Heartache for Frida Maanum’s Norway as New Zealand win 1-0 in Women’s World Cup opener by Michelle
New Zealand beat Norway 1-0 in Auckland in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Opening Game. Though the occasion, being at home playing in front of a packed stadium in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Opener, favoured a New Zealand win, Gooners would have hoped Frida Maanum’s Norway took a point from the game, if not a win, especially given that Norway have previously won the World Cup.
Frida, who had a 6.9 match rating as per Sofascore, failed to guide the team to excellence. New Zealand looked better. Even so, statistics suggest Norway wasn’t that bad. The two teams shared equal possession of 50%; both teams had one big chance missed, hit the woodwork once, and had nine shots on target. New Zealand made 354 passes (65% successful), Norway made 356 (59% successful), and New Zealand’s Victoria Esson made two saves while Norway’s Aurora Mikalsen just made 1.
Norway may have lost the game after Hannah Wilkinson’s 48th-minute goal, but that shouldn’t kill their ambitions for this year’s World Cup. Hege Riise, Norway’s coach, didn’t feel the players let her down, noting the shooting in Auckland that saw helicopters and police outside the team hotel may have affected the team going into the game, saying,
“Some players slept through it.
“It hasn’t affected us in how we performed in the game. We didn’t get any momentum at all.”
Norway can still have a chance of turning their fortunes around in Group A with wins over Switzerland (whose national team includes 2 Arsenal players; Lia Walti & Noelle Maritz) and then the Philippines and not exiting the World Cup as they did in the group stages of last year’s Euros. We are all behind you, Frida and Co!
COYGW!
Michelle Maxwell
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