Mission accomplished. Hannah Wilkinson's goal in the 48th minute proved decisive yesterday as New Zealand defeated Norway in Auckland in the opening match of the tournament.
"It's the best night of my life," the New Zealand captain, Ali Riley, said. "With the performance, we deserved it. I know we came in as underdogs, I know there was a lot of doubt, a lot of articles being written saying how many times we haven't won a game, but we believed in ourselves the whole time."
New Zealand had failed to win in 15 previous World Cup finals matches, exiting in the group stage in all five appearances. This victory provides hope that they can taste knockout football for the first time.
A crowd of 42,137 - a record for a football match, men's or women's, in New Zealand - that included the prime minister, Chris Hipkins, was buzzing from the opening ceremony. The energy stood in stark contrast to the grim mood around Auckland earlier in the day after the deaths of three people, including the gunman, in a shooting that took place close to Norway's team hotel.
On the field New Zealand played direct from the start, looking for Wilkinson in behind the seams of Norway's unsteady defence. The strategy paid off three minutes after half-time. New Zealand needed three touches of the ball from a goal kick to break down Norway's shape and play Jacqui Hand in behind. She had Mathilde Harviken for pace, and Wilkinson streaked past two other defenders to tap in the cross.
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