Carter on target as England stun Brazil

There was a festival-style atmosphere at Wellington's Westpac Stadium yesterday but only England turned up to party, silencing the samba drums by shocking Brazil 3-0 in the opening group D match of the under-17 women's football World Cup.

There were hugs and high fives galore from the English after the final whistle, while the Brazilians trudged off the park forlornly in the knowledge their World Cup aspirations had been dealt a severe blow.

England striker Dan Carter scored two well-taken goals with either side of her right foot, in the 71st and 89th minutes, sandwiching a goal by strike partner Lauren Bruton in the 75th minute.

"We obviously went into this match as the underdogs - I think everyone had high expectations of Brazil - but I think people possibly underestimated us," a delighted England coach Lois Fidler said.

"I can't fault the players. We prepared thoroughly for this game and deserved the win.

"Brazil, they're a fantastic side, loads of flair, but we managed to get the result."

And why not? After all, England don't often beat Brazil at any level.

"We're just going to imagine [the next game, against Nigeria] is our first game and start afresh," Carter, a level-headed 15-year-old with a fantastic eye for goal, said.

It looked as though the impressive crowd of 10,795 would leave the stadium slightly aggrieved after a scoreless first 70 minutes, but England gave them plenty to cheer about in the final 20, scoring three quality goals.

But nothing went right for Brazil from the outset.

One of their gun strikers, Beatriz, played only 19 minutes before being taken to hospital with a suspected broken collarbone, while goalkeeper Aline was headed the same away after suffering a pelvic injury in a collision with Carter.

The first task of her replacement, Eduarda, was to pick the ball out of the net when Bruton scored England's second goal three minutes later.

Nigeria beat South Korea 2-1 in the other group D match, while in the Hamilton-based group C, Japan upset the United States 3-2 and France, with Pauline Crammer scoring three goals, thrashed Paraguay 6-2.

- © Fairfax NZ News