The world's fourth-ranked women's team, Japan, proved too strong for the Football Ferns in sapping heat at the FIFA Women's World Cup Finals in Bochum on June 27, although the Kiwis battled well to restrict their technically superior opponents to a 2-1 victory. Japan got off to a flying start, opening the scoring in the fifth minute of play. Betsy Hassett was caught in possession by Ayi Miyama, and Shinobu Ohno swiftly secured possession and played the ball over the top for Yuki Nagasato to latch onto. She outpaced Abby Erceg and, as Jenny Bindon dashed out of goal towards her, deftly lobbed the 'keeper to give Nadeshiko the ideal beginning to the first match for both teams at Germany 2011. It was a blow the Football Ferns, in days gone by, would have struggled to overcome, but buoyed by Bindon's eighth minute save at the feet of Kozue Ando, as she looked to latch onto an Ohno through ball, and a timely Rebecca Smith interception as Ando was targeted by Nagasato, they struck back within seven minutes. It was a super goal. Anna Green's raking crossfield ball sent Ria Percival scampering to the by-line, from where she whipped in a cross to the far post. Rising salmon-like to meet it was Amber Hearn, and her 23rd goal in 47 appearances for her country duly crashed into the back of the net. The goal really boosted the New Zealand team, who were at double-figure odds to beat their higher-ranked opponents for the first time ever. But Japan had spotted a weakness on the Football Ferns' left flank, and frequently sought to exploit it as they went about regaining the lead. Ohno, in particular, was prominent down this flank, first setting up a chance for Nagasato which Bindon saved to her left, then linking with the overlapping Yukari Kinga, whose cross to the far post picked out Mizuho Sakaguchi. She drilled a shot against the post in this eighteenth minute raid, with the rebound falling to the legendary Homare Sawa. In days gone by, she would have dominated a game of this magnitude, but in this match, she looked a touch beyond her peak, and her finish - she shot straight at Bindon - was indicative of this marginal, but nonetheless noticeable, decline in quality. End-to-end action ensued prior to the half-hour mark, with Bindon thwarting Sakaguchi following an uncleared Miyama corner, while Sarah Gregorius was denied by the timely challenge of Aya Sameshima as she looked to break into Japan's penalty area in the 26th minute. Ohno rifled a fifteen yarder over the bar soon after, following a cross from Sameshima, while a Kinga cross-shot was tipped round the post by Bindon just shy of the half-hour mark in a match which saw the 12,538 present produce a terrific atmosphere. Seven minutes before half-time, Japan spurned a great chance to take the lead when a Miyama corner to the far post was headed back across goal by the unmarked Azusa Iwashimizu to the similarly unattended Nagasato. She headed across the face of goal when scoring appeared the easier option. Back came the Football Ferns, who had needlessly booted the ball long on far too many occasions when a more cultured approach would have brought greater reward. When they did employ the long ball to good effect, it gave Japan problems, such as in the 41st minute, when Smith's hanging cross for Hearn forced Iwashimizu to divert the ball narrowly past her own post. Green delivered the resulting corner right onto the head of Smith, but unfortunately for New Zealand's captain, the gloves of Ayumi Kaihori materialised at exactly the wrong time from the Football Ferns' perspective, the 'keeper plucking the sphere to safety. The half-time introduction of Hayley Moorwood for Katie Bowen overcame the problem New Zealand were facing down their left flank, and Japan found it far more challenging to threaten their Oceania rivals. But they had a more than useful substitute to call upon themselves - no less a soul than the star of NZ08, Mana Iwabuchi. Her introduction changed the game, but not before another New Zealand replacement, Hannah Wilkinson, had thrashed a shot wide with her first touch, and Green had hit the crossbar with a 65th minute corner.

POST-MATCH COMMENTS Football Ferns striker Amber Hearn (right - courtesy Getty Images) maintained her goal-per-two-game average on the international stage with her first half header against Japan, and earned herself a slice of New Zealand footballing history in the process by becoming the first player to score in both the Olympics and the World Cup Finals. "I had no idea - I'm surprised. It would have been good if it was a winning performance. I'm still thinking about that injury time free-kick … but as for the goal, I was in the right place at the right time, I guess. Ria put in a great ball, and I was on the end of it. "It was a huge boost. They scored the first goal, and to get a goal back, even stevens. We were on a high from there, and went in at half-time 1-1 hoping to win the game from there, but it didn't work out our way, and now we've got six more points to get from the next two games. We need these points". * * * * * Football Ferns captain Rebecca Smith addressed the media on the opposition, the heat, the atmosphere and her team's objectives in her post-match interview. "Today we proved that we can play with one of the best teams in the world, and we expected their quality - that's what they brought today. But we showed that we can hang with a team like that, and even have chances to win games like this. "So we are confident going into the next two games. We've played against England and Mexico before, so we know what they're about, and we're looking for six points now. We don't know how they'll prepare for us - we just tend to focus on ourselves. "When we came out for the second half, we fixed a couple of things that we'd noticed in the first half weren't going as well as we wanted them to, and we were pretty cohesive. But the second goal was pretty unfortunate. "Mana Iwabuchi, the number twenty, made a huge difference. She was phenomenal on the ball. Her technique was incredible. She took the ball and dribbled past half of our team, so I think we dealt with her OK, but she's definitely a world-class substitute. "I don't know about her being a long-term replacement for Homare Sawa, though. Sawa's been in the game so long, she's such an experienced player and a quality player. They're different types of players, to be honest. "The heat was very tough today. I spoke to some of the Japanese players after and they also felt the same. It was a tough game, especially coming from two days previous when it was about 18 degrees and raining - we were so cold, we were going around wearing our jackets. "Going from that to this was a huge shock to the system, but for both teams. I think both did a good job to play the full ninety and not try to kill the game. You could see that both teams are quite fit. "It's really exciting to be playing here in Germany. It almost feels like a home tournament for me because I've been here for two-and-a-half years and there has been so much preparation for the tournament in that time. It's neat to see what it finally looks like - there has been such anticipation for it. "The atmosphere was great. The fans were fantastic, really lively and into the game. It always makes the game more exciting to play in front of a crowd that's really alive". * * * * * Annalie Longo was one of New Zealand's stand-out players at NZ08, the inaugural FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Finals, and was a substitute in today's match against Japan. The undoubted star of NZ08 also came off the bench for her country … "It was pretty hot out there. Unreal. The last couple of days it's been raining, and we've been in jackets and long sleeves. Then typically the sun comes out - scorcher! We have to deal with the result, but I'm a bit disappointed. "I saw Mana Iwabuchi in the U-17s and U-20s and thought she was outstanding. It would have been nice for me to come on and do the same thing, but it doesn't happen, eh? One day - hopefully soon, against England or Mexico".

Amber Hearn in action against Japan Cue Iwabuchi, two minutes later. Securing possession in the centre circle, she set off on a forty-yard run which culminated in her wriggling between Erceg and Smith, who brought down Sawa's long-term replacement on the edge of the penalty area - it was so close that Iwabuchi landed inside the box. Miyama, Japan's set-piece specialist, stepped up and potted a peach of a free-kick right into the top left-hand corner of Bindon's net - the sort of shot no goalkeeper in the world could have stopped, such was its accuracy and quality. 2-1 Japan, then, but so nearly 2-2 two minutes later - Green hit the roof of the net with a thunderous forty-five yard free-kick, one of the few decisions Finnish referee Kirsi Heikkinen deemed fit to give the Kiwis, who were on the wrong end of just about every fifty-fifty call in the entire match. But Iwabuchi wasn't content with a 2-1 advantage - she wanted to bolster it, and had the chance to do so when Miyama picked her out in the 72nd minute. The substitute spurned the chance to shoot, instead laying the ball back for Kinga, who was thwarted by a superb lunging tackle from the tireless Katie Hoyle - she had a great game in the 30C heat. It was taking a toll on her team, however, and with Miyama and Iwabuchi dictating terms, it looked increasingly likely that if another goal were to be scored, the team wearing blue would be celebrating. Smith stepped in to clear the danger as Miyama threaded the needle for Nagasato in the 74th minute, while a full-length diving headed clearance by Bindon outside her penalty area put paid to a probing pass from Iwabuchi soon after. The replacement then worked an opening with Ando, who laid the ball back for Sawa. Smith blocked her shot, but the rebound fell to the fast-arriving Iwabuchi, too fast for her to do anything but direct it straight to Smith. Iwabuchi is blessed with great vision, and in the 88th minute she spotted Bindon off her line. From 35 yards, she instinctively unleashed a chip which had the 'keeper back-pedalling furiously. The ball landed on the roof of the net, much to the relief of a player who is now the second-oldest in history to have played in the FIFA Women's World Cup Finals. Iwabuchi then lashed a twenty-yarder narrowly past Bindon's right-hand post, having got the better of Ali Riley on the occasion of her fiftieth appearance for her country. That wasn't the game's last chance, though - that honour belonged to Hearn, whose twenty-five yard free-kick cleared the crossbar by not a lot, but by too much as far as New Zealand's hopes of snatching a point were concerned. The Football Ferns now move on to Dresden to take on England at 4.15am on July 2, NZ time. If ever there was a must-win match for them, this is most definitely the one. Japan:          Kaihori; Kinga, Iwahimizu, Kumagai, Sameshima; Ando (Tanaka, 90), Sawa, Sakaguchi, Miyama; Ohno (Iwabuchi, 55), Nagasoto (Maruyama, 76) Football Ferns:     Bindon; Riley, Erceg, Smith (booked, 67), Green; Percival (Longo, 76), Hoyle, Hassett, Bowen (booked, 45) (Moorwood, 46); Hearn (booked, 77), Gregorius (Wilkinson, 62) Referee:     Kirsi Heikkinen (Finland)