From busker to footballing hero

She saves and she scores.

While the sight of goalkeeper Anna Leat stepping up to take a penalty that could decide New Zealand’s future in the Under-17 Women’s World Cup may have come as a surprise to some, coach Leon Birnie said it was planned on the morning of the game.

Having made her Football Ferns debut at 15, Leat’s big game experience made her the perfect candidate, Birnie said. She regularly busks on the streets of Auckland to raise money for new gear, so she is used to stepping out of her comfort zone.

Birnie told her to pick a spot and go for it. If she was confident she would score.

‘‘We spoke to the girls today. We let the players all go together and decide, if we got to pens [penalties] who wanted to take them. Anna put her hand up so we selected from the players who were confident,’’ Birnie said.

The 17-year-old’s successful penalty sparked wild scenes of celebrations at Estadio in Colonia Del Sacramento yesterday, New Zealand beating Japan 4-3 after their quarterfinal ended 1-1 after 90 minutes. They will play Spain in the semifinal on Thursday.

The players formed a circle and sung Macklemore’s Glorious, just like they did when they beat hosts Uruguay to reach the knockout stage for the first time.

‘‘I don’t even know what I was thinking. I just hit it,’’ Leat said, running through the penalty.

To a small nation such as New Zealand making the top four at a football World Cup has always seemed like an impossible dream.

But Leat, who grew up in Arrowtown and used to do karate before she played football, has long believed this group was capable of producing something special in Uruguay. It is why she opted for the Under-17 Women’s World Cup over the Oceania Women’s Nations Cup where she could have added to her three international caps.

Keen to balance sport and education, Leat is heading to the United States after the World Cup for viewings at various universities. She plans to study social science.

After that performance yesterday, she may have a few more potential suitors.

AP Delighted Football Ferns youngsters swamp goalkeeper Anna Leat, bottom, after Leat scored the matchwinning penalty in a dramatic shootout win over Japan that put New Zealand into the semifinals of the Under-17 World Cup in Uruguay.