(Reuters) - New Zealand defender Nicole Stratford had a rushed introduction to the women's World Cup having received an SOS call to join the squad in France, just two days after she returned home from holiday in Britain.
The 30-year-old was rushed into Tom Sermanni's squad after Meikayla Moore was ruled out of the tournament after rupturing her Achilles' tendon in their final preparations ahead of their opener against the Netherlands in Le Havre.
"I was actually over here watching a couple of the matches and so I was jet lagged and asleep when Tom called. After realising that she would need to turn straight back around, Stratford first had to negotiate some more time off from her job as a police officer in Auckland. Her dash to France led to her being on the bench for the match against the Netherlands, who won the game 1-0 with a 92nd-minute goal from Jill Roord.
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