CNN –
World Championships are often characterized by their surprises, the surprising results that astonish the audience and cause lavish celebrations.
The first game of the 2023 Women’s World Cup provided such scenes as co-hosts New Zealand shocked Norway 1-0 in Auckland thanks to a stunning goal from Hannah Wilkinson just after half-time.
Winning a World Cup game has long been an unattainable goal for New Zealand. The Football Ferns had not recorded a win in their five appearances in women’s tournaments, nor had the men recorded a win in their two World Cup appearances.
It seemed fitting, then, that the first-ever win came on home soil in front of more than 40,000 roaring fans at a nearly sold-out Eden Park, as New Zealand defended victory despite a VAR decision despite Ria Percival’s missed penalty late in the game.
Abbie Parr/AP
New Zealanders Ria Percival and Ali Riley celebrate their victory.
“I’m so, so proud, we fought for this for so long. We had a clear goal to inspire young girls here and around the world and I think we succeeded tonight. “Anything is possible,” New Zealand captain Ali Riley tearfully told the BBC.
Coach Jitka Klimkova said the win was “well deserved” and “means so much”, especially for the current three players who were part of previous World Cup squads without a win, including Riley.
“Seeing them in tears and enjoying it in front of their families, friends and fans is an incredible moment for me as a coach,” said Klimkova. “I will never forget this moment.”
Tragedy also marked the beginning of this World Cup, as just hours before the tournament’s opening match, a rare gunfight shook the city of central Auckland.
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins gave details of the attack at a hastily called press conference, confirming that three people had died – including the gunman – and several others had been injured.
Riley added: “Something really, really tragic happened this morning and we wanted to bring something positive tonight and we thought of the victims and the first responders and they made us so proud and we just wanted to help make something amazing today bring.”
New Zealand harnessed the energy of the home crowd, starting brilliantly and holding favorites Norway in a goalless first half.
The Football Ferns launched the first attack of the game when Wilkinson broke away from Norway’s defense before Norway began to demonstrate their own offensive prowess, with their star Ada Hegerberg ahead of Frida Maanum, Under, in their first World Cup in eight years An ambitious resignation missed Druck, failed at their goal attempt.
However, all the New Zealand pressure finally paid off immediately after half-time as Wilkinson scored the first goal of the game, capping a sweeping team move that ripped through the Gresshoppene defence.
Klimkova afterwards told reporters she believed the team’s half-time talk helped the team secure the win.
“We knew that our performance was very good. We wanted to stay consistent. Consistency, keeping the ball, going into the last third and being very organized in defence,” she said.
“Those messages have stayed the same, but we’ve added some priorities: how we can use our spaces a little bit more meaningfully and efficiently,” she added. “We could see it in the second half and I think that helped us score the goal.”
Nevertheless, the game remained balanced; Norway struggled to get the ball into their dangerous group of three but still created chances as only an outstretched hand from New Zealand goalkeeper Victoria Esson prevented Tuva Hansen’s powerful long-range effort from finding the target in the 80th minute.
Abbie Parr/AP
Norway’s Ada Hegerberg reacts after missing a scoring opportunity.
Ten minutes later, New Zealand had a chance to double their lead and effectively end the game when Norway conceded a handball penalty, but Percival’s miss kept the game alive and tension mounted as nine minutes of stoppage time were added and Norway pushed further on the equalizer at the last minute.
However, the home side had done enough and held on until the final whistle blew, leading to wild cheers from around the stadium as the players ran onto the pitch and the crowd exploded with joy.
Tournament co-hosts Australia launched their own Women’s World Cup campaign with a 1-0 win over Ireland, with Steph Catley’s penalty marking the difference between the two teams.
The Matildas were without star striker Sam Kerr, who is considered the face of this World Cup and will miss the first two games of this tournament after suffering a calf injury in training.
Their absence from the team was noticeable as the Matildas lacked penetrating power in a goalless first half which frustrated them against Ireland.
Australia eventually took the lead just after the break from a penalty which Catley expertly converted to the delight of the 75,784 fans in the stadium – a record for an Australian home game.
“To be honest, it’s hard to put into words,” Catley told British broadcaster ITV afterwards. “It’s been a big build for us.
“We had a lot of adrenaline and excitement in the game, there were a few moments where we had to process that.
Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Steph Catley’s penalty secured Australia a 1-0 win over Ireland.
“Obviously we didn’t have Sammy [Kerr]. I’ve had conversations with [head coach] tony [Gustavsson] about the fact that I might have to grab one if the opportunity presents itself and I felt confident that I would do it.”
Ireland failed to equalize despite promising set pieces and the Matildas sealed the win.