, Jale; Blake, Tawharu (Krystman, 72), Hand

Referee: Yeimy Martinez (Colombia)

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