WORLD CUP ROUNDUP New Zealand opens with a 1-0 upset over Norway on emotional 1st day

AUCKLAND, New Zealand – On a day that started with tragedy, the Football Ferns triumphed.

Hannah Wilkinson scored to open the second half and New Zealand went on to upset Norway 1-0 on Thursday for its first-ever win at the Women’s World Cup, hours after a shooting in downtown Auckland shocked the host nation.

A gunman stormed a high-rise construction site near Norway’s team hotel and opened fire, killing two people and wouding three others. The gunman was found dead after a police shootout.

New Zealand’s Football Ferns had played in five previous World Cups, but hadn’t won a match.

Norway couldn’t finish off its chances in the first half while the Ferns defended well. Ada Hegerberg’s attempt in the 37th minute was deftly defended by Rebekah Stott.

The first woman to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or award, Hegerberg has 43 goals in 77 international appearances. Currently playing professionally for Lyon, she has scored a record 59 goals in the Champions League. But she couldn’t find the back of the net in Auckland.

Group B: Aussies edge Ireland without star Kerr

Australia 1, Ireland 0: Rocked by the late withdrawal of Sam Kerr due to a calf injury, Australia took time to settle before getting off to a winning start in Sydney.

Steph Catley swept home a 52nd-minute penalty to end Ireland’s resistance and spark an eruption of joy from fans inside Stadium Australia.

There was also no shortage of relief from the majority of the 75,784-strong crowd after the tournament co-hosts struggled to cope without Kerr, the country’s all-time leading scorer Kerr, who will also miss the second game of Group B against Nigeria.

Fans only learned of her absence about an hour before kick off, with the Chelsea striker sustaining the injury in practice on Wednesday.