A first half Lieke Martens goal was enough to earn The Netherlands a win over New Zealand in Edmonton. It was the Leeuwinnen’s first ever win at a World Cup as they held off their Group A opponents.
New Zealand are still searching for that elusive first ever World Cup win as, despite dominating for most of the game, they couldn’t find a way past the Oranje. Martens’ goal was a joy to behold, and an early goal of the tournament contender as she picked the ball up on the edge of the box before turning and curling it past Erin Nayler into the bottom corner.
The other Group A game was played prior to kick off, with hosts Canada defeating China 1-0 thanks to a late Christine Sinclair penalty. If either side could win by a two goal margin, they could seize early control of the group.
It was always a cagey affair at the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, with not a lot to separate either side. Both sides played good football but neither could find that cutting edge to break the deadlock. Striker Vivianne Miedema of the Netherlands wasn’t utilized to her strengths and had a quiet game, while counterpart Hannah Wilkinson was a constant threat to Loes Geurts’ goal.
But on 33 minutes, Martens opened the scoring with a touch of brilliance, the Goteborg midfielder scored her 21st international goal on her 50th cap for the Leeuwinnen. She curled the ball past Neyler, who was nowhere near reaching the fabulous strike.
However after the goal the Netherlands were happy to try and contain New Zealand, but with the Oranje’s flowing style play being countered by the Ferns, it was a struggle to keep hold of the three points.
New Zealand had a penalty appeal turned down late on as Wilkinson was brought down in the area, only for the referee to wave play on. Afterwards New Zealand Coach Tony Readings hailed Martens’ strike, saying: "It was just one bit of brilliance from a player that we knew was capable of that, that made the difference."
"We challenged ourselves as a team that we had another couple of gears to go up. We played OK in the first half but OK isn't good enough in the World Cup. “When we do up the ante and play to the pace we are capable of we can out-perform teams in this tournament. "It's a good lesson for us," Readings added.
Counterpart Roger Reijners was happy with his team’s effort: "We're very happy we could start this way.” "Everyone was very excited to be here but we know what we want." Leeuwinnen ‘keeper Loes Geurts was critical of their performance, saying: “Well, it wasn’t our best game. “The first half was OK, the second half was mostly fighting from our side and New Zealand took over. But we fought well through it.”
The Netherlands now prepare to play China on Thursday, knowing a win would virtually see them through to the next round. New Zealand however face a tough task as they play Canada, with a defeat virtually spelling the end of their World Cup.