Football Ferns make horror start to their mini World Cup, losing 5-0 to Portugal

At Waikato Stadium, Hamilton: Portugal 5 (Jéssica Silva 17’, Dolores Silva pen 42’, Ana Capeta 63’, 69’, Tatiana Pinto 79’) Football Ferns 0. HT: 2-0

So much for beating Portugal.

The Football Ferns instead suffered their most disappointing defeat in years on Friday night, going down 5-0 to the world No 22 at Waikato Stadium in the first of three crucial friendlies ahead of July’s Fifa Women’s World Cup.

Coach Jitka Klimková’s decision to select Kate Taylor in the middle of a back three ahead of Mackenzie Barry and Meikayla Moore was punished, with the Wellington Phoenix youngster caught out for Portugal’s first two goals.

First she was unable to deal with a cross which Jéssica Silva met in the 17th minute, then she gave away a penalty with a rash challenge in the 39th, which was duly converted by Portuguese captain Dolores Silva

Playing the lowest-ranked opponent they have faced since beating Mexico and the Philippines last September, there were periods in the first where the world No 24 Ferns looked as promising at they have at any stage in Klimková’s tenure.

But they ultimately faded out of the contest badly in the second, conceding a third in the 63rd minute when Diana Silva got the better of Katie Bowen down the right and served the ball up on a platter for Ana Capeta.

A fourth followed when Capeta scored again six minutes later and Tatiana Pinto later made it five when she headed past Erin Nayler, who was slow to react.

The change to a system with three centre backs allowed CJ Bott and Ali Riley to get forward more often as wingbacks.

But the flipside was that it asked Bowen, Taylor and Claudia Bunge to take on unfamiliar roles, as they are all more used to playing in a back four, and it was curious that the least experienced of the trio, Taylor, was placed in the middle.

Olivia Chance tested Portuguese goalkeeper Patricia Morais early with a shot from outside the box, but it quickly became clear the visitors’ patterns of play were much more refined.

They moved the ball neatly down their left in the lead-up to their opener, which came when Jessica Silva met a cross from left back Lucia Alves that Taylor could have done a better job of dealing with.

Portugal’s ability to move the ball confidently also led to the penalty just before halftime, when Taylor crashed into Jessica Silva. Referee Emikar Calderas originally waved away the shouts, but after the video assistant referee invited her to look again, she saw what everybody else had seen in the first place.

The Ferns looked shaky while playing out from the back on several occasions in the first half and there was nearly a calamity as the second half began, when Nayler played a hospital pass to Meikayla Moore, on for Bunge.

What made the final result really disappointing was that there were times in the first half when the Ferns looked good, most notably when they got Chance on the ball in space in midfield or freed Bott and Riley down the flanks.

They did a good job of pressing Portugal at times, especially in the period just after they went behind, where Gabi Rennie put the ball in the back of the net, only for an assistants’ raised flag for offside to crush her celebrations.

But ultimately when they needed to lift in the second half, there was nothing in the tank.

New Zealand are 90 minutes closer to their home World Cup and their goals of a first win and a place in the knockout stages have never felt further away.

The big moment

Friday’s match was Taylor’s first since she was sent off while playing for the Phoenix the best part of three weeks ago and the challenge that gifted Portugal a penalty late in the first half was as clumsy as the one that got her dismissed back then. Going into the sheds 1-0 down instead of 2-0 down might have made a difference.

Best on pitch

Diana Silva made a big impact when she came off the bench for Portugal at halftime, torturing the left side of the Ferns’ defensive line and setting up two goals. For the Ferns, Bott was the best, both in attack and defence.

The big picture

Bleak. A 5-0 loss is what you expect when New Zealand takes on Canada or the United States. Don’t be fooled by what you know about Portugal from men’s football – there’s a reason their women’s national team are here needing to win a playoff against Cameroon or Thailand next week to make the World Cup. The Ferns need to turn things around fast, with matches against world No 29 Argentina coming up on Monday and Thursday.