Riley — who helped to set up Hannah Wilkinson’s injury-time leveller against Mexico — was only 23 but already an established player, having made her debut as a 19-year-old in 2007.
“That feeling — the emotions, the pride, having my family there to see that game — those are the feelings that I want for this team. And not for it to be a tie — for it to be a win and for us to get out of the group,” said Riley.
The circumstances made it a career highlight and the Ferns have only managed two other draws at the World Cup, against Canada and China in 2015, while the embarrassing loss to Cameroon in 2019 was a definite low.
With home advantage – and a large pool of professional players — this group are expected to make history later this year, chasing a first tournament victory and progression from the group.
“With this team, I have been a part of it for so long, and we have come so far,” said Riley. “We have better resources, the standards are higher, the competition on the team is so much better, and we want to get those first three points at a World Cup.”
That pursuit gets serious over the next week, with matches against world No 22 Portugal and Argentina (26) in Hamilton and Auckland.
After 18 months of building and experimentation, the world No 24 Ferns have to start to show their true colours following the one-sided series with the United States — where they were seriously overmatched — and mostly unconvincing efforts against South Korea last November.
Their preparations have been disrupted by Cyclone Gabrielle, with some player arrivals delayed and two training sessions moved inside. But Riley is in a positive frame of mind.
“We are not playing not to lose, we are playing to win,” said Riley. “That comes with confidence and I expect the leaders on the team and the senior players — who weren’t on the last tour – to really show we are going for it. It’s the mentality we need to practice and that starts now.”
Goal scoring — and more specifically chance creation — has been a major Achilles heel but both Riley and coach Jitka Klimkova expect better outcomes in the final third.
Portugal won’t be easy.
This is their best generation of players, who reached the European championships for the first time in 2017. They finished second behind Germany in their World Cup qualification group, then beat Belgium and Iceland to become the UEFA representative at the 10-team World Cup playoff tournament which starts on Saturday.
Most of their squad are domestic-based, with the Portuguese league improving exponentially since clubs like Sporting Lisbon, Braga and Benfica added women’s teams.
Midfielder Kika Nazareth (20) is one of the best prospects in Europe while wing Jessica Silva is a major attacking threat.
For the Ferns, Rebekah Stott and Indiah-Paige Riley didn’t train on Thursday, with coach Klimkova saying their “niggles” will be assessed over the coming days, but otherwise the squad is fit and ready.
“We feel good,” said Klimkova. “We are in a good spot… to take another step.”
