FIFA Women's World Cup: Co-hosts New Zealand, Australia start campaign with narrow wins

New Zealand players (L), Australia players (R) (Pic: AFP)

New Zealand beat Norway 1-0, their first FIFA Women's World Cup win ever, and Australia battled past Ireland by the same scoreline on a triumphant opening day for the co-hosts on Thursday.

Hannah Wilkinson was the Football Ferns' hero, scoring three minutes after half-time to give them a precious victory over Norway, who are former winners of the competition. It was New Zealand's first win at the World Cup at the 16th attempt.

"We waited for this moment for such a long time. Hearing our fans behind us was just an unforgettable moment, for me as a coach and for all the players involved," their coach Jitka Klimkova said.

The margin of victory on a cold, wet and windy evening could have been even greater had Ria Percival not missed a late penalty.

Qualifying for the knockout stages for the first time is now a realistic aim for New Zealand, with Switzerland and the Philippines their other opponents in Group A.

Kerr injury setback

New Zealand's tears of joy came just as co-hosts Australia suffered a huge setback with the news that skipper Sam Kerr will miss at least the first two matches with a calf injury.

The Chelsea forward is the country's all-time leading scorer and the face of the tournament, but had to sit out the Matildas' opening match against debutants Ireland and will miss the clash with Nigeria next week.

"Unfortunately I sustained a calf injury yesterday in training," Kerr said in a statement just prior to kickoff.

"I wanted to share this with everyone so there is no distraction from what we came here to achieve."

Australia looked blunt in her absence but a 52nd-minute penalty from stand-in skipper Steph Catley was just enough to beat the Ireland side who refused to go quietly in their first game at a Women's World Cup.

It ensured three points in a tough Group B as the Matildas kick-started their mission to get beyond the quarter-finals for the first time.

Also Read: 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup groups finalised

With bumper crowds at both stadiums and global interest in women's football at an all-time high, this is being considered the biggest Women's World Cup yet -- 32 teams will battle over the next month, up from 24 in France four years ago.

(With AFP inputs)