The Football Ferns have suffered some late heartbreak in their ongoing build-up to this year's Tokyo Olympics after losing this morning's Algarve Cup bronze medal playoff to Norway.
The Ferns' clash with Norway looked destined for extra time until Norwegian defender Caroline Graham Hansen jumped on a turnover inside New Zealand's penalty box and quickly put the ball in the back of the net to give her team a 2-1 win.
The match started perfectly for New Zealand with Hannah Wilkinson scoring 11 minutes into the game thanks to a perfectly threaded pass from Ali Riley into the box.
But Norway was quick to strike back, scoring four minutes later when Synne Jensen made an impressive run down the left side of the field alone against three defenders and tucked the ball in off the left post.
The loss means the Football Ferns finishes fourth in the eight-team tournament with Italy and Germany playing tomorrow for the championship.
New Zealand will now turn their attention to an international friendly next month against Japan with the Tokyo Olympics on the horizon.
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