Brazil opened the scoring just two minutes from the break as Cristiane tucked the ball home in a crowded penalty area in the aftermath of a corner.
It then took until the last five minutes for the Football Ferns to draw level in front of an almost 2000 strong home crowd.
After several near misses from the lively Hannah Wilkinson – who saw two headers come back off the bar – it was substitute White who headed in a Wilkinson cross.
It had seemed, until White’s intervention, the New Zealand side were going to be frustrated in defeat which would have been a harsh penalty on the Football Ferns – ranked 20th in the world – as the home side controlled possession well and regularly threatened the Brazilian goal throughout the contest, played in driving rain.
Football Ferns coach Tony Readings was left frustrated his side had not got the reward he felt they deserved from a performance which thoroughly tested the world number six side.
“We’ve played like that all year and similar to today we’ve not got the rewards we could have from the game,” Readings said.
“I’m disappointed really, we had a couple of penalties we didn’t get and a couple of chances we could have done a bit better with and I thought we could have won by a couple today but we’ll learn from that.”
A game played in torrential rain took on an increasingly physical tone as the Football Ferns stood up to their opposition, typified by a strong defensive display from midfielder Katie Hoyle who earned a yellow card for a robust challenge mid-way through the second half.
“It was always going to become a physical battle,” Readings said, “it always does in conditions like that. I’m proud of the way we hung in there won the physical contests. In the second half as the conditions got worse, we got stronger and got more physical.”
Wilkinson, who played a big hand in White’s leveller – delivering an inch-perfect cross for the UCLA striker to head home – was impressive throughout the contest as the Northland product’s pace and strength proved tough for Brazil to deal with.
“Hannah has been one of best players this year,” Readings said, “she’s been outstanding and tonight was another example of the threat she has. She’s got pace, she’s strong and she gives the best defenders in the world trouble.”
After the final whistle, Readings saw the telltale signs of a team eager to keep their upward momentum of recent years rolling.
“You see the reaction in the players as they came off the pitch. A year ago they may have been celebrating with a draw but the players are really disappointed. Not with the performance, but our goals are always to win games the way we want to play.”
For her part, Wilkinson was left frustrated by a performance which ticked a lot of boxes, except the final one – the result.
“I think we were the better team overall and I definitely think we could have beaten them,” Wilkinson said.
“We had our chances, which is exciting, because it means we’re creating chances, but certainly hitting that crossbar twice was very frustrating.”
Operating primarily on the right flank, the 57-cap striker was consistently getting into crossing positions and dribbling dangerously into the Brazil penalty area, Wilkinson saying her opposition played right into her hands.
“I noticed immediately I wasn’t being marked very tightly. They were pushing forward and leaving me with so much space out on the flank so I was always looking for the ball in behind because there was so much space. It really played to my strengths.”
The late equaliser came in exactly those circumstances as Wilkinson shook free and delivered a terrific cross onto the head of White who made no mistake.
“It was a good ball through from Amber and I just saw Rosie in a perfect spot and she finished it really well. It was awesome. I got so excited when she finished it.”
Looking ahead to Thursday’s second encounter between the teams, Wilkinson says there is still room for improvement in possession for a Football Ferns side which controlled the tempo of the match for large chunks.
“We said at half-time we had more time than we thought we had. I think we could have looked up and played forward a little more maybe but the main thing is finishing our chances, we’re creating them well enough but we need to finish them off.”
The teams now head to Taupo on Thursday for the second game of the series at Owen Delany Park.
Football Ferns 1 (Rosie White 85’)
Brazil 1 (Cristiane 43’)
Halftime: 0-1
New Zealand: 1. Erin Nayler (GK), 2. Ria Percival, 4. Katie Hoyle, 5. Abby Erceg (capt), 6. Rebekah Stott, 7. Ali Riley, 9. Amber Hearn, 10. Sarah Gregorius (13. Rosie White 66’), 12. Betsy Hassett, 16. Annalie Longo (11. Kirsty Yallop 75’), 17. Hannah Wilkinson
Substitutes not used: 15. Meikayla Moore, 18. Katie Bowen, 20. Helen Collins, 21. Rebecca Rolls (GK), 26. Daisy Cleverley
Story courtesy of New Zealand Football
For more on New Zealand football go to www.nzfootball.co.nz

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