I’ll leave you with Kieran Pender’s match report. Bye!
872 - Jill Roord's winner for Netherlands was only her fourth goal for the national side, and her first since she scored a brace against Romania in January 2017, 872 days ago. Hero. #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/PrvKBW3E7K
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 11, 2019
🇳🇱 @JILLROORDNL - RIGHT AT THE DEATH FOR @ORANJEVROUWEN 🙌#NEDNZL #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/xmwFGxgMeV
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) June 11, 2019
Jill Roord’s late goal means the Netherlands join Canada at the top of Group E. They deserved the breakthrough after dominating the majority of the second half. New Zealand defended well but they didn’t take the few chances that come their way and were stung by one loss of concentration in the dying moments.
Full-time: New Zealand 0-1 Netherlands
What a crucial win for the Dutch.
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Van Dongen sends a deep cross in from the left. Beerensteyn makes a nuisance of herself at the far post. Her header loops into the air, Nayler is nowhere to be seen and Jill Roord, just on as substitute, sends a downward header into the net from three yards out.
GOAL! New Zealand 0-1 Netherlands (Roord, 90 min+2)
They’ve done it!
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90 min+1: There will be four added minutes.
90 min: New Zealand are almost there.
87 min: Beerensteyn replaces Van de Sanden.
85 min: New Zealand remain camped in their own half. They settled for a point long ago.
82 min: Spitser has a shot. Blocked. Then Miedema has one. Blocked. The pressure is relentless now.
80 min: Miedema turns in the area and wins another corner. It comes to nothing.
79 min: A corner to Holland on the left. It’s aimed to the far post and Miedema heads over.
77 min: Satchell bustles through on the right, but her touch is poor, forcing her wide, and she dribbles a shot into the side netting.
74 min: New Zealand make two more changes, Wilkinson on for White, Satchell on for the profligate Gregorius.
72 min: Erceg adjusts just in time to flick a cross away from the lurking Miedema. It’s been all Holland in the last 20 minutes. They’re banging on the door.
70 min: Van Dongen replaces Van Es.
68 min: Van Lunteren crashes one over from 25 yards.
67 min: Longo replaces Hassett.
66 min: Van Lunteren dashes to the byline and pulls the ball back to Miedema, who crashes a shot goalwards and can’t believe it when Nayler makes an instinctive stop with her legs!
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64 min: Van der Gragt appears to have recovered.
61 min: Van der Gragt is hobbling. She needs some treatment from the physio.
60 min: Martens sends Miedema through on goal, but the striker’s shot drifts inches wide of the far post.
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59 min: Van Lunteren sends a dangerous cross in from the right but Stott heads away.
56 min: Miedema threatens again, almost reaching a loose ball in the New Zealand area, but Nayler manages to shovel it away.
55 min: There’s a VAR check for a possible penalty. Apparently there was a handball. They’re not telling us who handballed it. Anyway the drama passes quickly. No penalty. To either side.
54 min: Miedema locates Martens on the left. She shifts the ball on to her left foot, makes space for a shot and whips it over the bar.
53 min: Up the other end Miedema surges through on goal, but Nayler speeds off her line to smother the danger. Good goalkeeping.
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52 min: Chance drives down the left and pings a low cross into the middle. Gregorius is this far away from turning it in. Hassett picks up possession on the right. Her cross finds Gregorius, but the striker’s looping effort doesn’t have enough pace on it to beat Van Veenendaal.
51 min: It’s been a slow start.
48 min: Nayler has to rush to boot a backpass away. Martens was closing in.
46 min: Holland get the second half underway.
All told, this is a very entertaining game of football. Definite shades of the New Zealanders’ win over England, where they defended resolutely and nabbed a goal. The Kiwis are certainly doing better than their Antipodean cousins - Australia got tonked 3-0 by the Netherlands in their final pre-tournament friendly.
Half-time: New Zealand 0-0 Netherlands
There have been chances at both ends, but it’s goalless at the break. See you in 15 minutes.
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45 min+2: Bloodworth has recovered.
45 min+1: Bloodworth misses a great chance! A New Zealand corner is only half cleared and Van de Donk feeds Miedema on the edge of the area. Miedema drives down the left and lifts a cross into the middle. Nayler comes and flaps at it, with Martens closing in, and takes a whack for her troubles. The ball breaks to Bloodworth, but she scuffs a comical shot wide with the goal gaping.
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45 min: Miedema’s shot from 20 yards is deflected wide for a corner.
44 min: “The Oranje and the Kiwis?” Peter Oh says. “Can we call it the Vitamin C derby?”
42 min: It’s been a decent half, but both teams need a sharper edge in the final third. Holland haven’t created enough for all the possession they’ve enjoyed.
39 min: Spitse’s dangerous inswinging corner from the left somehow evades everyone in the middle and bounces wide of the far post. It was one of those that only needed a touch.
38 min: Holland win a corner on the left.
34 min: New Zealand make a rare sortie and go close to snatching the lead, only for Van Veenendaal to push White’s swerving 25-yarder away for a corner.
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30 min: Martens slips a pass through to Miedema, but the striker’s shot is blocked by Bott.
29 min: The corner comes in from the right. A New Zealand defender takes a tumble, sparking mayhem in the area. Bloodworth rises highest to head the ball into the middle. It flicks off a New Zealand head, leaving Nayler stranded and the goal vacant. Yet Martens can’t rise high enough at the far post and heads over the bar!
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28 min: Holland win a corner on the right.
26 min: The stretcher has been sent away. After a chat with the physio it seems Gregorius will continue. Panic over.
25 min: Gregorius is down injured. They’re calling for a stretcher.
24 min: Holland are very dominant in possession now. But there’s always a sense New Zealand could capitalise on an error or catch them on the break.
22 min: At the risk of jinxing them, these Kiwis can defend. They’re also putting in a strong defensive effort so far despite missing the services of Meikayla Moore, whose World Cup was over before it began when she ruptured her Achilles tendon in training the other day.
19 min: The corner comes to nothing.
18 min: Martens inconveniences Bott again, twisting and turning, but she has to settle for a corner after running out of room.
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17 min: Holland are beginning to dominate. Their football is slick and quick. A goal could be on the way.
13 min: Holland stir at the other end, attacking down the right again, but Miedema heads over from 12 yards. This has been a bright start.
11 min: New Zealand hit the bar! Holland make a right John Stones of an attempt to play out from the back and get themselves into a horrible mess. Chance nabs possession, drives to the left and pings a lovely shot towards the far corner. It beats Van Veenendaal and looks like it’s heading in – only for the ball to crash back off the face of the bar. What a let-off for the Dutch. Though they still have some defending to do. New Zealand swing a cross into the area and Gregorius heads straight at Van Veenendaal.
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10 min: Van de Sanden sends a cross in from the right. It bounces to Martens, who sweeps a low shot towards the bottom corner from 15 yards, but Nayler gets down to make a good save. That was a sign of the threat from Martens.
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9 min: Riley sends a ball over the top, looking for Gregorius, and momentarily Holland look in trouble. Until the flag goes up for offside.
7 min: Van de Donk appears to have recovered from that blow.
5 min: This is worrying for Holland. Van de Donk is down with an injury. Her afternoon might be over.
3 min: New Zealand respond in kind, Percival charging down the right, but her cross is cleared.
Peep! New Zealand, all in white, get the game underway. They’re kicking from right to left. You know what Holland are wearing. And the Dutch are on the attack straight away, Martens turning away from Bott quite brilliantly on the left. The forward sends in a cross, but it’s headed away.
We’ve had the anthems. Now a jaunty dance beat is blaring round the stadium. As sure a sign as any the game’s about to begin.
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Here come the teams. Football soon!
It is a heavily Dutch crowd here in Le Havre - with swathes of orange in the crowd and only the odd patch of white (the New Zealand football teams wear white, in contrast to their rugby colleagues). The Netherlands are definitely favourites today, so it could be a fun day in the sun for the visiting Dutch fans.
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“Looking forward to seeing the Dutch attackers today,” Rob Edwards says. “Miedema and Martens is probably the best strike force in the competition.”
It’s an exciting combination. So exciting, in fact, that I went to interview Miedema at Arsenal a couple of years ago. Enjoy!
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Team news
New Zealand: Nayler; Bott, Stott, Erceg, Riley; Hassett, Bowen, Percival, White, Chance; Gregorius.
Netherlands: Van Veenendaal; Van Lunteren, Van der Gragt, Bloodworth, Van Es; Groenen, Van de Donk, Spitse; Van de Sanden, Miedema, Martens.
Referee: Edina Alves Batista (Brazil)
Preamble
Hello. Time for the European champions to get their tournament underway. This is only the second time the Netherlands have qualified for a World Cup, following on from their appearance at the 2015 edition, but they have plenty of big names and are expected to go far in France. They’re in a tough group, however, and will need to be on their game to deal with New Zealand, who are back on firmer ground after wobbling in 2018. There’s a genuine feeling that New Zealand could win the whole thing, though that belief will be severely tested here. Indeed a few burning questions should get answered over the next few hours. It should be fascinating.
Kick-off: 2pm BST, 3pm CET.
