Audio By Carbonatix
Hannah Wilkinson scored a second-half winner to send underdogs New Zealand to a 1-0 win over Norway at Eden Park on Thursday, kicking off their Women’s World Cup campaign at home with an extraordinary upset over the former champions.
It is their first-ever World Cup win in front of the biggest crowd that ever watched a football match in New Zealand. Before now, they had had a 15-match World Cup run without a win. Even in the countdown to the Women’s World Cup, they lost 2-0 to Nigeria’s Super Falcons in a friendly match last April.
The Football Ferns had never won a World Cup match before and Wilkinson’s goal from close range early in the second half, off a laser-like cross from Jacqui Hand, sent the home fans into roars of delight.
The win put New Zealand on the right track toward their goal of getting out of the opening stage of the tournament, as they face debutants the Philippines on Tuesday in a match that had widely been seen as their best chance of winning in Group A.
Co-hosts Australia were set to open their World Cup campaign later on Thursday in Sydney for the first co-hosted Women’s World Cup and the first in the southern hemisphere.
Latest Stories
-
GES, UMA-Subika hold reading competitions to boost literacy in Asutifi North
18 minutes -
Ashanti Regional Minister, Zoomlion launch sustained sanitation campaign in Ashanti
2 hours -
Muzic Mensah earns four nominations at 2026 Ghana Music Awards USA
3 hours -
2026 U17 WWCQ: Black Maidens snatch late draw in first leg against Senegal
4 hours -
Flood mitigation should be continuous, not a one-off effort – Expert warns
4 hours -
From Tragedy to Triumph: Ghana’s path to flood resilience (A Story of Lessons Learned, Global Inspiration, and a Collective Commitment to a Better Future)
4 hours -
Kristo Asafo dispute centres on my father’s final directives, not inheritance — Adwoa Safo
4 hours -
Kristo Asafo saga: ‘My dad didn’t die intestate; he left a valid will’ – Adwoa Safo
4 hours -
New Eastern Regional Fire Commander tours stations, identifies key operational challenges
5 hours -
Government fully responsible for Accra flooding crisis – Miracles Aboagye
5 hours -
Successive governments have failed to address flooding crisis – Susan Adu-Amankwah
5 hours -
No one can hold title on Ramsar sites – Inusah Fuseini warns against encroachment
5 hours -
We don’t need prayers or relief items; enforce the law – Samson Lardy Anyenini on recurring floods
5 hours -
Fresh attempt to remove seized galamsey excavators in Aowin sparks controversy
5 hours -
Susan Adu-Amankwah urges African governments to evacuate citizens over South Africa xenophobic attacks
5 hours