Late Kiwi Goals Shatter Mexican Consolation

by Kara McDermott

Feats of athletic theft marked the final fixtures of Group B. England upset Japan for top honors in their group, and Mexico watched their own result against New Zealand snatched away in the last minute.

England 2 : 0 Japan

Japan entered their final group play match with the momentum of crushing Mexico 4-0 last week and the confidence of guaranteed advancement that it provided. England was likewise fairly secure. A win or a tie would put them through and even if they lost, their goal differential was significantly better than Mexico, the only other advancement contestant.

A win though would bring the reward of top seeding in the quarterfinals, a great advantage considering the powerhouses that have been advancing out of the other groups.

To this end they started off early with a goal in the 15th minute from Ellen White, who was on the receiving end of a string of eight passes. The final pass to her came from Karen Carney at the top of the penalty box which she finished into the top right corner.

Rachel Yankey came on at half time for Jess Clarke, a prophetic move as she left-footed the go-ahead goal in the 65th minute off a cross from Rachel Unitt.

The best performing Asian side had to settle with taking the second spot from Group B and will play either France or Germany in quarterfinals, based on the result of that fixture later today.

New Zealand 2 : 2 Mexico

Underdog Mexico was heading towards a very satisfactory result in their final World Cup match until New Zealand snuck in with two heartbreakers in the last moments of the game.

Stephany Mayor for Mexico clocked in the fastest goal of this World Cup, taking a through ball from Maribel Dominguez on the right side of the goal and slotting it into the near post corner in just the second minute of play.

In the 29th minute, Dominguez tallied a goal for herself, receiving a pass from Veronica Perez in the penalty area and shooting low to the far right post.

Despite having a slight disadvantage in possession to New Zealand (47% to 53%) and being outshot by their opponent 19-10 over the course of the match, Mexico was able to hold their two goal lead through second half and looked very much like they were going to take a resounding victory from what was now a consolation match based on the score of the England/Japan game running simultaneously.

However, New Zealand wasn’t done yet. In the 90th minute, Rebecca Smith stole the shut-out from Cecilia Santiago, Mexico’s 16-year-old goalkeeper. Kirsty Yallop served a cross following a corner-kick set piece on to Smith’s head in the center of the goal, who redirected it to the left corner.

Then, with four of five minutes of stoppage time played, Hannah Wilkinson finished a cross in the box from Ali Riley into the top left corner, tying the game.

This final Group B fixture thus boasted the quickest and the latest goal of the tournament so far. Mexico’s small triumphs will be bittersweet, but the young team was able to leave some mark on the tournament before exiting.

Kara McDermott also writes for her blog, Waving the Rave. (www.wavingrave.wordpress.com)