Birnie-coached young Football Ferns make history
Hawke’s Bay coach Leon Birnie and his girls have added another fairytale chapter to New Zealand football history after booking a place in the semifinal of the Fifa Under-17 World Cup in Uruguay.
“All along we have said to the players ‘Dare to dream’ and we continue to do just that,” said Birnie from Montevideo after the Kiwi teenagers upset favourites and former agegroup champions Japan 4-3 in a penalty shootout after the sides were locked 1-all in regulation time of their quarter-final match.
The 36-year-old Central Football administrator from Napier went to bed well after midnight after receiving a flood of congratulatory messages from fans throughout New Zealand and abroad following their memorable achievements at the Estadio Alberto Suppici.
The favourites had failed to break down the resolute defence of the underdogs despite an own goal from Hannah Mackay-Wright who had blocked the shot on the line but, inadvertently, turned in the confusion to see where it was and, in the process, stab the ball into the net.
But all was forgotten as the Kiwi teenagers, after Amelia Abbott opened their account in the 17th minute, showed composure and a clinical edge in the penalty shootout with only Jayda Stewart getting under a pitch-wedge shot that curled well over the crossbar.
“This is a special moment and one that we will treasure for the rest of our lives in becoming the first New Zealand team to reach a World Cup semifinal. It is an amazing moment,” said a blearyeyed Birnie but failing to disguise the pride that punctuated his reflections although the enormity of the team’s feat hadn’t really sunk in.
No doubt Birnie and his dedicated coaching and management stable would have to refocus on the task ahead against powerhouses Spain in an 8am kick off on Thursday.
“We said before the game that great moments are borne from great opportunities and one was born today with this historic performance,” said Birnie.
“The best part is we have shown that we can defy odds and defeat what’s in front of us and we’ll be looking to do that again in four days.”
It was only appropriate that goalkeeper Anna Leat should have the last penalty kick to signal the New Zealand conquest, after the vicecaptain had thwarted Japan in added time to keep the scores tied at 1-all.
Leat gave the victors a head start in the shootout when she thwarted Japan captain before Maya Hahn, Grace Wisnewski and Brown ticked the box. Leat found herself buried under a huge team celebration pileup with some concerned coaching staff trying to ease the load on her for fear of injuring her in the commotion.
“What a performance — these girls have come over here and game after game just defied the odds,” Birnie said.
“We’d never got out of the group before and we created history by doing that.
“Then today is a special occasion — no New Zealand team has ever reached a semifinal and now we’ve done it. I’m so proud of the girls and it was an amazing performance,” he said.
Birnie paid tribute to Japan as a quality outfit who demanded all hands on deck to keep them at bay for the last 30 minutes.
The Aneka Mittendorff-skippered Kiwis’ grit and determination left even Birnie amazed as his charges stretched out cramps and exhaustion to soldier on to the end against an opposition who adopted a regimented possession-based type of play.