New Zealand grabbed the first-ever win in the Women's World Cup 2023 yesterday in Auckland. It was in a strong position to advance to the knockout stage after defeating Group A which is Norway 1-0. This is a significant accomplishment for the tournament co-hosts, who had never won a single match at the World Cup. This inaugural match was witnessed by the Prime Minister of New Zealand Chris Hipkins. After the match, he went to the team and thanked them for their spectacular performance.
New Zealand is widely popular for its sports and rugby and due to this first victory on the first day of the tournament is a huge win for women's football. The tournament featured the largest crowd for a men's or women's football game ever in New Zealand with more than 42,000 spectators.
The Ferns played strong defense in the first half while Norway struggled even after getting opportunities. Rebekah Stott skillfully stopped Ada Hegerberg's attempt in the 37th minute and didn't give them a chance to score. Ada is the first female to receive the coveted Ballon d'Or award and has scored 43 goals in 77 international games. She is currently competing professionally for Lyon and has established a Champions League scoring mark of 59 goals.
New Zealand will next have their match against the Philippines, a tournament rookie, on Tuesday in Wellington. Switzerland plays Norway in Hamilton.
