Buoyed by chants of ‘Let’s go Kiwis, let’s go’ from a travelling contingent of their friends and family, New Zealand picked up where they left off at the last FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in 2016, when they defeated tournament hosts Jordan 5-0, and opened their Uruguay 2018 account with a 1-0 victory over Finland on Tuesday.

Forward Kelli Brown scored the tournament's first goal not long before half-time with a long-range effort placed just outside the reach of Finland goalkeeper Anna Koivunen and into the top corner of the goal.

Finland, who are making their tournament debut, struggled to create enough chances to threaten Anna Leat's goal, despite having the majority of possession, and will have to wait another day for their first-ever goal in the competition.

New Zealand produced the majority of chances in the second half, with forward Maggie Jenkins at the focal point of their attack, but Brown's first-half goal proved to be enough to secure the Kiwis all three points in Group A and the nation's first opening win in U-17 Women's World Cup history.