The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup begins in Germany on Tuesday night (NZT) and New Zealand will be among the first nations to get underway when their Group B campaign kicks off against European runners-up Sweden in Bielefeld.
Powerhouses Brazil and North Korea round out the tournament’s so-called Group of Death but the Junior Football Ferns have set their sights on shedding their own tag as group outsiders and reaching the second round.
“This team is quietly confident they can cause some surprises,” coach Tony Readings says.
The Junior Ferns have the collective experience of many senior and age-group FIFA tournaments within the 21-strong squad and are fully aware of what a positive result would do for their quarterfinal hopes.
“Getting a result in the first game is absolutely crucial. You just have to look at the All Whites – they got a draw in their opener and therefore went into their next two matches with a chance of qualifying,” Readings says.
“The upside of having these sorts of teams in our group is that they could easily all take points off each other. Nothing is guaranteed for any team and it reinforces that we need to be at our best in all three games.”
The top two teams in each of the tournament’s four groups qualify for the quarterfinals.
The current New Zealand U-20 squad contains 11 survivors from the 2008 class that beat hosts Chile but were then denied a place in the second round by a last-minute equaliser from England in their final group game.
Sweden boasts a professional women’s league and a senior FIFA women’s world ranking of fourth but, surprisingly, had not qualified for an U-20 Women’s World Cup before recording three successive come-from-behind victories to reach last year’s European U-19 final where they lost to England.
That tournament’s top scorer, Sofia Jacobsson, looms as Sweden’s most potent threat.
The Junior Ferns drew 2-2 with fellow finalists Switzerland in Zurich en route to Germany and rounded out preparations with a training match and penalty shootout practice against Japan in Augsburg.
New Zealand will put the final touches on their build-up during a captain’s run at Bielefeld Stadium on Monday.
Kick off is at 12.30am on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning New Zealand time and coverage is live on Sky Sport 2.
FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Germany 2010
Group B: New Zealand v Sweden
Bielefeld
July 13 2.30pm local (12.30am July 14 NZT)
Live on Sky Sport 2
New Zealand (from): 1-Victoria ESSON (GK), 2-Elizabeth MILNE, 3-Anna GREEN (Captain), 4-Chelsey WOOD, 5-Briony FISHER, 6-Bridgette ARMSTRONG, 7-Hannah WILKINSON, 8-Betsy HASSETT, 9-Hannah WALL, 10-Annalie LONGO, 11-Rosie WHITE, 12-Claudia CRASBORN, 13-Nadia PEARL, 14-Renee LEOTA, 15-Emily COOPER, 16-Julia LYNDS (GK), 17-Sarah MCLAUGHLIN, 18-Lauren MATHIS, 19-Terri-Amber CARLSON, 20-Erin NAYLER (GK), 21-Lisa KEMP.
Coach: Tony Readings
Sweden (from): 1-Susanne NILSSON (GK), 2-Catrine JOHANSSON, 3-Jessica SAMUELSSON, 4-Emma KULLBERG, 5-Elin BORG, 6-Mia KARLSSON, 7-Emilia APPELQVIST, 8-Josefine ALFSSON, 9-Sofia JAKOBSSON, 10-Tilda HEIMERSSON, 11-Olivia SCHOUGH, 12-Hilda CARLEN, 13-Amanda ILESTEDT, 14-Lisa KLINGA, 15-Antonia GORANSSON, 16-Kristin KARLSSON, 17-Jennifer EGELRYD, 18-Amanda WEGERMAN, 19-Emelie LOVGREN, 20-Tempest NORLIN, 21-Malin REUTERWALL.
Coach: Calle BARRLING
Schedule
FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, Germany
July 13 – August 1
New Zealand v Sweden
Bielefeld
July 13 2.30pm local (12.30am July 14 NZT)
Live on Sky Sport 2
New Zealand v Korea DPR
Bielefeld
July 16 6pm local (4am July 17 NZT)
Live on Sky Sport
New Zealand v Brazil
Dresden
July 20 2.30pm local (12.30am July 21 NZT)
Live on Sky Sport
Story courtesy of NZF Media.
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