At the 16th attempt, New Zealand’s women have won their first World Cup.
Co-hosts With a 1-0 victory over Norway on Thursday in Auckland in front of more than 42,000 spectators—the largest audience in New Zealand football history—New Zealand won the opening match of the Women’s World Cup.
At the 16th attempt, striker Hannah Wilkinson gave New Zealand’s women their first World Cup victory at Eden Park early in the second half. For the home team, Ria Percival missed a late penalty.
In the meantime, veteran captain Christine Sinclair issued a warning on Thursday, saying: “This team is full of rock stars.” She said that Olympic winners Canada can defeat anyone at the Women’s World Cup.
They are ranked eighth and will play Nigeria in their challenging Group B opener on Friday in Melbourne.
In their attempt to advance to the knockout rounds, they will also encounter the co-hosts Australia and the rookies Ireland.
At her sixth World Cup, Sinclair, the all-time leading scorer in international football, issued a warning against underestimating her team.
The 40-year-old forward, who has scored an astonishing 190 goals in 323 appearances for her nation, claimed that “we were overlooked heading into the Tokyo Olympics and showed what we can do.”
“We are capable of defeating any squad on earth. We’re inspired to show the world what we’re capable of doing since winning is contagious and makes you want to try it again.
A fourth-place finish in 2003 was the best World Cup performance to date for Canada, which has qualified for all but the first World Cup in 1991. Four years ago, they were eliminated in the round of 16 in France.
After a chaotic buildup during which they threatened to go on strike over wages, funding, and contractual concerns, they participate in the event that Australia and New Zealand are hosting.
