Co-hosts Australia and New Zealand opened the ninth Women’s World Cup with wins and record crowds July 20, after a shooting near the Norwegian team hotel in Auckland that left three dead and six injured.
After an opening ceremony celebrating traditional Maori culture, including a haka war dance, a slick team goal finished off by Hannah Wilkinson at Eden Park was the difference in New Zealand’s 1-0 victory over Norway, their first ever at a FIFA World Cup.
The crowd of 42,137 beat the host nation’s previous record for an international soccer match.
“To get their first win at home while they’re hosting … it’s a moment in history, for women’s football and for New Zealand women’s football,” said Kirsten Johnson, a 39-year-old New Zealand supporter from the United States.
Authorities deployed extra police and security outside the stadium following the shooting in New Zealand’s largest city.
Australia’s Matildas began their campaign with a 1-0 win against Ireland in front of a crowd of 75,784 fans at Stadium Australia in Sydney – a record attendance for a women’s soccer match in the country.
Japan’s Nadeshiko, 11th in the rankings compiled by FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, cruised past 77th-ranked Zambia 5-0 in their Group C opener on July 22. (Reuters, Kyodo)
毎週届く！
