A 64th-minute free kick from fullback Stephanie Houghton which blazed past the Kiwi defensive wall was the only goal of a game in which New Zealand’s best moments came in the first 25 or final 15 minutes.
The Football Ferns dominated the opening exchanges with Sarah Gregorius and Ali Riley both getting in behind the fullback down New Zealand’s left-hand side to create chances for Hannah Wilkinson and Amber Hearn respectively.
But after camping inside Great Britain’s half without reward, New Zealand were slowly forced back as the hosts began to assert themselves, growing stronger as the crowd lifted.
Jenny Bindon batted away a Houghton free kick in the 22nd minute then made a superb save off the deck a minute later from Anita Asante after punching clear a corner.
Alex Scott also spurned a good opportunity as New Zealand’s defence was tested but stood firm.
Chasing the game in the closing stages, New Zealand once again began to claim their share of possession but Hearn’s lobbed shot that Karen Bardsley tipped over the bar in the last ten minutes was as close as they came to a late equaliser.
With Brazil beating Cameroon 5-0 in the pool’s late kick-off, New Zealand lie third in Group E. The Ferns face Brazil in their next match on Sunday morning (NZT) and coach Tony Readings says he saw enough positives to believe his side can rise to the challenge and stay in the hunt for a quarter-final place which they would claim by finishing second, or potentially even third, in the group.
“We went out there with a strategy and a plan that we felt could defeat Great Britain and for large portions of the game we executed that,” Readings said.
“When you look at the quality of the Great Britain squad we felt our performance across the 90-plus minutes was enough to get something out of the game. We had a few chances there as well.
“That’s one game down and we’ve got two more to get six points which we’re aiming for. The players are disappointed and it shows how far we’ve come that we run a team like that so close and yet players are devastated in the changing room. We’ve shown time and time again that when we get these defeats it sparks new life into the players and they’re even more determined.
“We just move forward to the Brazil match and start prepping and planning for that and I’m sure the players just want to get back out on the pitch and put things right.”
Meanwhile, Annalie Longo carved out a small piece of history when entering the game in the 74th minute by becoming the first female player in the world to complete the set of FIFA tournaments having already played in an U-17 World Cup, an U-20 World Cup (three times) and a Women’s World Cup (twice).
The men’s Olympic football tournament gets underway tomorrow with New Zealand squaring off against Belarus in Group C. The match kicks off at 6.45am New Zealand time.
Women’s Olympic Football Tournament
Great Britain: 1 (Stephanie HOUGHTON 64’)
New Zealand: 0
Halftime: 0-0
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
July 25
Great Britain: 1-Karen BARDSLEY (GK), 2-Alex SCOTT, 3-Stephanie HOUGHTON, 4-Jill SCOTT, 6-Casey STONEY (captain), 7-Karen CARNEY (8-Fara WILLIAMS 89’), 10-Kelly SMITH (11-Rachel YANKEY 69’), 12-Kim LITTLE (9-Ellen WHITE 46’), 13-Ifeoma DIEKE, 14-Anita ASANTE, 15-Eniola ALUKO
Substitutes not used: 5-Sophie BRADLEY, 16-Claire RAFFERTY, 17-Rachel WILLIAMS, 18-Rachel BROWN (GK)
Cautions: 14-Anita ASANTE 3’
Coach: Hope POWELL
New Zealand: 1-Jenny BINDON (GK), 2-Ria PERCIVAL, 4-Katie HOYLE, 5-Abby ERCEG, 6-Rebecca SMITH (captain), 7-Ali RILEY, 8-Hayley MOORWOOD (12-Betsy HASSETT 60’), 9-Amber HEARN, 10-Sarah GREGORIUS, 11-Kirsty YALLOP (16-Annalie LONGO 74’), 17-Hannah WILKINSON
Substitutes not used: 3-Anna GREEN, 13-Rosie WHITE, 14-Kristy HILL, 15-Rebekah STOTT, 18-Rebecca ROLLS (RGK)
Cautions: 17-Hannah WILKINSON 44’
Coach: Tony READINGS
For all schedule and results visit www.london2012.com
Story courtesy of New Zealand Football.
For more on New Zealand Football visit www.nzfootball.co.nz

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