Co-hosts Australia and New Zealand opened the ninth Women’s World Cup with wins and record crowds on Thursday, after a shooting near the Norwegian team hotel in Auckland that left three dead and six injured.
Police said the shooter was among those killed and the danger from the incident was over, while New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said there was no risk to national security.
After an opening ceremony celebrating traditional Maori culture including the famous Haka war dance, a stunning goal from Hannah Wilkinson at Eden Park was the difference in the 1-0 victory over Norway.
The crowd of 42,137 bested the host nation’s previous record for an international soccer match.
Authorities deployed extra police and security outside the stadium following the shooting in New Zealand’s largest city.
“Seeing the heavier police presence, I feel a lot safer now knowing that they’re watching out,” said Isabella Beeortegui, a 22-year-old student attending the opening ceremony.
“I’m so excited. The energy is crazy. Everyone looks like they’re super stoked to be here”.
A statement from football’s governing body FIFA said it was supporting teams in the vicinity of the incident.
“FIFA has been informed that this was an isolated incident that was not related to football operations and the opening match tonight at Eden Park will proceed as planned,” the statement said.
A fan park in the city will remain closed on Thursday, organisers said.
“Everyone woke up pretty quickly when the helicopter hovered outside the hotel window and a large number of emergency vehicles arrived – at first we didn’t know what was going on, but eventually there were updates on TV and the local media,” Norway captain Maren Mjelde was quoted as saying by newspaper Verdens Gang.
Australia’s Matildas began their campaign with a scrappy 1-0 win against Ireland in front of a crowd of 75,784 fans at Stadium Australia in Sydney – a record attendance for a women’s soccer match in the country.
They were dealt a blow before kick-off, however, when talismanic striker Sam Kerr, arguably the face of the tournament, was ruled out of the first two games with a calf injury.
