The Junior Ferns' bid to progress to the knockout stages of the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Finals in Costa Rica got off to a nervous yet promising start at the Alejandro Morera Soto Stadium in Alajuela on August 10, as they held one of the tournament favourites, Mexico, to a hard-earned 1-1 draw. Gemma Lewis' charges nearly got off to a flying start against "El Tri", who were caught out by Ava Pritchard's high press inside the opening sixty seconds. The ball broke to Alyssa Whinham, who darted to the byline before pulling the ball back for Millie Clegg to unleash a shot which was directed straight at Mexican goalkeeper, Celeste Espino. Mexico responded within four minutes, fullback Alexxandra Ramirez riding a challenge from Whinham before lashing a twenty-five yarder at Murphy Sheaff, who instantly released Clegg down the left. She worked her way in-field before crossing towards the far post careered across the bows of the incoming figure of Pritchard. Cue Mexican dominance, plenty of it at that, with a lot of their best work coming from left-winger Bridgette Marin. She found herself up against Tui Dugan, a box-to-box midfielder who found herself filling in at right-back in this match. While she did her best, she was no match for the mercurial Marin, who first got the better of her inexperienced rival in the tenth minute. On this occasion, she got to the byline before pulling the ball back for a team-mate to do the honours, only for Kate Taylor to intervene, something the Junior Ferns' skipper would do with imperious timing on numerous occasions throughout this contest. Three minutes later, Korean referee Kim Yu Jeong applied a ridiculous interpretation of the letter of the law to leave Dugan looking up at a yellow card in disbelief! When one considers that she was leaping and turning in an attempt to block a shot with her back, only for the ball to strike her elbow … Harsh doesn't even begin to describe the decision surrounding what, quite clearly, wasn't a deliberate act. It certainly wasn't a call made in the spirit of the game, either. But as the game went on, it became clear that this official wasn't making decisions of her own volition - there was too much attention being paid to the voices in her ear … just who was in charge? Mexico got on with things in spite of the officiating. In the sixteenth minute, Natalia Mauleon fired over a cross from the right which evaded all bar Marin, coming in on the far post. Taylor's intervention again spared Kiwi blushes. She did so again three minutes later, after Anette Vazquez had neatly controlled a clearance inside her own half, in doing so outfoxing Dugan, which meant Marin was in yards of space on the left. To her the ball was duly played, and down the flank she stormed before firing in a cross, only to see Taylor in the place where she hoped a team-mate would be arriving. The resulting corner, taken by Daniela Monroy, was sliced past her own post by Clegg. The fullback duly ran across to the other side of the pitch and fired this corner into the goalmouth, Marisa Van der Meer responding with a headed clearance. The ball reached the penalty spot, struck an opponent and broke for Ramirez, who stabbed her effort goalwards from the edge of the goal area, only for Taylor to emerge as New Zealand's heroine once more, this time clearing off the line. Marin continued to make Dugan's life hell, blazing high, wide and far from handsomely past the near post in the 23rd minute after fending off the stand-in fullback, before seeing another pullback from the byline fall to a foe, rather than a friend. The Junior Ferns survived another close call in the 28th minute. Ramirez fired in a free-kick from range which lured Sheaff out of goal. The ball struck the approaching goalkeeper and ricocheted off Mexican striker Andrea Frias before bouncing narrowly past the gaping goal. It seemed only a matter of time before a goal was scored, and in the 31st minute, the deadlock was broken - by New Zealand. Latching onto a loose ball on halfway, Grace Wisnewski powered downfield before, from twenty-five yards, pulling the trigger. Her shot struck the back of Mexican defender Carol Cazares, completely wrong-footing Espino, whose attempt to retrieve the situation saw her diving to her right, only for her outstretched gloves to direct the ball into the net, to the undisguised delight of Wisnewski and her black-clad team-mates. Because of the degree of deviation with the deflection, an own goal was the official ruling from those sitting in positions of judgement on high. Wisnewski and company cared not one jot at this moment in time - they were 1-0 up, very much against the run of play, admittedly, but that was Mexico's problem. The goal rocked "El Tri", who took quite some time to get their mojo back. While they were doing so, the Junior Ferns were growing in self-belief - Whinham was confidently looking to beat not just the first but the second opponent, for instance.

But just when it appeared New Zealand would be heading to the dressing rooms a goal to the good, Mexico uncorked an equaliser in the shadows of the half-time whistle. Vazquez burst forward from deep before feeding the untracked Frias through the inside right channel. The striker lured Sheaff out of goal before playing the ball across the goalmouth, where the retreating Aniela Jensen's bid to clear the danger succeeded only in directing it into the path of Vazquez, who prodded the ball into the far corner of the net despite the presence of three defenders between her and the target - 1-1. The Junior Ferns were first to threaten in the second spell, Clegg forcing her way to the byline before seeing her low cross saved at the feet of the incoming Collins by Espino five minutes after the resumption of play. Mexico's goalkeeper was called upon again ten minutes later, this time denying Clegg's twenty-yarder after Jensen, having beaten two players moments after being booked for a crude challenge from behind, invited Whinham to unleash a sumptuous through ball through the inside left channel for the striker to capitalise upon. In between times, "El Tri" was in the ascendancy, with Daniela Delgado slipping as she shot upon receipt of a Marin cross in the 51st minute. Sheaff dealt with this easily, and looked on with relief two minutes later as Izabella Gutierrez's teasing chip drifted over the crossbar in the aftermath of an incident which saw Collins floored by a point-blank-range cross from Monroy which struck the striker just below the heart and left her gasping for breath in the hot conditions. Cramp began to play a part in the game, with Clegg stricken by it after the hour mark, prompting the introduction of Charlotte Lancaster. She was swiftly involved in proceedings, Van der Meer picking her out which the newcomer turned into Whinham's path. She touched it on towards Wisnewski, who saw another shot take a deflection, only this one flew wide of the target. Mexico also introduced some fresh legs around this time, including young prospect Alice Soto, who could well play in three FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Finals, given she's just sixteen years old. She's in this squad on merit, based on her efforts in the last twenty minutes alone. Her first contribution of note was a 71st minute cross which was headed out by Kiwi substitute Zoe McMeeken to Marin, who slipped past the fullback and let fly, only to see Sheaff pull off a superb fingertip save at close quarters to divert the ball over the bar. The 'keeper was less troubled by a Samantha Lopez free-kick soon afterwards, but was relieved to see another Mexican substitute, Alexia Villanueva, lash a shot well wide of the target after sidestepping the sliding challenge of Taylor before surging goalwards into the penalty area. The powerfully built Villanueva was proving a handful for the tiring Kiwis, and in the 77th minute beat a couple of them before inviting Marin to get the better of McMeeken and drill a shot towards the target. It was too hot for Sheaff to handle, but fortunately for New Zealand, her face copped the full force of the shot, the ball ricocheting to safety as a startled Sheaff shook her head - definitely one taken for the team on this occasion! The menacing Marin was in again a minute later, with McMeeken, like Dugan before her, swiftly discovering that Mexico's number eleven was an extremely challenging opponent, to put it mildly. The winger got past the fullback before directing a low cross into the stride of Mauleon, who somehow skied her effort from ten yards with the goal at her mercy. Mauleon missed another one soon afterwards, firing past the post after more good work by Villanueva, while both Soto and Mauleon were thwarted by Sheaff inside the next three minutes, as the Junior Ferns clung on to the point that was theirs with a stoic rearguard effort. They were really struggling in the conditions, however, with cramp proving as challenging an opponent as Mexico in the later stages of the contest. Mauleon squandered another chance two minutes from time, after being played in by Vazquez, while in the six minutes of stoppage time, a stray McMeeken pass was pounced on by Paola Chavero, whose cross flashed across the face of the incoming Villanueva. The Junior Ferns held on for dear life, however, and were rewarded by the welcome sound of the final whistle, confirming a 1-1 draw with Mexico on a day Colombia edged Germany 1-0 in the other encounter in the group. The Germans are the Kiwis' next opponents at this venue in three days' time. Mexico:     Espino; Monroy, Guzman, Cazares (Chavero, 89), Ramirez (Lopez, 54); Delgado, Gutierrez (Soto, 67), Vazquez; Mauleon (Maldonado, 89), Frias (Villanueva, 67), Marin Junior Ferns:     Sheaff; Dugan (booked, 13) (McMeeken, 71), Niedermayr, Taylor (Walker, 80), Van der Meer; Whinham (Wilford-Carroll, 80), Jensen (booked, 57), Wisnewski; Pritchard, Clegg (Lancaster, 64), Collins (booked, 80) Referee:     Kim Yu Jeong (Korea Republic)