A crazy decision to make a substitution immediately prior to defending a corner cost New Zealand's Young Ferns an opening round victory at the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Finals on March 16, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Paraguay at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Ayma in Tibas, Costa Rica. A stunning solo strike from Daisy Cleverley had Jitka Klimkova's charges on course to record the Young Ferns' first win at a Finals tournament since Rosie White's hat-trick destroyed Columbia at NZ '08. But six minutes from time, the Paraguayans replied while Tayla Christensen was still taking up a position in New Zealand's penalty area, the substitute having been sent on in place of the eye-catchingly-performed Paige Satchell, whose effervescent movement was a feature of the Young Ferns' play. It was the winger's corner which presented the Kiwis with the game's first chance, just two minutes into a contest bizarrely played in lunch-time heat. Paraguayan defender Analia Torres headed the ball out to Issy Coombes, who lofted it back into the danger zone. Young Ferns captain Martine Puketapu anticipated the effort and positioned herself perfectly to take full advantage, only to scoop the ball over the bar from six yards - a great chance spurned. Cleverley, another of the handful of players in this squad whose qualities are certain to stand out on a stage of this magnitude, offered a glimpse of her promise a minute later. Having won possession, she surged over the half-way line and promptly let fly from forty yards, having spotted Heidi Salas off her line. Cue the sight of a goalkeeper beating a hasty retreat as the ball whizzed goalwards, only to arc narrowly past the post - a warning shot which Salas duly heeded. After those early scares, Paraguay settled, and began to take the game to a Young Ferns side which looked more than a little brittle in defence, particularly on the flanks. Central defenders Hope Gilchrist and Liz Anton combined to thwart Jessica Martinez and Griselda Garay in the thirteenth minute, but when Garay was played in by Fanny Godoy five minutes later, Geena Gross was found wanting. The fullback could easily have conceded a penalty when felling the striker, but Thai referee Pannipar Kamnueng deemed the foul had taken place just outside the area, much to the relief of Gross, who was to pick up a yellow card before the half-time whistle. Martinez eyed the free-kick greedily, and not without reason, her well-flighted effort clearing the defensive wall and grazing the side-netting. Five minutes later, a lofted long-range free-kick from Torres had Young Ferns 'keeper Emma Fulbrook at full stretch as it landed on the roof of the target. Soon after, the game developed into something of an arm wrestle, ye olde route one approach being used by both teams on a number of occasions, to no avail. But four minutes before half-time, the Young Ferns went desperately close to breaking the deadlock. Satchell pinged a corner into the heart of the goalmouth which Puketapu, in full flight, met with a flying header, which sent the ball crashing against the upright four yards away - a genuine let-off for Paraguay, who could only look on as Puketapu chanced her arm from twenty-five yards out four minutes later, Cleverley having won possession in midfield. That shot fizzed past the post, prompting the Paraguayans to mount a last raid before the interval. Fulbrook was wise to Godoy's through ball as she attempted to release Martinez, however, the goalkeeper racing out of her penalty area to thump the ball to safety. Jade Parris, another youngster of immense promise, was introduced to the fray at the start of the second half in place of the ineffective Emily Oosterhof, and made an instant impact. Gathering a clearance from Fulbrook, she picked out Puketapu with a pass which allowed the striker to do the fullback an absolute treat before whipping in a low cross to the near post which had the newcomer as its intended target. The retreating figure of Torres was alert to the danger, however, and snuffed out the threat solidly. The Paraguayans then enjoyed their best spell of

the match, Laurie Cristaldo heading wide beyond the far post upon receipt of Garay's corner. From the resulting short goal-kick, Gross was caught in possession by Martinez just outside her own penalty area. The striker burst through the challenge of Gilchrist, but was thwarted by a superb save at close quarters from Fulbrook, the recovering figure of Gross completing the clearance. It was one mistake too many from the Nelson-based player, however, and she soon made way for Sophie Stewart-Hobbs - for this writer, a surprise non-starter in the fullback role. Fulbrook had the jitters in the 58th minute, her wayward clearance being pounced on by Godoy. She linked with Garay, only for Anton to avert the danger. Three minutes later, Godoy went for glory herself, but Fulbrook was right behind her twenty-five yarder, moments before Shirley Lopez blazed an effort wide of the mark. By this stage, the game had become rather error-strewn, with the Young Ferns, in particular, guilty of sloppy play and conceding possession far too easily. But all that was forgotten in the 69th minute, as Cleverley struck an early contender for goal of the tournament. Latching onto a Fulbrook clearance near the centre circle inside Paraguay's half of the pitch, the Kiwi playmaker set off on a weaving run through three challenges before unleashing a fulminating strike from the edge of the penalty area which arced away from the diving figure of Salas and crashed into the net by the far post. It was a belter of a strike, and one which earned Cleverley player of the match honours from FIFA's technical analysts. It also gave the Young Ferns the advantage with twenty minutes to go in a game both teams were desperate to win, given the strength both Spain and Japan, the other teams in the group, possess in abundance. Cue a string of Paraguay attacks. Fulbrook turned a fifteen yard snapshot from substitute Jessica Aquino round the post in the 73rd minute, while Sheryl Barrios headed wide from the substitute's corner soon afterwards. The Young Ferns responded in fine fashion, with Puketapu's goal celebrations in the 76th minute being cut short by the offside flag. Soon after, Parris unhinged Salas with a free-kick from distance which the 'keeper clumsily fumbled round her post. Eight minutes from time, Stewart-Hobbs' break down the right culminated in a cross for Satchell which saw the pint-sized speedster buffeted by Torres in the goalmouth as she attempted to turn the ball home. Referee Kamnueng brushed aside the Young Ferns' penalty appeals. The official's next intervention saw her awarding a goal six minutes from time, as Barrios headed home Aquino's corner to level the scores seconds after New Zealand had withdrawn Satchell from the fray just before the set-piece … There are certain times in a game when you simply do not make a substitution, and immediately prior to a defensive set-piece is one of them. It's an absolute no-no, and completely unfathomable that one such change should take place in the heat of battle in a World Cup Finals fixture. 'Twas a costly mistake from the Young Ferns' perspective, make no mistake. The equaliser set up a stirring finale, in which Gilchrist was fortunate to escape a booking for taking down Martinez from behind just outside the penalty area in stoppage time. The striker drove her free-kick into the defensive wall, ensuring both Paraguay and the Young Ferns would emerge from this 1-1 affair knowing that each has to win one of their other two games if their ambitions at Costa Rica 2014 are to extend beyond the group phase. In New Zealand's case, their next opponents are Spain, in Tibas at noon on Thursday, NZ time. Paraguay:     Salas; Cristaldo, Torres (booked, 78), Barrios, Genes; Alvarez (Safuan, 74), Alonso, Godoy, Lopez (Amarilla, 88); Garay (Aquino, 67), Martinez Young Ferns:     Fulbrook; Gross (booked, 43) (Stewart-Hobbs, 56), Gilchrist, Anton, Morton; Richards, Cleverley, Coombes; Oosterhof (Parris, 46), Puketapu, Satchell (Christensen, 84) Referee:     Pannipar Kamnueng (Thailand)