Football Ferns slump to 3-1 defeat to Japan in front of record crowd

The Football Ferns have slumped to a 3-1 loss to Japan in front of a record women’s crowd at Westpac Stadium today.

With 7236 in attendance, the experienced Football Ferns played conservative football with Japan dominating possession for much of the match.

Japan opened the scoring in the 17 ^th minute when White Ferns goalkeeper Erin Naylor could not stop a deflected shot from looping into the net.

New Zealand hit back shortly after Japanese goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita made an error at a corner, allowing Meikayla Moore to score.

Japan took the lead once again when Mina Tanaka scored in the 34th minute after a delightful pass from Rin Sumida.

Tanaka completed her hat-trick prior to the break after latching on to a nice cross.