New Zealand coach Jitka Klimkova described seeing her team claim the country’s historic first World Cup win — men or women — as “an incredible feeling” on Thursday.
The Women’s World Cup co-hosts defeated former champions Norway 1-0 to open the tournament in front of a near-capacity crowd at Eden Park in Auckland.
“We waited for this moment for such a long time. Hearing our fans behind us was just an unforgettable moment, for me as a coach and for all the players involved,” Klimkova said after Hannah Wilkinson scored the only goal of the game.
“It is an incredible, incredible feeling.”
New Zealand kept Norway’s former Ballon d’Or-winning striker Ada Hegerberg quiet and could have won by more, but Ria Percival hit the bar with a 90th-minute penalty. The match was watched by over 42,000 fans, a national record crowd for football in the country. — AFP
