Football Ferns break scoring drought in draw against Iceland

New Zealand's Grace Jale and Iceland's Gunnhildur Yrsa Jónsdóttir battle for the ball. Photo / Photosport

The Football Ferns have finally broken their scoring drought to claim a 1-1 draw against Iceland in Turkey.

Veteran striker Hannah Wilkinson scored a header from a Michaela Foster corner in the 34th minute to cancel out Dagný Brynjarsdóttir’s effort for Iceland seven minutes earlier.

Ferns coach Jitka Klimková was delighted with the team’s performance, especially from a defensive perspective.

“I am very happy about how we performed,” she said after the game. “I think it was very solid from our team to play against strong opposition as Iceland.

“We agreed as a team that we want to be gritty and united in our defence and we could see it actually today during the game.

“If we perform this way, we can have very positive outcomes.”

Wilkinson’s goal was the Ferns’ first since a 1-1 draw against South Korea last November – a drought that lasted over 560 minutes – and came in their only shot on target.

Klimková was relieved to finally see the ball hit the back of the net.

“Oh my gosh, we were waiting for this moment for so long. During our sessions we were putting the ball in the net so we were more confident coming into this game.

“I am very happy for Hannah Wilkinson that she scored the goal for herself and obviously for our team and for everybody in New Zealand.”

Hannah Wilkinson’s header to earn the draw vs Iceland 🇳🇿

🎥 @skysportnz pic.twitter.com/3o9IjpFW4P

— New Zealand Football 🇳🇿 (@NZ_Football) April 7, 2023

Both teams were unable to break the deadlock in the second half, with Jacqui Hand coming closest for New Zealand in the 82nd minute after sending a shot from outside the box just over the crossbar.

Iceland nearly snatched a winner in the 88th minute through Svava Rós Guðmundsdóttir, but her shot was deflected wide.

The Ferns will be sweating on the fitness of influential midfielder Olivia Chance, who went down holding her left knee in first-half stoppage time and wouldn’t return in the second half.

Wellington Phoenix teenage forward Milly Clegg made her debut off the bench in the final few minutes of the match.

The Ferns next face Nigeria at the same venue next week, before one final clash against Vietnam in Napier in early July ahead of the Fifa Women’s World Cup co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia.

Klimková said she is hoping for more consistency from the side as they prepare for Nigeria.

“We could see that we can really perform well against strong opposition. Nigeria is going to be a little bit different, so we have to reflect [on] this game and then we will get ready for Nigeria.

“We haven’t played a team from the African federation. We know they are very physical, they are very athletic, so we just need to be prepared for a little bit different style of play.”