🎉⚽️🌍 Aftah Party Stahp: Sistahs World Cup Get Kick Off Wit Wins fo New Zealand an Australia
⬇️ Pidgin | ⬇️ ⬇️ English
Eh brah, da sistahs World Cup done get started, an da scene stay wide open dis time, no joke. Both New Zealand an Australia, da two nations hosting da ting, started strong wit victories. But Australia neva had dea top playa, Sam Kerr, ’cause she stay injured. 😮🇦🇺
Da party wen stahp when one mass shooting wen shake us, an da games wen get watched by one record crowd. The first games wen happen on Thursday an showcased da growin talent an promise of sistahs soccer, but also da hard kine challenges da sport stay facing. 🚑🏟️
New Zealand went up first, takin down Norway, 1-0, on one cold night at Eden Park, da home of da country’s famous All Blacks men’s rugby team. This game had da mostest people eva fo watch one sistahs soccer game in da country. Australia followed up with a 1-0 win ova Ireland, even tho dey neva had dea biggest star, Sam Kerr. 🇳🇿🇮🇪
Da New Zealand fans wen go nuts when Hannah Wilkinson wen score da first goal of da tournament in da second half. Her goal wen give New Zealand their first-evah World Cup victory in dea sixth try. 🏆⚽️
Ova da Tasman Sea, Australia wen beat Ireland in front of ova 75,000 fans in Sydney. But dey had to do um without Kerr, dea star striker, who wen hurt her calf da night befo da game. Kerr going miss at least two games, an she not da only one – one bunch of top playas already went sit out cause of knee injuries. 🤕🦘
Without Kerr, who stay all ova da tournament posters in da huge country, Australia had only small kine chances against one tough Ireland team. Dey needed one penalty from defendah Steph Catley, da stand-in captain in place of Kerr, fo make sure dey open da tournament wit one victory, just like New Zealand. 🥅🇦🇺
This World Cup wen take two years fo plan, an it wen open just three miles an 12 hours aftah one mass shooting at one office building under construction by da waterfront, not too far from where Norway’s team stay staying. Tree people wen die, including da gunman, an five wen get injured. Da opening game wen start with one moment of silence fo da victims. 🔫🕊️
Da tournament also wen start wit all kine talk story about rainbow armbands, not fair kine prize money, an slow ticket sales. Plus, we wen get one first look at da talent all ova da expanded 32-team field. 🎟️🌈💸
Dis expansion, all thanks to da money poured into countries all ova an efforts by FIFA, da guys in charge of world soccer, fo grow da sistahs game, has helped create maybe da most wide-open tournament in its 32-year history. But dis also brought da chance of some teams just being way bettah than othahs. 🌍⚽️💰
Just like dat, contradictions wen pop up. Like how almost 1.4 million tickets wen get sold, but last week dey wen give away ova 20,000 tickets free to fans in New Zealand, where ticket sales stay slow. Da teams playing fo one record amount of prize money – $110 million, tree times more than befo – but plenty playas complaining dat dey not getting one fair share. 🎟️💰🗣️
Guarans dose kine arguments going keep going as da tournament keep rolling. But at least on Thursday, all eyes wen stay on da field, on da chance fo new teams, on da big kine prizes fo da playas, an on one big first fo New Zealand, da star fo one night, of da biggest party in sistahs soccer. 🎉⚽️🥇
Fo sure da guys running da ting hoping dat Kerr going get good enough fo join da party. Dis forward stay da only real superstar in da Australian ranks, an she more famous in her home country than even da sport itself. 🇦🇺⭐️
Her name wen stay da one wen get put on da mostest backs of fans wearing da golden Australian jersey as dey wen head fo da biggest sistahs soccer game evah in Australia. 🇦🇺👕
Right befo da game, Kerr wen walk out among da substitutes looking sad kine. Australian officials said Kerr going get one check up befo da third an last group game. Kerr wen tell her 1.2 million followers on Instagram dat she wen wanna share da news so her team no get distracted. “I would have loved to have been out there tonight but I can’t wait to be a part of this amazing journey which starts now,” she wrote. 📲🏥
Without Kerr, an even wit da small kine victory, da journey going be more bumpy fo da co-hosts fo sure. 🚗🏔️
First time evah at da World Cup, one referee wen explain her video review decision to da crowd. Most soccer referees like fo go unnoticed: Da less attention on their performance in one match, da bettah. But fo one small kine moment on Thursday, da Japanese referee Yoshimi Yamashita wen become da focus of da opening game of da World Cup. ⚽️🎥👩⚖️
Yamashita’s star moment wen come in da 88th minute of New Zealand’s 1-0 victory against Norway, when she went to da sideline monitor fo check one possible penalty kick. Aftah dat, she did one first: She wen tell her decision to da crowd of more than 42,000 fans in da stadium an da global audience watching da match on TV. 📺🏟️
Dis wen stay da first time dis wen happen at one World Cup, an part of one test program approved by soccer’s rule-making body earlier dis year. Da goal, officials said, was fo make da replay decisions more clear fo da fans. 📹🎦
Yamashita’s first announcement wen get only few words: Aftah she wen pau with her review, she said, wit only small kine drama, “Da decision is … penalty.” 🎬⚽️
But while Yamashita’s explanation wen go perfect, da penalty she wen give, howeva, wen go all wrong: Given da chance fo double her team’s lead, an to give some comfort in its victory against Norway, New Zealand midfielder Ria Percival wen hit her penalty kick off da crossbar. 🏟️🎯
NOW IN ENGLISH
🎉⚽️🌍 Kicking Off with Celebrations: Women’s World Cup Starts with Victories for New Zealand and Australia
Friends, the women’s World Cup has begun, and this time, the field appears to be anyone’s game. The hosting nations, New Zealand and Australia, initiated their campaigns with victories. However, Australia was missing its ace player, Sam Kerr, due to an injury. 😮🇦🇺
The event was marred by a mass shooting, yet it witnessed a record audience turnout. The opening matches took place on Thursday, spotlighting not only the burgeoning potential of women’s soccer but also the enduring obstacles the sport encounters. 🚑🏟️
New Zealand took to the field first, defeating Norway 1-0 on a chilly evening at Eden Park, home to the country’s renowned All Blacks men’s rugby team. This match set the record for the largest crowd to ever watch a women’s soccer game in the country. Australia followed suit with a 1-0 win over Ireland, despite the unfortunate absence of their star player, Sam Kerr. 🇳🇿🇮🇪
The New Zealand spectators erupted in cheers when Hannah Wilkinson scored the tournament’s opening goal in the second half. Her goal marked New Zealand’s maiden World Cup victory in their six attempts. 🏆⚽️
Across the Tasman Sea, Australia triumphed over Ireland before a crowd exceeding 75,000 fans in Sydney. However, they had to achieve this without Kerr, their star striker, who suffered a calf injury the night before the match. Kerr is expected to miss at least two games, joining a long list of elite players sitting out due to knee injuries. 🤕🦘
Without Kerr, whose image graces tournament posters all across the country, Australia managed only a few breakthroughs against a resilient Irish team. They needed a penalty from defender Steph Catley, who was acting as captain in Kerr’s absence, to ensure that they, like New Zealand, opened the tournament with a win. 🥅🇦🇺
The World Cup, which took two years to plan, kicked off merely three miles and 12 hours after a mass shooting at a nearby construction site. The incident claimed three lives, including the gunman, and left five injured. The opening match began with a moment of silence to pay tribute to the victims. 🔫🕊️
The tournament also commenced amid heated discussions about rainbow armbands, unequal prize money, and lagging ticket sales. Furthermore, it offered a first glimpse at the talent spread across the expanded 32-team field. 🎟️🌈💸
This expansion, spurred by investments from dozens of countries and FIFA’s efforts to bolster women’s soccer, has arguably made this the most unpredictable tournament in its 32-year history. However, it also brought the prospect of a competitive imbalance. 🌍⚽️💰
Such contradictions were apparent from the start. While nearly 1.4 million tickets were sold, more than 20,000 others were given away for free in New Zealand last week due to disappointing sales. The teams are competing for a record pool of prize money — $110 million, triple that of four years ago — but several players have aired grievances that they are not receiving a fair share. 🎟️💰🗣️
These disputes will undoubtedly persist as the tournament progresses. But on Thursday, at least, the focus was on the field, the opportunities for new teams, the significant rewards available to the players, and a remarkable first for New Zealand, the star of the show for one night at the biggest event in women’s soccer. 🎉⚽️🥇
The organizers are hopeful that Kerr will recover in time to join the festivities. The forward is the only undisputed superstar in the Australian lineup, and her fame in her home country often overshadows the sport itself. 🇦🇺⭐️
Her name was the most prominently displayed on the back of fans donning the golden Australian jersey as they flocked to what was by far the most-attended women’s soccer game ever hosted in Australia. 🇦🇺👕
In the moments leading up to the game, Kerr cut a lonely figure among the substitutes. Australian officials stated that Kerr would undergo an assessment before the third and final group game. On Instagram, Kerr informed her 1.2 million followers of her situation to avoid any distractions for her team. “I would have loved to have been out there tonight but I can’t wait to be a part of this amazing journey which starts now,” she wrote. 📲🏥
Without Kerr, and despite the narrow victory, the journey for the co-hosts will almost certainly be more challenging. 🚗🏔️
For the first time at the World Cup, a referee explained her video review decision to the crowd. Most soccer referees prefer to go unnoticed: the less attention they receive for their performance in a match, the better. However, for a brief moment on Thursday, Japanese referee Yoshimi Yam
ashita took center stage during the opening match of the World Cup. ⚽️🎥👩⚖️
Yamashita’s moment in the spotlight came in the 88th minute of New Zealand’s 1-0 victory against Norway when she consulted the sideline monitor to verify a potential penalty kick. Afterward, she did something unprecedented: she announced her decision to the more than 42,000 fans in the stadium and to the global audience watching the match on TV. 📺🏟️
This was the first instance of such an announcement at a World Cup, part of a pilot program approved by soccer’s governing body earlier this year. The objective, officials said, was to make the video replay decisions more comprehensible for the fans. 📹🎦
Yamashita’s first declaration was brief: After concluding her review, she announced, with minimal fanfare, “The decision is … penalty.” 🎬⚽️
While Yamashita’s explanation went smoothly, the penalty she awarded was, however, missed: Given the chance to double her team’s lead and add some comfort to its victory against Norway, New Zealand midfielder Ria Percival hit her penalty kick off the crossbar. 🏟️🎯
