New Zealand stun Norway in opener

New Zealand 1-0 Norway | Group A

Goalscorers: Hannah Wilkinson (48'),

Played at Eden Park, Auckland / Tāmaki Makaurau on Thursday, July 20, 2023 at 7:00 PM (local time).

HIGHLIGHTS: New Zealand v Norway | FIFA Women's World Cup 2023

The Football Ferns recorded their first-ever win at the Women's World Cup after a 1-0 success in Group A.

- New Zealand record first-ever FIFA Women's World Cup win

- Hannah Wilkinson has now scored in three different Women's World Cups

- Both sides hit the woodwork during a well-contested game

New Zealand have kicked off their FIFA Women's World Cup™ campaign with a huge win over Norway in Group A.

Hannah Wilkinson was the hero on the night, scoring the only goal of the game to help the Football Ferns to a first-ever win at any edition of the tournament.



Match review

A tentative opening brought few chances from either side with Norway creating more in spite of New Zealand’s relentless press. Frida Maanum was on the end of their first clear-cut opportunity, but her effort sailed over the bar.

Caroline Graham Hansen demonstrated her pace on the wing, picking up the ball in her own half and progressing to the byline - holding off two defenders - before laying it off to Ada Hegerberg. The striker looked to cushion the ball into the bottom corner, but for a last-ditch challenge from Rebekah Stott.

The Football Ferns would find the breakthrough just minutes into the second period. Just five passes from goalkeeper to striker were needed, with Wilkinson finishing emphatically beyond Aurora Mikalsen between the sticks.

Hege Riise’s side had their chances to find a way back in, with second-half substitute Tuva Hansen’s long-range effort forcing a sublime save from Victoria Esson in the New Zealand goal, pushing it onto the crossbar with a finger-tip stop.

The co-hosts had the chance to seal the win late on, but Ria Percival's spot-kick - that was awarded following a handball by Hansen in the box - ricocheted off the crossbar. After nine minutes of stoppage time, the final whistle was met with a roar from the record crowd at Eden Park as the Ferns earned a monumental win.



Quotes

“I am so, so proud. We’ve been fighting for this for so long and we had a clear goal that we wanted to inspire young girls, young people, around this country and around this world and I really think we did that tonight. We believed in ourselves from the very beginning and we showed it. We played with confidence and with poise... this is what dreams are made of. The energy [from the crowd] helped us get through it. This morning something really tragic happened and we wanted to bring something positive tonight; we thought of the victims and the first responders. They made us so proud and we just wanted to help bring something amazing today.”
Ali Riley, New Zealand captain



“I’m kind of speechless. I don’t really feel like I’m here at the moment. You just played for the girls out there, I was looking at Ria and I was looking at Riley and was just like ‘we’re winning this for them’. For the girls in the past and the ones coming in the future. Everything we’ve been talking about just showed up today.”
Malia Steinmetz, New Zealand midfielder

"I still have goosebumps. It’s an incredible feeling. Unforgettable. Before the game, this was one of the most focused moments I’ve ever seen from our team. From the first minute, the players were fighting for us, for the country. It was very well deserved. New Zealand has waited for this for such a long time."
Jitka Klimkova, New Zealand coach

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