A goal by former Sporting striker Hannah Wilkinson, in the 48th minute, plunged Eden Park in Auckland into a frenzy on Thursday, which witnessed the first big surprise of the Women’s World Cup, New Zealand’s victory over Norway (1- 0).
The accredited Nordic formation, world champion in 1995, runner-up in 1991 and fourth in 1999 and 2007, was listed as a clear favorite, but succumbed to the co-hosts and the goal of the player who was ‘leone’ in the 2019/20 season.
Wilkinson ended up doing it justice, as the New Zealanders dominated the match and were even able to score a wider result, including a missed penalty in the 89th minute when Ria Percival hit the crossbar.
After much waste in the first half, the Quiuís, who had lost all three games of the 2019 World Cup, scored the first goal of the ninth edition of the Women’s World Cup as soon as the second half opened, at 47 minutes and 10 seconds.
Hanna Wilkinson, who proved to be a goalscorer in the only season she played for Sporting, will have scored one of the easiest goals of her career, since it was a touch, but she was there and she didn’t miss, finishing with her right foot. a great move by the co-hosts.
A perfect cross from Jacqui Hand, after a break on the right, was behind the goal that decided the game, which had 42,137 spectators in the stands, the vast majority New Zealanders, who left the stadium happy.
In Eden Park, in a match refereed by the Japanese Yoshimi Yamashita, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Chris Hipkins, and the President of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, were also present.
The ninth edition of the Women’s Soccer World Cup, which takes place in Australia and New Zealand, kicked off this Thursday and ends on August 20.
On a day marked by the deaths of three people in the center of New Zealand’s most populous and busiest city, including the 24-year-old striker, the World Cup kicked off, as scheduled, in a match preceded by the ceremony inaugural. of the competition
In just over 10 minutes, the show began with a performance by the Maori people, the native people of New Zealand, continued with many young people on the pitch and closed with ‘Do it Again’, the official song of the 2023 World Cup, sung by New Zealand’s Benee and Australian Mallrat.
Today’s day still includes one more game, between the other co-hosts of the competition, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland, who measure forces in Sydney.
On the other hand, Portugal, one of the eight rookies, starts on Sunday, facing the Netherlands, runners-up in the title, at 7:30 p.m. local time (08:30 in Lisbon), in Dunedin, in the opening match of group E. .
After the clash with the Netherlands, Portugal faces Vietnam, also debuting, in Hamilton, on July 27, at 7:30 p.m. local time (08:30 a.m. in Lisbon), closing Group E against the United States, champion of the two last World Cups. , in Auckland, on August 1, at 7:00 p.m. local time (08:00 a.m. in Lisbon).
The ninth edition of the Women’s World Cup takes place from July 20 to August 20 in Australia and New Zealand.
Source: TSF
