The U17 Women’s World Cup may be over for hosts New Zealand, but this team of schoolgirls showed such heart and passion that they’ve done the country proud - and won a few fans in the process.

No New Zealand team has ever won a game at a Fifa World Cup, either at international or age group level, male or female, until the Young Football Ferns defeated Columbia 3-1 in their final outing of the tournament. Neither team had much to play for, both already eliminated, but New Zealand took the bull by the horns and sewed up the win they so richly deserved.

Opening the tournament against Canada, New Zealand put in a fantastic account of themselves in a 1-0 loss, providing some tense moments towards the end of the game as they battled for the equaliser. In front of 13,000 fans, a record for any female New Zealand team, the young girls did themselves proud even if they did feel the sting of defeat.

A win against Denmark could have kept them alive and looked to be on the cards when the team took the lead through Annalie Longo but it was not meant to be. Longo could have made it two, which may have sealed victory, but her shot hit the post and bounced to the keeper who started a move which gave Denmark the equaliser. Denmark went on to win 2-1.

Up against Columbia, New Zealand could have folded and just played it safe, instead they went all out in cold and wet conditions and came away with the win. Rosie White was the clear star of the game, netting all three goals for the home side in a performance which saw her leap up to fourth on the goal scorers’ list, although she fell back to sixth after the round robin finished.

While White and Longo were the only ones to get their names on the score sheet, there were plenty of other notable performances. Captain Bri Fisher anchored the team’s defense and provided wonderful leadership, Hannah Wall’s blistering pace down the wings troubled most defences, Caitlin Campbell provided a rugged and uncompromising defence and Victoria Esson filled in magnificently in goal after first choice keeper Charlotte Wood was injured in training.

A staggering eight member of this team now head to Chile to contest the U20 Women’s World Cup, but to the entire Young Football Ferns squad I say congratulations, you’ve done your country proud!

After two rounds of the group phase, the Fifa Under 17 Women’s World Cup is proving to be a major success in New Zealand, drawing record crowds in a country notoriously dismissive of football, and showing that football in its purist form provides a wonderful spectacle.

Talk to the average Kiwi about football and the likely responce will be that they dislike the theatrics often seen at the top level, the diving and swarming around the referee, as well as the negative defensive play as teams try to sit on a 1-0 lead or attempt to play for the draw.

But has any of this been seen at the Under 17 World Cup? No, although one Brazilian committed an outrageous dive, had a free kick awarded against her and was just about laughed out of the stadium. Perhaps an isolated incident in an otherwise sparkling display of all that is good about football.

The skills on show, the emotions and the passion almost make you forget that you’re watching a group of schoolgirls playing the beautiful game with stunning strikes, amazing saves and tough tackling coming from all teams.

The hosts may be out of the tournament, with a dead rubber to play against Columbia, but they have also provided some of the most entertaining moments as well. They lost both their outings by a single goal to Canada and Denmark, but in both games laid siege to their opponent’s goal in the final 10 minutes and were unlucky not to pick up an equaliser.

The contenders in this tournament have also shown themselves to be a joy to watch, the Japan vs France game clearly the match of the tournament so far. Japan played absolutely magnificently, showing flair and class in abundance as they hammered the French 7-1, showing skills well beyond their years.

Germany have also sounded a warning to the rest of the tournament, with striker Dzenifer Marozsan leading the way as the tournament’s leading scorer. Marozsan’s play, combined with some outstanding play from midfielder Isabelle Linden, has propelled Germany into the knockout phase and shown them to be a real contender.

The other team showing they have what it takes to win this inaugural tournament is England, who are the only team assured of going through from Group D after beating Brazil and Nigeria so far. The play of striker Danielle Carter, who has been compared to her All Black namesake, against Brazil was breathtaking as she netted two goals and set up the third.

Finally, this tournament could be signalling a shift in the balance of power in women’s football as all three teams from Asia, Japan, North Korea and South Korea, have played outstanding football and are all capable of making the knockout phase. Japan’s drubbing of traditional powers France was nothing short of astounding.

Perhaps New Zealand will never be a football nation and rugby will alway be king here, but the standard of play in this tournament and the passion shown by the player will win over a lot of fans. And on a side note, the New Zealand team broke down in tears after their second heart breaking loss at the weekend, why did the Silver Ferns not do the same thing after their loss to Australia?

Germany booked their place in the knockout phase of the Fifa U17 Women’s World Cup with a 3-2 win over Ghana in Christchurch.

The Germans took control of the game right from the outset, threatening the Africans’ goal a number of times before Tabea Kemme was brought down just inside the box after just four minutes. Dzenifer Marozsan stepped up and slotted the ball home from the penalty spot to give Germany the best possible start.

Ghana responded well to the early goal, applying a great deal of pressure to the Germans immediately after conceding, but some poor touches and resolute defending meant they were unable to turn the pressure into any chances.

Both teams had their goalies go down during the game after big collisions with attackers, both were able to continue and Germany’s Anna Sarholz showed little fear after her collision, diving at an attacker’s feet just  minutes after receiving treatment.

Ten minutes before half time Germany had their second as Marozsan curled a corner from the left side into the back of the net with pinpoint accuracy, leaving the Ghanan defenders stunned.

Germany came out blazing in the second half, generating a number of chances only to be denied by the woodwork and some outstanding goal keeping from Patricia Mantey.

Ghana finally got themselves into the game when Sarholz spilled an easy ball in and Florence Dadson pounced on the loose ball and put it home.

Unfortunately for the Africans, they proved the old football adage of being most vulnerable after scoring was accurate as just five minutes later Leonie Maier darted past three uninterested looking defenders and came up with a top drawer finish for Germany’s third of the afternoon.

Ghana, perhaps realising that the Germans were tiring, picked up the pace of their attack and sent more players forward in the later stages of the game. This tactic paid off for them as lanky forward Isha Fordjour was able to out jump Sarholz to give Ghana their second of the game to rapturous applause from the neutral crowd.

The final moments of the game were tense as Ghana continued to press forward in hopes of forcing an unlikely draw but were only able to create one more chance which saw Fordjour’s drive blocked by a German defender.

Ghana gave a wonderful account of themselves, playing attractive and positive football, but were unable to match the class and talent of Germany’s stars Marozsan and Isabelle Linden, whose runs down the right side constantly asked questions of the defenders.

Ghana now need a win over Costa Rica to advance to the second stage, while Germany face North Korea in a game which will determine if the Koreans advance.

A five star performance from tournment favourites Germany has put the rest of the teams at the Under 17 Women’s World Cup on notice as the Germans crushed Costa Rica 5-0 in Christchruch.

From the beginning of the game, the physically bigger German team showed their class and skill, dominating their South American opponents for almost the full 90 minutes. Costa Rica were able to generate a couple of half chances in the early stages of the match, but never really threatened the German goal for the rest of the match.

Light rain left the pitch slippery and make a high tempo affair like the tournament opener impossible, however both teams adjusted to the conditions well, attempting to play a shorter passing game.

A noisy crowd, made up mostly of school children, cheered on both teams as they produced a very entertaining spectacle. While almost all of the fans were neutral observers, most were hoping for a German win.

Germany opened their account after just 17 minutes when a brilliant ball was played over the top to Lynn Mester who slotted the ball deftly through the keeper’s legs. Just 20 minutes later the Germans had their second goal from another ball over the top, this time chipped home by Dzsenifer Marozsan.

Costa Rica struggled against the more disciplined Germans, having trouble stringing together more than four passes and were forced to live off scraps of possession, but did look dangerous on the counter attack.

Germany went into the break up 3-0 after a second goal to Marozsan who was set up brilliantly by Isabelle Linden’s low cross.

Another goal just after the break, this time to Turid Knaak, sealed the win for Germany but to their credit they did not retreat into a defensive shell, continuing to play attacking football throughout the game. Alexandra Popp almost picked up Germany’s fifth goal after a wonderful run down the left flank, only to be denied by the woodwork but soon after Tabea Kemme did make it five, slamming the ball home after Costa Rica failed to clear from a corner.

Like their opponents, Costa Rica deserve a great deal of credit for not giving up, depsite a win being out of reach. They appeared to have picked up a consolation goal midway through the second half, only to have it ruled out for offside.

Germany’s next opponent is Ghana on Saturday, while Costa Rica take on North Korea. Ghana and North Korea drew 1-1 in their group game.

The Fifa Under 17 Women’s World Cup got underway as the hosts New Zealand took on Canada at North Harbour Stadium in Auckland.

New Zealand may be known for being mad about rugby, but 13,123 fans turned up to see the opening game of this inaugural tournament, a record for a women’s sport, beating the world champion netball team the Silver Ferns.

The game got off to a frenetic start as both teams tore around the park at lightning speed, something that favoured New Zealand’s pace. As both teams found their rhythm the game settled down, with New Zealand retaining the upper hand in the early exchanges.

Both Hannah Wall and Annalie Longo had chances as long balls split the Canadian defences open, but were denied the tournament’s opening goal by some excellent goal keeping from Genevieve Richard.

New Zealand’s fast pace saw their midfield lose shape and allowed momentum to shift to Canada. Star player Tiffany Cameron created a number of chances for herself and Nkem Ezurike but were unable to get the ball past Victoria Esson and the teams went into the shed at 0-0.

The second half had New Zealand putting a great deal of pressure on the Canadians, forcing a number of corners. One corner saw New Zealand push eight players into the box, outnumbering the defenders and creating a chance for Sarah McLaughlin who headed the ball just over the bar.

But just as the hosts looked to press home their advantage Canada’s Rachel Lamarre picked up the ball on half way, wove her way past several defenders and slotted the ball into the bottom left corner of the net for the first goal of the tournament.

Despite the Canadian goal, New Zealand continued their dominance, holding the ball in the visitor’s end and applying pressure. Some excellent defending from Canada saw the hosts unable to turn their dominance into any real chances.

New Zealand’s best chance of the night fell to Caitlin Campbell who struck a magnificent free kick from around 30 metres, only to have the ball hit the crossbar and go over.

As the match wore on, the high tempo of the game took its toll and the initially high skill level dipped a little and New Zealand began to lose their shape. The tournament also had its first injury during this period as Cameron was forced to leave the ground on a stretcher.

New Zealand pounded on the Canadian goal in the closing moments of the game, with chances falling to Rosie White and Wall but both saw their shots go agonisingly wide.

In the end Canada were the better team on the night but New Zealand really did deserve a point for their tremendous heart and grit that they showed. While they may have come away with no points from the game, the Young Football Ferns certainly did capture the attention of the nation.

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