AUCKLAND (Reuters) – Norway forward Caroline Graham Hansen said they “might as well just go home” if they cannot improve on Thursday’s performance at the Women’s World Cup after the former champions were stunned 1-0 by co-hosts New Zealand at Auckland’s Eden Park.
Norway came into the match as overwhelming favourites against the Football Ferns, who had failed to win any of their previous 15 World Cup matches, but looked disjointed from the outset and rarely troubled a stout home defence.
“Of course (we are) devastated,” said Graham Hansen. “We didn’t come here to lose.”
World champions in 1995, Norway had been looking to impress after their shock early exit from last year’s European Championships.
However, they struggled to build any kind of rhythm and only came alive after Hannah Wilkinson put New Zealand ahead in the second half.
“I felt like we weren’t able to play our game at all,” Graham Hansen told reporters. “A lot of things have to be better if we want to win games.”
Norway’s best chance to level came through Tuva Hansen’s right-footed effort in the 81st minute, which ricocheted back off the crossbar.
Graham Hansen said losing the opening match put them on the back foot for the remainder of the group stage.
“With the win we would have more confidence, but now we just have to show what we’re made of,” she added. “If not, we might as well just go home.”
The squad have five days to pull the pieces together before they face Switzerland in their second group-stage match in Hamilton. They close out their Group A against the Philippines.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in Auckland; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
