Norway is shocked by co-host New Zealand in the tournament’s opening match
Women’s World Cup, The women’s squad shocked widely favored Norway with a 1-0 victory to start the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, marking the first-ever victory for a New Zealand national soccer team at a World Cup competition.
A moment of silence was observed prior to the start of the match in memory of the two people who lost their lives and the five others who were hurt, including a police officer, in the shooting that occurred in Auckland early on Thursday morning not far from Eden Park, the site of the opening World Cup game.
Shooting Result
The shooting resulted in the death of the shooter, and New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins told reporters that neither the national security of the country nor the World Cup competition were in danger as a result.
The event will go ahead as scheduled, according to Hipkins, who claimed that the government has spoken to FIFA organizers this morning.
As it turned out, the match between No. 26 in the world rated New Zealand and No. 12 ranked Norway in Group A broke the previous attendance record for a men’s or women’s soccer game in New Zealand with more than 42,100 spectators, according to CNN Sports.
New Zealand Scored
Up until Hannah Wilkinson of New Zealand scored from close range in the 48th minute off a cross from teammate Jacqui Hand, the game was scoreless. When Ria Percival’s shot struck the crossbar in the final seconds of normal time, New Zealand missed a penalty opportunity that would have given the Ferns a second goal.
Australia, the other co-host, will play Ireland in Sydney later on Thursday for the opening game of Group B.
Over the course of the upcoming month, 32 teams will participate in more than 60 games spread across 10 locations in Australia and New Zealand, two very different nations when it comes to football. Although New Zealand is better recognized as a rugby nation and, until Thursday, had never won a match in the sport, Australia has had greater success with the sport globally. The World Cup, whether it was for men’s or women’s competition.
Women’s National Team
The U.S. Women’s National Team is the tournament’s two-time defending champion and top-ranked team entering this year’s competition, making them favorites to win. Nine players from the 2019 champion U.S. squad are back this season, including Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, and Julie Ertz.
This weekend in New Zealand, the Americans’ first game will be against Vietnam, and they are considered the big favorites.