In the FIFA World Cup, there were reasons for joy in the opening match, even for Finns, when the representative of Åland United Jacqui Hand set up New Zealand’s winning goal against Norway. Hand served a button pass to the scorer To Hannah Wilkinson.
It was New Zealand’s first victory at the World Cup level. The victory against the traditional European top country was a big surprise.
New Zealand got to celebrate the win in front of 42,137 spectators in Auckland. It is a record in the country’s football matches, including men and women.
– To be honest, it’s impossible to describe. It feels really incredible to win at home in front of the home crowd, Hand told Urheilu.
New Zealand is more known as a rugby nation, but Hand hopes soccer will gain popularity after things like Thursday’s win.
24-year-old Hand’s goal and dream have now come true, as he has been able to represent his home country at the World Championships.
– I am so proud of our team. Pretty incredible, Hand sets the mood even more for the opening game.
The victory was quite a story in the sense that Auckland woke up to the first day of the WC in a gloomy mood. The gunman rushed to the construction site near the World Cup fan area. Three died and several were injured. The hotels of the Norwegian and American teams were also located near the shooting site.
The national football team wanted to offer something happy to think about at the opening of the World Cup and succeeded in doing so.
– Of course, what happened was a rough thing. The victims of what happened are on our minds, but we were focused. Didn’t affect how we played, Hand said.
The opening goal is Handi’s standard item on Finnish pitches
Sports expert Jonne Kunnas it was incredible to see how the New Zealand team was able to keep their game together in what must have been a strong emotional storm.
– They were able to put such a presentation on the table. It was absolutely incredible, praised Kunnas.
Hand, who moved to Åland last year, has been in the National League this season. He shares the top spot in the goal exchange with KuPS by Wilma Forsblom and Only by Kröger with his nine goals.
New Zealand’s opening goal scored by Handi showed the same qualities that have been seen from the New Zealander on Finnish pitches. He has given the last passes or been starting attacks for the Åland league runners-up.
– Situations like this have been quite standard for Handi on the domestic fields, Kunnas describes.
According to the expert, Hand is really good at playing between the defensive lines. The New Zealand striker was also able to continue playing on the ball with one or two touches.
– In the winning goal, Hand certainly got the pass in a good seam, but he timed his run perfectly. He let the ball roll and then gave a timely cross, Kunnas described.
In addition to the goals, Hand played a big role in New Zealand’s strong pressing play.
– Hand started the presses. If there was no exploitation right away, then at least at a later stage, Kunnas opened.
Not necessarily in Finland for much longer
Hand told Urheilu earlier this year how he intended to get a British passport and sign a contract there. However, the agreement did not materialize. The agent told about the contract offer in Finland. That got the New Zealander fired up.
At first, Handi was supposed to play for Åland United for only a couple of months, but it took longer. The departure happened so fast that Hand didn’t have time to sort things out.
– It’s pretty funny. I didn’t even know I was coming to the island. I knew almost nothing about Finland, Hand admitted.
Now it may be possible that Handi will no longer be seen on the Finnish courts in the fall, if the good performances in the World Championships continue.
– Hand is now in the biggest showcase where an individual player can be. All eyes are on the World Cup. If it succeeds there, the transfer market will be hot. It will be really interesting to see if Åland United manage to keep Handi after the summer transfer window. However, I would believe that Hand will move to tougher arenas in the winter transfer window at the latest, says Kunnas.
New Zealand continue their World Cup campaign on Tuesday against the Philippines. The fourth team in the group is Switzerland.
– Switzerland and the Philippines are not impossible to topple. The Philippines is a clear underdog. Switzerland is a more even opponent, but three points is a good basis for further matches, Kunnas estimates.
The two best of group A will meet the two best of group C in the quarterfinals. Spain, Japan, Costa Rica and Zambia are playing in Group C.
– I don’t put New Zealand’s dreams of success very far. Now we saw a button success, but the level of the players is not necessarily enough against the toughest countries. Today, Norway also served a jackpot for New Zealand with its own weakness, says Kunnas.
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