NZ claim historic win in record-breaking Women’s WC opener

AFP, Auckland :
Hannah Wilkinson scored the only goal as co-hosts New Zealand (NZ) recorded a historic 1-0 win over Norway in the opening game of the Women’s World Cup (WC) on Thursday.
It was the country’s first-ever victory at the tournament and came in front of more than 42,000 in Auckland, the biggest crowd in New Zealand football history.
It came at the end of a day which started when New Zealand’s largest city was shaken in the morning by a shooting which left two people and the gunman dead, the incident happening in a downtown area close to where several World Cup teams, including Norway, were staying.
The host country’s prime minister, Chris Hipkins, attended the match alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino at Eden Park, where a moment’s silence was held in memory of the victims.
The Football Ferns, who are co-hosting the first 32-team Women’s World Cup with Australia, were not overawed by the occasion as they went on to claim a deserved victory thanks to Wilkinson’s early second-half goal. “I still have goosebumps. We waited for this moment for such a long time,” said New Zealand’s Czech coach, Jitka Klimkova.
“Hearing our fans behind us was just an unforgettable moment, for me as a coach and for all the players involved. It is an incredible, incredible feeling.”
New Zealand had not won any of their 15 previous matches across five previous appearances at the tournament and had set ending that dreadful record as their modest objective this time.
They duly did so against the former World Cup winners, to the delight of a near-sell-out crowd of 42,137 fans, a national record for any football match in the country, men’s or women’s.
Their margin of victory on a cold, wet and windy evening could even have been greater, had Ria Percival not missed a late penalty.
Qualifying for the knockout stages from Group A is now a realistic aim, with Switzerland and minnows the Philippines their other opponents.
“For me now, let’s just celebrate this because New Zealand waited for this moment for such a long time,” added Klimkova, whose team saw Hipkins pay a visit to their dressing room after the match.
“He came to the locker room and he was very proud for this team and thankful for the performance that he saw.
“It was a very nice moment for us to have this kind of guest.”