New Zealand’s Young Ferns bowed out of the 2012 FIFA Women’s World Cup Finals in Azerbaijan on September 30, but not without putting up one hell of a fight as they were ultimately edged 4-3 by Brazil at the 8km Stadium in Baku. With the odds of progressing to the quarter-finals stacked against them right from the outset, the bottom-placed team in the group threw caution to the wind and attacked from the outset in their final group encounter, and were rewarded with an opening goal which left the Brazilians somewhat shell-shocked. The initial threat was posed by Hannah Carlsen’s probing through ball, which invited Martine Puketapu to dash through the inside right channel. Her low drive forced Brazilian goalkeeper Nicole to turn the ball round her near post, earning the Young Ferns the game’s first corner. Laura Merrin, one of New Zealand’s trio of captains - she became the third player to sport the armband in as many matches - during this tournament, whipped in a wicked delivery to the far post, where the towering figure of Emily Jensen was arriving on cue. From point blank range, she couldn’t miss - 1-0 Young Ferns. Could they possibly …? Not if Las Canarinhas could help it. Having regathered themselves following this early setback, the Brazilians promptly laid siege to New Zealand’s goal, and were level within six minutes of having gone behind. Julia sent a thirty-five yarder whistling over Lily Alfeld’s crossbar before Byanca rattled the side-netting after Camila’s fine work on the right. But from the resulting goal-kick, Caroline linked with Brazil’s midfield general, Djenifer, who prised open the Young Ferns’ rearguard with a deliciously weighted pass. It rewarded Byanca’s darting angled run into the inside left channel, from where she unleashed a fulminating fifteen yard drive which found the top far corner of the net, despite the despairing dive and flailing fingertips of Alfeld to divert it to safety. At 1-1, it was New Zealand’s turn to waver, and their Brazilian opponents wasted little time in re-establishing the natural pecking order. Just three minutes after drawing level, Brazilian captain Andressa saw Meikayla Moore clear her header off the line after the fullback had conceded possession cheaply inside her own half. Brazil continued to press after this incident, forcing New Zealand to retreat further towards their own goal until the pressure paid off in the 26th minute. Byanca’s cross was missed by all-comers, save for Brena, lurking beyond the far post. She controlled the ball before unleashing a sumptuous volley which beat Alfeld all ends up and gave Brazil the lead for the first time in the match, 2-1. The Young Ferns weren’t prepared to take this setback lying down and, inspired by Carlsen, who shook off the after-effects of a bang to the head following a clash with an opponent, they came right back at their South American rivals virtually straight away. The midfielder’s beautifully weighted pass invited Jasmine Pereira to break down the right on the half-hour, and she got to the byline before whipping in a low cross which zoomed across the bows of Puketapu at the near post, and crept just behind Megan Lee as she made a supporting run into the heart of Brazil’s goalmouth. Despite her best efforts, Lee was unable to wrap her foot around the ball, much to the relief of the Brazilians, who responded to this threat in the manner they know best - another goal. Chaiane broke into the penalty area on the left in the 34th minute and got the better of Moore, who clipped her opponent just as Jensen stepped in to tidy up via more conventional methods. North Korean referee Ri Hyang Ok wasted little time in pointing to the penalty spot, from where Andressa found the back of the net, but only via the hand of Alfeld - the ‘keeper plunged to her right in a desperate attempt to keep out the spot-kick, but just couldn’t get enough on the ball to prevent Brazil extending their advantage to 3-1. Logic decreed that the Young Ferns’ hopes of turning things round after this blow were a pipe dream at best, but in the time remaining in the first half, Paul Temple’s young charges made light of their plight and incredibly kept their World Cup dream alive with a goal which reduced the deficit in first half stoppage time. Prior to it, Emma Fletcher headed a well-flighted Merrin free-kick past the far post, while a slick move featuring Carlsen, Fletcher and Pereira culminated in

Puketapu’s shot being blocked by Ana Clara for a corner. Merrin’s delivery this time picked out the head of Catherine Bott, but while her effort left Nicole in no man’s land, Caroline came to the ‘keeper’s rescue with a 41st minute clearance which sparked a Brazilian counter-attack. Julia raced downfield to the byline before picking out Andressa with her cross, Brazil’s captain being denied a second goal by Alfeld, who greedily grabbed her volley and thumped the ball downfield. Lee latched onto the ball, and promptly set sail for goal, powering past Julia en route into the penalty area, from where she steered a low cross towards the near post area. Fletcher, racing up in support of the winger, slid in to meet the ball, but was beaten to it by Ana Clara. Sadly for the defender, she only succeeded in turning the ball into her own net, much to the delight of the Young Ferns, who couldn’t have finished the half on a more positive note - 3-2 down, but with their World Cup dreams still alive as they headed into the final half of their clash with Brazil. Sadly for the Kiwis, Las Canarinhas grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck at the outset of the second half and didn’t give the Young Ferns a chance to stake their claims for glory until it was far too late in the piece. After Brena had directed a looping header onto the roof of New Zealand’s net, Brazil restored their two-goal advantage in the 55th minute. Brena intercepted a pass in the Young Ferns’ defensive third and slipped the ball inside her to Camila. She neatly jinked inside a challenge before rifling an unerring twenty yarder beyond the flailing fingertips of the still-recovering figure of Alfeld, who was still recovering after the unexpected loss of possession by those in front of her. At 4-2, and with Brazil continuing to dominate proceedings, the game seemed up for the Young Ferns, but the introduction of Emma Rolston indicated their intentions - to fight to the death - and offered them an increased threat in attack in the time remaining. Sure enough, they began to get on top of their rivals, and started pressing for a third goal. Jensen headed over from a Fletcher corner, while, twenty minutes from time, Rolston was denied a penalty when Nicole appeared to hamper her progress as she unhinged Brazil’s defence. This prompted a Brazilian counter-attack, with Djenifer’s surging fifty yard run culminating in a pass which invited Brena to make in-roads into New Zealand’s penalty area. Jensen, the Young Ferns’ best-performed outfield player throughout the tournament, promptly slammed the door shut on her opponent’s hopes of making the scoreline 5-2. Instead, in the 77th minute, it became 4-3. Carlsen won the ball in midfield and fed Rolston, who slipped a ball through the inside right channel into the stride of Puketapu. The just-turned-fifteen-year-old made light of her tender years to produce an accomplished finish in between the advancing Nicole and her near post to set up a grandstand finish, much to the delight of her team-mates and the disbelief of the watching world. And the Young Ferns went for it, piling on the pressure in the time remaining in search of an unlikely equaliser and an even less likely winner. Rolston was thwarted by the covering figure of Ana Clara at the near post, while from the resulting corner, Fletcher directed her cross into the side-netting when four team-mates were queuing up around the goalmouth. Rolston then headed a Lee cross across the face of goal, before heading a Fletcher free-kick over the bar, seconds after the Vancouver Whitecaps-based playmaker had lashed a thirty yard free-kick over the bar herself. A final corner saw Fletcher pick out the head of Bott in stoppage time, but she was unable to secure a fairytale finish for the Young Ferns, who headed for home gallant in defeat and with a tournament ranking of thirteenth to contemplate, as Brazil celebrated a 4-3 victory and a quarter-final clash with Germany, the reigning European champions. Brazil: Nicole; Julia, Ana Clara, Caroline, Leticia; Camila, Andressa, Djenifer, Chaiane (Maxinny, 87); Byanca, Brena (Monica, 72) Young Ferns: Alfeld; Moore, Bott, Jensen, Merrin (Rolston, 56); Carlsen, Fletcher, Cleverley (Innes, 64); Pereira (Palmer, 76), Puketapu, Lee Referee: Ri Hyang Ok (North Korea)