AUCKLAND July 23 (Online): New Zealand “set a new standard” for themselves by winning a Women’s World Cup match for the first time, defender CJ Bott said Sunday, as the co-hosts eye a landmark place in the knockout stages.<\/p>\n
The Football Ferns had never won a game in 15 attempts at the finals before defeating former champions Norway 1-0 in Auckland on Thursday in the opening match of the tournament.<\/p>\n
Now they face the Philippines on Tuesday knowing that another victory could secure their place in the last 16 even before their final Group A match against Switzerland.<\/p>\n
“I’d like to think we don’t have a ceiling,” said Bott, the Leicester City defender, when asked how far New Zealand could go.<\/p>\n
“You should never set yourself limits. The Norway game has set a new standard for us and we don’t go down from there.”<\/p>\n
After that opening result anything less than a win against debutants the Philippines in Wellington would be considered a disappointment.<\/p>\n
New Zealand is not traditionally a football nation but the team’s historic success, thanks to Hannah Wilkinson’s goal, has thrust them into the spotlight like never before.<\/p>\n
The victory over Norway was watched at Eden Park by over 42,000 fans, a national record crowd for football in the country, men’s or women’s.<\/p>\n
“I think we still in a sense have the weight of the country on our shoulders,” added the 28-year-old Bott.<\/p>\n
“There is always a certain amount of pressure but it has given us the boost we need and we have taken a lot of confidence from it.”<\/p>\n
The New Zealand team faced disruption late Saturday when they were forced to evacuate their hotel in central Auckland because of a fire.<\/p>\n
Local media reported a man had been arrested and charged with burglary and arson after the incident, which came less than 72 hours after a deadly shooting in Auckland on the morning of the opening match.<\/p>\n
The team were not thought to have been the target of the hotel fire and nobody was hurt.<\/p>\n
New Zealand Football CEO Andrew Pragnell said the players took shelter in a nearby restaurant before being given the all-clear to return to their hotel.<\/p>\n
“We went down the fire exits. One was a bit smoky but the majority of us got down the other exit,” said Bott.<\/p>\n
“We spent the rest of the evening in another location until the hotel was clear and everything was safe to go back.<\/p>\n
“As a team we have no cause for concern. Things are back to normal for us.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AUCKLAND July 23 (Online): New Zealand “set a new standard” for themselves by winning a Women’s World Cup match for the first time, defender CJ Bott said Sunday, as the co-hosts eye a landmark place in the knockout stages. The Football Ferns had never won […]<\/p>\n
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