New Zealand win at last but Australia suffer Kerr World Cup blow
Published Jul 20, 2023 11:07 am
AUCKLAND (AFP) -- New Zealand celebrated a historic first Women's World Cup win in front of a crowd of more than 42,000 on Thursday, July 20, as the co-hosts got the tournament off to a flying start, but Australia suffered a major injury blow.
*New Zealand's forward Hannah Wilkinson is congratulated by teammates after scoring her team's first goal during the Australia and New Zealand 2023 Women's World Cup Group A football match between New Zealand and Norway at Eden Park in Auckland on Thursday, July 20. (AFP)*
Hannah Wilkinson scored three minutes after half-time to give the Football Ferns a precious 1-0 victory over Norway, who are former winners of this competition. It was New Zealand's first win at the World Cup at the 16th attempt and took place in front of a record crowd for a football match in the country, men's or women's. Their margin of victory on a cold, wet and windy evening at Eden Park in Auckland would even have been greater had Ria Percival not missed a late penalty. The home players and fans celebrated wildly after nearly 10 minutes of second-half injury time finally elapsed. It was a joyous end to 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 happened in a central area of Auckland close to where several World Cup teams, including Norway, are staying. Both teams wore black armbands and a moment of silence was held before kick-off to remember the dead. Qualifying for the knockout stages for the first time is now a realistic aim for New Zealand, with Switzerland and minnows the Philippines their other opponents in Group A.
Kerr injury setback
New Zealand's heroics came just as co-hosts Australia suffered a huge setback with the news that skipper and star striker Sam Kerr will miss at least the first two matches with a calf injury. The Chelsea forward is the country's all-time leading scorer and the face of the tournament, but will have to sit out the Matildas' opening match against Ireland later Thursday and the clash with Nigeria next week. "Unfortunately I sustained a calf injury yesterday in training," Kerr said in a statement. "I wanted to share this with everyone so there is no distraction from what we came here to achieve. "Of course I would have loved to have been out there tonight, but I can't wait to be a part of this amazing journey which starts now," added the 29-year-old. Arsenal defender Steph Catley will take over as captain against Ireland, with Mary Fowler starting up front in place of Kerr. The team said their medical team will "re-assess her following our second group-stage match". Australia were one of the pre-tournament favorites, along with England and several other major European nations. But Megan Rapinoe's United States are the favorites to win an unprecedented third consecutive title and a record-extending fifth overall. They begin their title defence on Saturday against minnows Vietnam in Auckland, with European champions England in action the same day against Haiti in Brisbane.
Spain hopeful on Putellas
Spain, another of the favourites, hope to have Alexia Putellas fit for their opener against Costa Rica on Friday, coach Jorge Vilda said, but warned they will have to carefully manage her fitness. The reigning two-time Ballon d'Or winner only returned to action in April following a serious knee injury and then withdrew 20 minutes into a  training session earlier this week. "We have one training session to go this afternoon. All players are available to play tomorrow," Vilda said Thursday on the eve of the match in Wellington. Spain's World Cup preparations were clouded by a player revolt against Vilda that saw 15 players declare themselves unavailable for selection. Three later returned to the World Cup squad. Also on Friday, Olympic champions Canada face Nigeria with evergreen skipper Christine Sinclair in buoyant mood. "We were overlooked heading into the Tokyo Olympics and showed what we can do," said the 40-year-old forward, who has scored an incredible 190 goals in 323 appearances for her country. "We can beat any team in the world. It's contagious (winning), you want to do it again and it's just motivated us to prove to the world what we can do again." World Cup debutants the Philippines face Switzerland in Friday's other match.
*New Zealand's forward Hannah Wilkinson is congratulated by teammates after scoring her team's first goal during the Australia and New Zealand 2023 Women's World Cup Group A football match between New Zealand and Norway at Eden Park in Auckland on Thursday, July 20. (AFP)*
Hannah Wilkinson scored three minutes after half-time to give the Football Ferns a precious 1-0 victory over Norway, who are former winners of this competition. It was New Zealand's first win at the World Cup at the 16th attempt and took place in front of a record crowd for a football match in the country, men's or women's. Their margin of victory on a cold, wet and windy evening at Eden Park in Auckland would even have been greater had Ria Percival not missed a late penalty. The home players and fans celebrated wildly after nearly 10 minutes of second-half injury time finally elapsed. It was a joyous end to 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 happened in a central area of Auckland close to where several World Cup teams, including Norway, are staying. Both teams wore black armbands and a moment of silence was held before kick-off to remember the dead. Qualifying for the knockout stages for the first time is now a realistic aim for New Zealand, with Switzerland and minnows the Philippines their other opponents in Group A.
Kerr injury setback
New Zealand's heroics came just as co-hosts Australia suffered a huge setback with the news that skipper and star striker Sam Kerr will miss at least the first two matches with a calf injury. The Chelsea forward is the country's all-time leading scorer and the face of the tournament, but will have to sit out the Matildas' opening match against Ireland later Thursday and the clash with Nigeria next week. "Unfortunately I sustained a calf injury yesterday in training," Kerr said in a statement. "I wanted to share this with everyone so there is no distraction from what we came here to achieve. "Of course I would have loved to have been out there tonight, but I can't wait to be a part of this amazing journey which starts now," added the 29-year-old. Arsenal defender Steph Catley will take over as captain against Ireland, with Mary Fowler starting up front in place of Kerr. The team said their medical team will "re-assess her following our second group-stage match". Australia were one of the pre-tournament favorites, along with England and several other major European nations. But Megan Rapinoe's United States are the favorites to win an unprecedented third consecutive title and a record-extending fifth overall. They begin their title defence on Saturday against minnows Vietnam in Auckland, with European champions England in action the same day against Haiti in Brisbane.
Spain hopeful on Putellas
Spain, another of the favourites, hope to have Alexia Putellas fit for their opener against Costa Rica on Friday, coach Jorge Vilda said, but warned they will have to carefully manage her fitness. The reigning two-time Ballon d'Or winner only returned to action in April following a serious knee injury and then withdrew 20 minutes into a  training session earlier this week. "We have one training session to go this afternoon. All players are available to play tomorrow," Vilda said Thursday on the eve of the match in Wellington. Spain's World Cup preparations were clouded by a player revolt against Vilda that saw 15 players declare themselves unavailable for selection. Three later returned to the World Cup squad. Also on Friday, Olympic champions Canada face Nigeria with evergreen skipper Christine Sinclair in buoyant mood. "We were overlooked heading into the Tokyo Olympics and showed what we can do," said the 40-year-old forward, who has scored an incredible 190 goals in 323 appearances for her country. "We can beat any team in the world. It's contagious (winning), you want to do it again and it's just motivated us to prove to the world what we can do again." World Cup debutants the Philippines face Switzerland in Friday's other match.