OPINION: This was the chance the Football Ferns needed to seize. But they were well wide of the target, due to their coach Andreas Heraf and his negative tactics.

Sunday's match against Japan was a landmark occasion for women's football in New Zealand. It was the first women's international game to be played in Wellington for 27 years and the first since the new Collective Bargaining Agreement was signed, which guaranteed pay parity with their male counterparts. 

Wellington-based Ferns player Sarah Gregorius spoke with genuine passion in the lead-up to the game about how special it would be, not only for her to play in front of friends and family for the first time, but for the wider community "to see what this team is all about". 

"With all of the things that have happened off field now we have this amazing opportunity and platform to perform, it's a real purple patch and a perfect storm for women's sport and women's football specifically," she said.

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But all of the momentum they have gathered off the field in recent months was stopped by a two-footed tackle from Heraf after he set-up his team to play anti-football with nine players behind the ball for 90 minutes.

"You could lose 8-0 against a team like they [Japan] are. It's not a negative mindset, it's a smart one," Heraf said, even though their previous five results against Japan included four loses by a one-goal margin and a draw, and they are only ranked nine places higher than New Zealand.

Because of the increased exposure, Gregorius knew the Ferns could attract people who have not traditionally been interested in women's football, or even women's sport. 

"It's really cool that we've reached a new audience and I trust that we will put on a show on the weekend and continue that momentum," she'd said.

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Japan striker Mina Tanaka scored a hat-trick in their 3-1 win over New Zealand.

With so many eyes on this game, a positive impression could have lobbed the Ferns - who fly largely under the radar as so many of their players ply their trade overseas - into the public spotlight on a more consistent basis. Instead, it was an opportunity badly squandered.

In the post-match press conference, Heraf declared his desire is to win a game at the World Cup next year, something the Ferns have failed to achieve thus far, and he believes his defence-first approach is the key to causing an upset against a superior team like Japan. 

But his tactics go against everything football players aspire to achieve. The 5-4-1 formation, with a flat back five, was set up specifically to create a wall in front of goal. Not conceding took complete priority over scoring, even when they should have been chasing the game at 3-1 down.

In the end, the Ferns retained just 27 per cent of possession and the record crowd of 7236 watched Japan pass them ragged for 90 minutes, and it was a bore. 

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A record crowd of 7236 turned up only for the Football Ferns to park the bus.

 - Stuff