It was not, regrettably, the dream result of the Football Ferns making the knockout stages of a Fifa Women’s World Cup for the first time.
But nobody who was there to see New Zealand battle to a 0-0 draw with Switzerland last night will forget the biggest occasion in the history of women’s sport in Otago.
The Football Ferns made their Dunedin debut in front of a packed house at the covered stadium, and while goals were scarce, the white-hot atmosphere more than made up for that.
Match 33 in the World Cup was always going to be something special with so much at stake on the sport’s biggest stage.
The atmosphere was already febrile 15 minutes before the ball was kicked as the crowd of 25,947 fans warmed up their lungs with a vigorous welcome for both teams.
Swiss players had a couple of pockets of red-clad support, but otherwise the rechristened Dunedin Stadium was bulging with Football Ferns fans old and (mostly) new.
Arguably not since the Rugby World Cup in 2011 has the stadium roof so reverberated with an intense level of noise.
Supporters seemed particularly attuned to the Football Ferns’ composure in defence, led by a stellar performance from defender Katie Bowen.
They hit new decibel levels part-way through the first half when Jacqui Hand, the liveliest attacker on the pristine pitch, lobbed in an audacious first-time shot that hit the post and bounced away.
As news filtered through that Norway was demolishing the Philippines in the other Group A game — meaning the Football Ferns had to win to avoid elimination — the desperation became palpable.
The minutes slipped by and the dream of historic achievement faded away. But the legacy of the occasion will remain.
Dunedin’s sixth and final game in the Fifa Women’s World Cup, between Vietnam and the Netherlands, is tomorrow night.
Staff at the stadium will then spring into action with a dramatically tight turnaround before the Bledisloe Cup rugby test between the All Blacks and Wallabies on Saturday.
