PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Midfielder Liana Hinds struck 10 minutes from time to earn hosts Trinidad and Tobago a historic 2-1 win over Chile in their Group A opener of the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup on Sunday.
Playing before a most partisan 16 000 strong crowd at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in the second match of a doubleheader, T&T got the insurance second goal after leading 1-0 at the break.
The hosts opened the scoring in the ninth minute through Diarra Simmons before Hinds doubled the lead, only for Chilean substitute Iona Rothfeld to cut the deficit with seven minutes remaining.
In the day’s first match, West Africans Nigeria got a double from Ngozi Oboki to stun defending champions, Korea DPR 3-2.
Eight minutes into the feature contest, T&T almost took the lead when Kayla Taylor failed to keep down a diving header from a pin-point Brianna Ryce cross from the left flank.
T&T then snatched the lead a minute later when Simmons collected a long Patrice Vincent throw-in, beat Leticia Torres before firing past goalkeeper Veronica Saez.
Chile then muffed two wonderful opportunities to equalise. Firstly, Francisca Moroso’s effort was blocked by T&T goalkeeper Linfah Jones who raced off her line while an unmarked Yanara Aedo fired over the bar from Moroso’s follow-up cross.
On the resumption, Chile started positively but still found the well-organised back four of captain Lauren Schmidt, Rose Bahadursingh, Vincent and Khadisha Debesette tough to break down.
Ten minutes from full time, T&T sealed full honours when a failed clearance fell to the unmarked Hinds whose volley through a sea of players found its mark.
Chile never gave up, however, and pulled a goal back three minutes later through a long-range shot from 69th minute substitute Iona Rothfeld.
The visitors almost snatched a share of points at the death when Yanara Aedo crashed her shot against the cross bar before the danger was cleared by Debesette, to seal T&T’s win.
The win was the first for a T&T team at a FIFA World Cup finals for either a men’s or women’s side.
In the first game, Ngozi Okobi scored in the third and 79th minute to lay the foundation for Nigeria’s triumph.
Francisca Ordega added his side’s second goal in the 77th minute which pulled the African side level after Kim Su Gyong (28th) and Kim Kum Jong (58th) had put Korea DPR in front.
At the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Tobago, Lena Petermann (12th, 13th, 72nd) and Kyra Malinowski (42nd, 55th, 66th) smashed hat-tricks as Germany blitzed Mexico 9-0 while South Korea overcame a sluggish start to secure a 3-1 win over South Africa.
