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Norway

Early White Goal Earns Rare Norwegian Win

by Jeremy Ruane

The Football Ferns earned a rare 1-0 win over Norway at the Marbella Football Centre on April 9 to give their FIFA Women's World Cup Finals preparations a massive boost just two months out from the start of France 2019.

It's only the second time in history that New Zealand has beaten the one-time FIFA Women's World Cup winners, and this time round, they got their retaliation in first via the dogged persistence of Rosie White.

Five minutes into play, Meikayla Moore spread the ball wide to Catherine Bott, whose first time lofted cross in behind the defence and into the corridor of uncertainty gave Maria Thorisdottir all sorts of concerns, given she had the predatory number thirteen one step behind her.

The central defender attempted to head the ball back to goalkeeper Ingrid Hjelmseth, but badly misjudged her execution, which was all the incentive White needed to power past her opponent and, at full stretch, prod the ball past the advancing 'keeper and into the far corner of the net.

The Football Ferns' delight was countered by the stunned disbelief of the recently crowned Algarve Cup winners, who were knocked off their stride by this shock start to proceedings, having themselves gone close in the opening minute through both Guro Reiten and Caroline Graham Hansen.

Both players' attempts foundered on the defensive rock which was Abby Erceg, who produced a commanding defensive display and certainly the best ninety minute performance this writer has seen her produce in a silver fern-emblazoned kit.

Gone were the wayward passes and erratic option-taking which have been a flaw in many a past appearance on the world stage. Erceg's display on this occasion was as close to a defensive masterclass as you can get - her positioning, distribution, reading of the game and, above all, her leadership of those around her, were first class.

Buoyed by her example, little wonder her team-mates followed Erceg's lead in giving the Norwegians continued cause for concern. In the sixteenth minute, Ali Riley played the ball down the left for Betsy Hassett to exploit, and she outpaced Norwegian captain Maren Mjelde before whipping a cross across the bows of the full-of-running White, as she charged through the middle looking for her second goal of the game.

It wasn't until the 25th minute that Norway started to get their game back in order. On that occasion, Vilde De Risa's ball over Moore's head found Karina Sagvik lurking in behind her, only for the midfielder to lash her shot over the bar.

Two minutes later, the same pair combined again, or at least would have done had the alert Erin Nayler not raced out of her penalty area and timed her clearance off Sagvik's toes to perfection.

Her goal came under friendly fire soon after as Moore directed a clearing header against the top of the crossbar, while in the 43rd minute, Isabell Herlovsen combined with Sagvik to pave the way for Graham's first scoring chance of the match, only for the frontrunner to be denied by the timely intervention of Anna Green, who looks completely at home on the left-hand side of a defensive trio.

That versatility allows Football Ferns coach Tom Sermanni to field both Green and Riley - the latter in a wingback role - on the left-hand side of the starting line-up, and it was the captain's interception which sparked the move which gave the Kiwis another sniff of goal before the half-time whistle.

Riley's intervention allowed Hassett to take charge of proceedings. She linked with Katie Bowen - an eye-catching display - who angled a pass into the stride of Bott, storming through the inside right channel. The fullback's intention to pick out White foundered on Mjelde's interception inside the area.

The Football Ferns enjoyed the better of the exchanges early in the second spell, with White hooking a shot on the turn narrowly past the post after a delightful interchange of passes on the right featuring Bott, Hassett and Bowen.

Bowen then caught Mjelde in possession in the 53rd minute, only to be thwarted by the alert figure of Hjelmseth, who dashed off her line to clear off the midfielder's toes when the 'keeper was all that stood between Bowen and a second New Zealand goal.

Four minutes later, a jinking Hassett run through three challenges culminated in a deflected shot which Hjelmseth grabbed greedily, a feat she repeated twenty minutes from time as the last Football Ferns chance of the match came to pass.

Bott and Longo worked a one-two on the right before the fullback's cross found Hassett roaring into the penalty area, only to lash a rising drive straight at Hjelmseth. Had she struck her effort hard and low, she would almost certainly have sealed the deal for the Kiwis.

Instead, they had to weather a Norwegian storm throughout the final half-hour of play, with Reiten's shot - blocked by Erceg - the first of a host of opportunities the European team carved out before the final whistle.

Graham was at the heart of three of them inside the next ten minutes, the only one to give Nayler cause of concern being a 62nd minute twenty-yarder which flew past the diving goalkeeper's left-hand upright, after Reiten and Herlovsen had combined to set up their team-mate.

Another opening for Graham came about fifteen minutes from time. Following a stray pass from Riley, the Norwegians surged down the right, with Graham and Herlovsen working a one-two before the former fired a low angled drive across the face of goal and past the far post from an acute angle.

Still the pressure mounted, with Katie Duncan - an early substitute for ankle injury victim Ria Percival - fortunate to avoid conceding a free-kick in the 'D' as Graham went to ground under her challenge ten minutes from time.

Two minutes later, the only save Nayler was called upon to make in the entire match materialised. Ingrid Engen, who was soon to be booked for a cynical foul on substitute Paige Satchell, fed Reiten, who worked a one-two with Graham before unleashing a shot which the 'keeper plunged to her right to deny in one-handed fashion.

That save seemed to knock the stuffing out of Norway, because they appeared consigned to their fate for much of the last ten minutes. But in the shadows of the full-time whistle, they carved out one more opportunity - and should have equalised from it.

Substitute Frida Maanum played the ball wide to Kristine Minde, who bided her time before picking out the completely unmarked figure of Herlovsen, eight yards out from goal. Not realising she had time to control the sphere, she snatched at it on the volley, and steered it wide of the target.

It was a miss which confirmed a red letter day in this Football Ferns' Women's World Cup campaign, as they claimed the scalp of their twelfth-ranked rivals - their first win over opponents of higher ranking since winning by the same scoreline in Brazil in November 2015.

Three games remain for the Football Ferns before they take on Holland, Canada and Cameroon in their World Cup group, with reigning world champions the USA their next assignment on May 16, followed by matches against England and Wales in early June.

Solid results in those encounters, allied to this win, will give Tom Sermanni's charges every confidence that they can realise a long-held ambition to advance beyond the group stages at a FIFA Women's World Cup Finals and finally fulfil the potential they've had in abundance for many years.

Norway: Hjelmseth; Hansen (Wold, 58), Mjelde, Thorisdottir, Minde; Sagvik (Utland, 84), De Risa (Maanum, 67), Engen (booked, 89), Reiten; Graham, Herlovsen

Football Ferns: Nayler; Moore, Erceg, Green (Stott, 46); Bott (Gregorius, 58), Percival (Duncan, 10), Longo, Bowen, Riley; White (Satchell, 84), Hassett (Chance, 90)

Road To France & Tokyo