The result leaves the Junior Football Ferns needing to win their last two games against Korea DPR on Saturday and Brazil next week to guarantee qualification for the last 16, although a win and a draw may be enough to get them through if other results go their way.
“We were targeting a minimum of five points from these three games so we’ve got to go out for the win in the next two games if we’re to get through to the next round,” coach Tony Readings says.
“We’ve just got to make sure we do everything we can to get ourselves through. We don’t want to rely on other teams doing us favours, it’s still in our hands if we win the next two.”
Hannah Wilkinson put New Zealand ahead in the 33rd minute after pressuring two hesitant Swedish defenders and forcing her way through on goal.
But Antonia Goransson struck in the 56th and 67th minutes to seal the win for the Scandinavians, although there was an ounce of good fortune in her brace.
Her first effort took a deflection off captain Anna Green to beat New Zealand goalkeeper Erin Nayler and the second crossed the line after ricocheting back to her from a sharp save by the impressive Nayler.
Striker Renee Leota was also in fine form, but low on luck, hitting the base of the post in the 16th minute on the end of a Green cross, then snapping an 18-yard shot onto the crossbar when the scores were locked at 1-1 midway through the second spell.
New Zealand struggled with the pace of Swedish striker Sofia Jakobsson but in attack the front three of Wilkinson, Leota and Rosie White looked threatening, and Hannah Wall caused plenty of trouble for the Swedes with overlapping runs from right fullback.
But despite a tense final 10 minutes with New Zealand pushing forward in search of an equaliser, a second goal never came and Readings was left to rue a lacklustre start.
“The frustrating thing for the players and staff is that we all know this team is capable of more and we didn’t show it today,” he says.
“There’s some fundamental things to our game that were missing today and while we showed it in patches we didn’t do it for long enough to warrant getting three points at a World Cup.
“Having said that we’ve hit the post, hit the crossbar and gone close with a set piece at the end. We’ve had more shots than Sweden and yet never really hit our straps. That just makes it more frustrating knowing that if we’d fired we could’ve come away with a win.
“Our job is to pick the players up and make sure we get back to those things which make this team special.”
The Koreans beat Brazil 1-0 in Group B’s opening fixture earlier in the day to share the group lead with Sweden.
FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Germany 2010
Group B: New Zealand 1 (Hannah WILKINSON 33) Sweden 2 (Antonia GORANSSON 56, 67)
Halftime 1-0
New Zealand: 20-Erin NAYLER (GK), 3-Anna GREEN (Captain), 4-Chelsey WOOD (13-Nadia PEARL 72), 5-Briony FISHER, 6-Bridgette ARMSTRONG, 7-Hannah WILKINSON (17-Sarah MCLAUGHLIN 72), 8-Betsy HASSETT, 9-Hannah WALL, 10-Annalie LONGO (12-Claudia CRASBORN 84), 11-Rosie WHITE, 14-Renee LEOTA.
Substitutes not used: 1-Victoria ESSON (GK), 2-Elizabeth MILNE, 15-Emily COOPER, 16-Julia LYNDS (GK), 18-Lauren MATHIS, 19-Terri-Amber CARLSON, 21-Lisa KEMP.
Coach: Tony Readings
Cautions: Betsy HASSETT 32
Sweden: 12-Hilda CARLEN (GK), 2-Catrine JOHANSSON, 4-Emma KULLBERG, 5-Elin BORG, 6-Mia KARLSSON, 7-Emilia APPELQVIST, 9-Sofia JAKOBSSON, 10-Tilda HEIMERSSON, 11-Olivia SCHOUGH (16-Kristin KARLSSON 68), 15-Antonia GORANSSON (18-Amanda WEGERMAN 74), 17-Jennifer EGELRYD (8-Josefine ALFSSON 59).
Substitutes not used: 1-Susanne NILSSON (RGK), 3-Jessica SAMUELSSON, 13-Amanda ILESTEDT, 14-Lisa KLINGA, 19-Emelie LOVGREN, 20-Tempest NORLIN, 21-Malin REUTERWALL (RGK).
Coach: Calle BARRLING
Story courtesy of NZF Media.
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