New Zealand women's secures first-ever World Cup win
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New Zealand win 1-0 against Norway in the Women's World Cup's opener.
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New Zealand's forward Hannah Wilkinson (L) celebrates with teammates after scoring the team's first goal during the Australia and New Zealand 2023 Women's World Cup Group A football match between New Zealand and Norway at Eden Park in Auckland on July 20, 2023 (AFP)
New Zealand's women's team snatched three points from the Women's World Cup's opening game against Norway in a 1-0 victory on Thursday.
The win is also the national team's first-ever in the tournament, as Hannah Wilkinson scored the only goal to put the Ferns ahead in the 48th minute.
The game was attended by more than 42,000 fans in Aukland, which also marks the largest crowd in the country's football history. The national team has been unable to secure a victory in its previous 15 matches, making this win essential for a successful campaign.
New Zealander Prime Minister Chris Hipkins attended the match with FIFA President Gianni Infantino at Eden Park.
To put this victory in context, the Ferns secured the win after a mass shooting rocked the city of Aukland and left two people dead alongside the gunman this morning.
A moment of silence was held before the start of the match to honor the lives of those who passed away. The incident happened in close proximity to where many teams were staying, including Normaway whose squad was woken up by a helicopter and emergency vehicles responding to the shooting.
"It was nothing we were scared of. We knew it was under control quite early," Norway coach Hege Riise said after the game.
"Some players slept through it, some woke up, but we had an early morning meeting with everyone just to tell them they were safe. That was it. It didn't affect how we performed in the game."
"It was an opening game that we feel like we want to play one more time," she explained.
