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Canada
New Zealand's Young Ferns Finish Third In The World
by Jeremy Ruane
New Zealand's Young Ferns realised the ultimate footballing dream of an entire nation at the Estadio Charrua in Montevideo on December 1, holding off a fast-finishing Canada to win 2-1 and claim third place at the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Finals.
It's the first time a national representative team from this country has ever achieved such a feat at a FIFA event, with Auckland City's incredible third placing at the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup Finals the only other occasion such heights have been reached by a team from these shores.
This triumph was even less anticipated, given no previous NZ Under-17 team had progressed beyond the group stages at the five previous versions of this competition. New Zealand is usually there to make up the numbers; the token Oceania entry which most teams look forward to playing, as it's usually a three-point banker for the higher-ranked contender.
Not this time.
Leon Birnie's Wonder Women saw off the likes of Finland, host nation Uruguay and two-time winners Japan to reach the penultimate stage of the competition, and while Ghana - in the group decider - and semi-final opponents Spain both proved a bridge too far for the Kiwi contenders, the prospect of beating Canada to conclude their campaign by finishing third in the world suited their collective ambitions perfectly.
They couldn't possibly have begun better! Canada circulated the ball back from the kick-off, with Maya Antoine's pass to goalkeeper Anna Karpenko eyed eagerly by the hovering figure of Maggie Jenkins, who was in like Flynn when the 'keeper's heavy touch gave the striker a sniff of an opening.
Grace Wisnewski was also in the danger zone by now, and despite the presence of Jade Rose, reacted swiftly to steer the ball into the net from six yards a mere sixteen seconds after German referee Riem Hussein had blown her whistle to start proceedings - a FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup record for the fastest goal scored in the Finals.
The Canadians sought an instant riposte, and twice came close to achieving it inside the next two minutes. The goalscorer was still celebrating when she was caught in possession by Wayny Balata following a corner. Anderson Williams latched onto the resulting pass and let rip from twenty yards, only to see Anna Leat tip the ball over the bar for a corner.
Lara Kazandjian whipped this into the danger zone, and Canada's captain and lynchpin, Jordan Huitema, rammed the ball into the net from close range, only to have her celebrations curtailed by the referee, who took issue with some jostling at the near post.
Canada continued to press, most notably via the counter-attack, and only fine work by Hannah Mackay-Wright - outstanding throughout - thwarted Huitema's rampaging run through the inside right channel in the eighth minute.
Five minutes later, the Young Ferns were in dreamland. Karpenko's poor clearance was pounced on by Amelia Abbott. She clipped the ball to Jenkins, whose exquisite flick found Wisnewski dashing in once more.
After controlling the ball, she unleashed a ferocious volley from the edge of the penalty area which had Karpenko clutching at air - 2-0 Young Ferns, with just thirteen minutes on the clock.
Plenty of enterprising play from both teams ensued, but as Canada stepped up the pressure, the Young Ferns started giving free kicks away. From one such incident, Balata lobbed a ball forward which Aneka Mittendorff was unable to head clear. Huitema nipped in behind her, only for Leat - terrific anticipation - to dash out and punch the ball off her head.
Further Canada pressure followed on the half-hour, with the Young Ferns blocking three shots following Kazandjian's corner. The third rebound fell to Julianne Vallerand, whose cross was headed out by Marisa Van der Meer to the corner-taker, who thrashed a shot into the hoardings.
Back came the Young Ferns. A Mittendorff throw-in wasn't cleared ten minutes before half-time, inviting Amelia Abbott to let fly. She failed to connect cleanly with a great chance, but the ball fell kindly for Macey Fraser, who sent a twenty-harder skidding past the post.
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Two minutes later, Fraser linked with Gabrielle Rennie, who worked a slick one-two with Jenkins before driving a cross to the far post, where Kelli Brown, whose blindside run hadn't been picked up, headed past the upright.
Canada, urged on by the clearly audible dulcet Geordie tones of John Herdman, the former head coach of both nations' senior national women's teams, hit the ground running in the second spell, with Van der Meer forced to head clear from Huitema within two minutes of the resumption of play.
A raking clearance from Leat three minutes later picked out Rennie, who evaded a challenge then spotted Karpenko anticipating a far post cross. The 'keeper quickly recovered as Rennie angled her delivery to the near post in an unsuccessful effort to catch her out.
The Canadians responded instantly via a swift counter-attack, Huitema charging past two opponents before playing in half-time substitute Jessica De Filippo, whose first-time cross flew just beyond the incoming figure of Huitema, but instead struck the retreating figure of Mittendorff and bounced into the grateful gloves of Leat.
Huitema sent a ten yard header flying past the near post soon afterwards, before the woodwork denied Wisnewski her hat-trick in the 56th minute. Fraser's corner was dummied by Mittendorff, but Abbott's shot this time was blocked. The ball ricocheted to Wisnewski, who hit the post from six yards out.
That scare prompted Canada to pile on the pressure, and they were rewarded for doing so in the 64th minute. The initial shots of Huitema and Kazandjian were respectively blocked by Mackay-Wright and substitute Maya Hahn, who couldn't prevent the left-footed Kazandjian from launching a twenty-five yard missile which careered past the diving figure of Leat and into the corner of the net. 2-1 - game on, big-time!
Canada proceeded to put the Young Ferns under tremendous pressure, but with a header here, a block there, timely tackles galore and an unquenchable combination of spirit and desire, Leon Birnie's young stars stood both firm and tall, repelling everything the Canadians could muster with a display of true Kiwi grit and determination.
Of course, there were close calls - Caitlin Shaw came desperately close with a twenty-yarder which nutmegged Mackay-Wright and crept inches past the diving Leat's right-hand post in the 68th minute was the first of them.
Leat smothered from Jayde Riviere before penalty appeals for a handball offence by Brown were rightly rebuffed. Mackay-Wright then stepped in to deny Shaw, before Leat raced out to deny Huitema on the edge of the area with a splendidly timed block.
That appeared to take the wind from Canada's sails, but as the game entered stoppage time, they mounted one last rally. But Mittendorff, as she has so often in this tournament, produced a timely interception to prevent Kazandjian and Huitema from linking up once more.
Mackay-Wright cleared the ball further away from the target, and when substitute Rose Luxton blocked a Sonia Walk shot, victory and an unprecedented third placing was New Zealand's to savour.
Six months ago, another of those journeymen foreign coaches who carry on as if they're God's gift to football while on our shores made some disparaging comments about the prospects of the game in this country in relation to New Zealand's standing on the world footballing stage.
This is our response. We don't do never, and we do things "The Kiwi Way". And we've now got the medals to prove it works, thanks to the outstanding efforts of the Young Ferns at Uruguay 2018.
Canada: Karpenko; Riviere, Rose, Antoine, Vallerand (Young, 46 (Walk, 87)); Shaw, Balata, Kazandjian; Williams (De Filippo, 46), Huitema, Novak
Young Ferns: Leat; Barry (booked, 84), Mackay-Wright, Mittendorff (booked, 34), Van der Meer; Fraser (Hahn, 55), Abbott (Luxton, 83), Wisnewski; Rennie (Cunningham-Lee, 75), Jenkins, Brown (booked, 90)
Referee: Riem Hussein (Germany)
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