Claudia Martinez showed she's a future star of the women's game in waiting at the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Finals on October 22, her sixteen-minute second half hat-trick inspiring Paraguay to a come-from-behind 4-1 win over the Young Ferns at the Football Academy Mohammed VI in Sale. The South American champions fired an early salvo across New Zealand's bows, with Alison Bareiro being denied a goal by the offside flag after the first hint of the menace Martinez was to prove herself to be as far as the Young Ferns' defenders were concerned. It was Alana Gunn's charges who were next to threaten, however, Pia Vlok linking with Mikaela Bangalan in midfield, from where the indefatigable midfield general unleashed a raking angled ball for Laura Bennett to latch onto. Her twelfth minute cross, intended for Katie Pugh, was too near Tamara Amarilla for the striker to capitalise upon, but the attack gave the Kiwis hope. Paraguay, however, had other ideas. Just two minutes later, Martinez was on the move again, charging forward before spreading play wide to Bareiro. Her cross picked out Sofia Cabrera, whose low drive was turned round the posts by Harriet Muller, diving to her left. The resulting short corner culminated in Barbara Olmedo's cross being headed narrowly over the bar from eight yards by Luz Benitez, while an eighteen-yarder from Bareiro sizzled over the same patch of woodwork five minutes later, as Paraguay continued to build up a head of steam. The Young Ferns were largely being kept on the back foot, but every once in a while they would spring forward in attack, and upon doing so on the half-hour, they opened the scoring in style, albeit against the run of play. Bangalan and Vlok were at the heart of the move, the captain turning into space upon receipt of her team-mate's pass and spotting Pugh in a handy position on the edge of the penalty area. Cue a perfectly weighted pass which allowed the striker to spin her marker and arrow a fifteen yard missile into the far corner of the net - 1-0 Young Ferns, courtesy Pugh's quality finish. Cue a perturbed Paraguay, who sought to swiftly restore parity. Martinez had a shot blocked upon being picked out by Maite Mussi's 32nd minute corner, with Benitez's attempt to fire home the rebound finding the gloves of Muller, who looked on with relief as a thirty yard free-kick from Bareiro narrowly cleared the crossbar soon afterwards. Seven minutes before half-time, New Zealand had penalty claims denied them by both referee Yacine Samassa and video evidence, which deemed that Benitez had played the ball first before bundling Duncan over in the penalty area as she latched onto Bangalan's pass through the inside right channel. Back came the South Americans, Martinez firing inches over the bar from twenty-five yards before Muller was forced to dash out to the edge of her penalty area to save at the feet of Kiara Florentin, the last act of the first half. Whatever was in Paraguay's half-time sustenance should be bottled and preserved, particularly that given to Martinez, who was simply irresistible and virtually unplayable during the first twenty minutes of the half.

Just two minutes after play had resumed, she was released by Ximena Moreno's ball over the top and powered past Taylah Byers before her shot on the run was denied by the approaching figure of Muller. Seconds later, Olmedo and Mussi worked a one-two on the right which culminated in the former's cross being steered narrowly over the bar by Byers. Mussi's resulting corner was punched out by Muller to Martinez, who rode a challenge before thundering an angled drive into the far corner of the net to level the scores in the 49th minute. The Young Ferns looked to hit back straight away, and nearly did via a super Duncan corner, right into the goalmouth. Benitez managed to head clear - just! - and in doing so sparked a counter-attack which saw Martinez bundle Byers over before picking out Bareiro, who directed her shot straight at Muller. Paraguay took the lead in the 54th minute, and this time it was entirely down to Martinez. Latching onto the ball on the left-hand side of the halfway line, she stormed down the flank, leaving Freya Des Fountain and Holly Robins in her wake en route to the penalty area, from where she rifled a shot across Muller and into the far corner of the net - 2-1, and how! An emphatic strike! Fiorella Aquino should have extended Paraguay's advantage three minutes later. Catching Byers in possession, she raced through on goal, only to fire wide of the target with just Muller to beat. Salvation was at hand for the South Americans, however, in the form of two goals in the next ten minutes which put the game to bed. The first of them came in the 64th minute, and saw Olmedo's cross flicked on by Aquino to Martinez, who once more found the far corner of the net. 3-1 became 4-1 three minutes later. Another cross from Olmedo was the catalyst for the goal, but Bangalan managed to hook it away, albeit only as far as Martinez. This time, she turned supplier, steering the ball into the stride of Florentin, who guided it past Muller from ten yards. Paraguay eased off the throttle for the remainder of the contest, their job done. New Zealand threatened on a couple of occasions late on, most notably in the 85th minute. Bennett, Natalie Young and Lane Ririnui combined to send Duncan down the right to the corner flag, where she evaded a challenge before firing in a cross for Sienna Candy, only for Olmedo to deny the substitute a consolation goal. Olmedo then combined with the covering figure of Benitez to ensure Keira Tichbon's stoppage time raid would get no further than the edge of the penalty area, the last act of note in a match which confirmed Paraguay's passage to the last sixteen, while leaving the Young Ferns needing to beat Zambia and hope other results go their way if they are to join Japan and the South Americans in the last sixteen as one of the best third-placed sides. Paraguay:     Amarilla; Olmedo, Moreno, Benitez, Pintos; Cabrera (Franco, 79), Mussi (Caceres, 88), Florentin (Figueredo, 71), Aquino (Casco, 79); Bareiro, Martinez (booked, 59) Young Ferns:     Muller; Des Fountain, Byers (Ririnui, 59), Robins, March (Draai, 59); O'Neill (Candy, 59), Bangalan (Young, 82 (booked, 85)), Vlok; Duncan, Pugh (Tichbon, 72), Bennett Referee:     Yacine Samassa (Mauritania)