At home, New Zealand signed their first success in sixteen World Cup matches on Thursday in the opening match against Norway (1-0).
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On the field, an ideal start. New Zealand won against Norway (1-0) on Thursday at the opening of their World Cup. A historic result for the Ferns, who had never won in their previous fifteen meetings in the competition. With this victory over the Group A favorites celebrated as a title, the co-hosts are already positioning themselves for qualification, before challenging the Philippines, novices at this level.
While we were waiting for the Scandinavian attacking trio made up of Lyonnaise Ada Hegerberg, Barcelona’s Caroline Graham Hansen and Julie Blakstad, who belongs to Manchester City, the only goal of the match came from New Zealander Hannah Wilkinson, found at six meters by a Jacqui Hand too fast for the opposing defense (49th).
Apart from a strike from Tuva Hansen sent on the crossbar (81st), the Norwegians, stunned, were never able to come back and could even have taken a penalty at the end of the match, missed by Ria Percival (90th).
History will also remember that this sanction was taken thanks to the VAR, and for the first time in history in a senior competition of this level, explained live by the referee of the meeting with his microphone.
A particular context marked by the shooting in Auckland
The pre-match had not been the most serene for the players of Hege Riise, the Scandinavians having been awakened in the night by helicopters and emergency vehicles dispatched near their hotel in downtown Auckland after a fatal shooting. “At first we didn’t know what was going on, but the local TV and media eventually let us know”explained Norwegian captain Maren Mjelde before the match.
Before the match, the two teams, accompanied by the 42,000 spectators at Eden Park, observed a minute of silence from the central circle to pay tribute to the victims.