It was reasonably painful to watch the Football Ferns go down to the Netherlands 1-0, not because they were terrible but because they could have definitely come away with the win. While the Black Sticks men pulled a late goal back in very similar circumstances to earn a draw against the Dutch, the Ferns couldn't quite get the job done.

The goal was a beauty and it came in the first half which meant that the Ferns needed to chase the game to try and get atleast a point on the opening day. There was no lack of effort, everyone was desperate to get that late goal, well it wasn't even a late goal that was required as the Ferns had plenty of opportunities to equalize throughout the game but especially in the second half. 

Let's get this out of the way, I'm no expert on the Football Ferns and I doubt many of you are. Such is the nature of professional football, especially with the ladies, that we don't really get to see too much of them without going out of our way to really track the progress of their careers. So this is a bit of a learning experience for me, which to be honest makes it all the more fun.

For starters, we've got some decent attacking options. Hannah Wilkinson plays on the right and she offers size and strength with plenty of speed as well which is a great asset. You would usually expect a striker like Wilkinson to play through the middle, winning headers and wreaking havoc for poor defenders, but having her out on the right gives the Ferns a point of difference. She'll generally line up against a left back which should give her an advantage, while she's also quick enough and skillful enough to skip to the outside and create a shot with not much space.

The combination of the three strikers is pretty nice and we saw signs of what they could be capable of against the Dutch. Wilkinson's presence out on the right is offset by having Sarah Gregorious on the left, she's a more typical wide attacking player; smaller in stature with plenty of zip. Amber Hearn does a great job in the middle, she's the worker who finds good space and with Wilkinson and Gregorious on either side, she always has some sort of option.

The Ferns couldn't get a goal against the Dutch, but that shouldn't reflect poorly on the front three. Whether it was first game jitters or a slightly more clinical Dutch defending group, the front three weren't able to convert their industrious work on both attack and defence into a goal. Jasmie Pereira came on for  Gregorious, she's like 18 years old or something crazy and she offered a bit of excitement. She's eager and quick which goes well coming off the bench and I imagine she'll see a few minutes every game. 

The most impressive part of their game one effort was the back four, which is a bit odd when you lose. Abby Erceg is awesome, truly awesome, if we celebrate the likes of Richie McCaw, Brendon McCullum, Winston Reid, Simon Child, Casey Kopua etc as national team captains who truly lead by example, then we have to put Erceg in that conversation as well.

Erceg is physical but like all good centre backs there are plenty of classy touches, whether they are long, crisp and accurate passes or silky touches to get herself out of pressure. Along with Rebekah Stott, her fellow centre back comrade in arms, they found themselves put under pressure by the Dutch, but they dealt with that situation and pushed forwards. They always looked to push forwards.

So did the two fullbacks: Ria Percival on the right and Ali Riley on the left. They found plenty of space down the sidelines and always looked eager to create something. All four of these defenders impressed, they each had moments that made you get a little bit excited, it could have been a sound tackle or a nice pass, they are equally capable in both aspects.

The midfield though was a wee bit underwhelming, but the benefit of the doubt should be given. Neither Katie Bowen, Katie Duncan nor Annalie Longo stood out but they did work extremely hard which helps make the Ferns a difficult team to break down. 

It's pretty hard to lay any blame in such a performance, but maybe a bit more class entering the opposition half is needed. Passes seemed to be a bit long or players held on to the ball a bit too long which hindered progress, but you'd hope that coach Tony Readings has something planned. I did like the look of Betsy Hassett who came off the bench in the midfield as well, maybe she could see a bit more game time.

We must keep in mind though that the Ferns were well in this contest right up until the final whistle. The second half saw them storm forward and I was kind of expecting them to score, such was their dominance bu they just lacked that final pass, the quality touch which could be summed up by 'killer instinct'.

Canada, Friday, a huge game. 

Canada beat China 1-0 in the last minute and the Football Ferns need a win against the hosts. It's definitely achievable and the Ferns will be confident after this first game that they can hang with nearly everyone in the tournament. At the top of the agenda will be goals. 

The Ferns simply need to take their chances and they have the attacking players to do so, which is why this first up loss feels a bit odd. 

This artificial pitch is also a bit odd, not a fan.