Defender Rebekah Stott and forward Indiah-Paige Riley didn’t play any part in the bits of training media were allowed to watch on Thursday. Stott was later withdrawn from the Ferns squad, allowing Michaela Foster to move from being a training partner to being a full squad member, which has her in line for a potential debut in her hometown.
Portugal head into this match having won six in a row, including four World Cup qualifiers that have earned them a showdown with either Cameroon or Thailand for one of the last three places on offer at the tournament next Wednesday. The Ferns have already lost first-choice goalkeeper Vic Esson to an unspecified injury and are also without Anna Leat, who most observers would peg as their No 2, which means Erin Nayler is set to start in goal.
Anything less will be a cause for concern, with the World Cup just over five months away and opportunities for them to find form becoming rarer and rarer. Klimková wasn’t willing to set a points target when she spoke on Thursday, though she and captain Ali Riley did combine to kick off their press conference on Thursday by stating their plan for Friday: “We are going to beat Portugal”. “We go game by game, ” Klimková added later. “We will really do everything that we can to beat Portugal and get our first three points in this tournament. ” That’s certainly a realistic possibility, with the Ferns sitting 24th on Fifa’s world rankings and Portugal sitting 22nd. They’ve only met once, in Albufeira in Portugal during the Algarve Cup in 2016, with the Ferns winning 1-0 courtesy of a goal from Amber Hearn.
New Zealand (w) vs Portugal (w) live score - AiScore
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'We are going to beat Portugal': Football Ferns bullish ahead of mini World CupMARTIN HUNTER/PhotosportFootball Ferns coach Jitka Klimková has her team treating this month’s matches like a mini World Cup. International friendly: Football Ferns v Portugal Where: Waikato Stadium, Hamilton; When: Friday 7pm Live coverage: Sky Sport 7, live updates on StuffFIFAFifa unveils ‘Beyond Greatness Champions’ to help promote Women's World Cup. Success for the Football Ferns at their home Fifa Women’s World Cup later this year will come down to two things. Whether they’ve won a match at a World Cup for the first time and whether they’ve made it to the knockout stages for the first time.
But what does success look like over the next week, as they take on Portugal and Argentina in three friendly matches in Hamilton and Auckland, starting on Friday night at Waikato Stadium? From coach Jitka Klimková on down, the Ferns have made it clear they’re treating the three matches like a mini World Cup. When the group stage arrives for real in July, they will play Norway, the Philippines and Switzerland, with five days between each match.
Fifa Women's World Cup Play-Off Tournament - NZ Herald