Football Ferns in Rio: Game Two vs Colombia
Chur the Hearn!
Facing USA in the first game isn't the easiest way to starting your Olympic football campaign and our Football Ferns were dealt a dose of reality at the hands of the Americans. Besides offering our wee nation a classic underdog story to savour, that first game wasn't overly important in the big scheme of things and it was Sunday's game against Colombia and Wednesday's game against France that need to be won.
Well, sort of as the Ferns can qualify for the quarterfinals if they are one of two best 3rd-placed teams. That means that a loss to France could still see them qualify and as France aren't too far off USA, that could be the case, which made the game against Colombia that much more important for the Ferns. They needed to beat Colombia, they should have beaten Colombia and they managed to beat Colombia 1-0.
Amber Hearn got the goal for the Ferns and it was encouraging to see Hearn make the most of a chance while the Ferns enjoyed dominance in the first-half. This was in stark contrast to the loss against USA as the Ferns were constantly on the back foot, fighting hard for turnovers only to then be put under pressure from USA. Against Colombia, it was the kiwis who were putting their opponents under pressure and the Ferns were always high up-field, pressing Colombia's defenders, generally flipping the script from their first game.
When the Ferns had the ball, Colombia sat back after quickly settling into their defensive formation. Colombia weren't overly eager to push forward and put Abby Erceg and Rebekah Stott under the pump, which played into the hands of our central defenders as they were often able to stroll forward with penetrating runs before picking out a pass. Erceg's extremely comfortable with the ball at her feet and when she skips forward, you get the feeling that something positive is about to happen.
This also had a bit of a negative impact on the Ferns play though and it comes on the back of a similar issue against USA as the Ferns like to try hit Hannah Wilkinson with long balls, it just hasn't been that effective yet. Erceg and Stott were gifted time and space to make long passes, too often though they didn't result in much of an opportunity or possession further up the field.
Colombia were far stronger in the second half and I came away from this game very impressed with how the Ferns fought off Colombia's charge, despite all the energy feeling like it was in Colombia's favour. With the ball, Columbia hit the flanks and started to ask more questions of the Ferns defence, throw a few Colombian fans into the mix and the Colombians rallied to finish strong. They were aided by a horrible red card for Erceg, who did a great job to make a tackle and then hung her arm out in the Colombian striker's general area, resulting in a dive and Erceg taking an early shower.
As was the case at the World Cup and as we alluded to in the write up of the loss to USA, scoring goals is the tricky part for the Ferns. We can however enjoy a gritty defensive unit that again consisted of Erceg, Stott, Ria Percival and Ali Riley with Katie Duncan sitting in front of the back four. Duncan is the unsung hero of this Ferns team as her graft in the middle of the park is crucial to shutting down attacking raids, while the toil of Betsy Hassett and Annalie Longo should not be slept on either.
The depth was again on full display against Colombia and it's perhaps what ensured that the Ferns fought hard right up until the final whistle. Rosie White came on up front for Wilkinson, but when Erceg got sent off, Meikayla Moore came on for White with Moore slotting in at centre-back. The Ferns have players who could start, covering every position on the bench and Erceg's red card was fairly easily absorbed.
With White coming off the bench, the Ferns take on a slightly different look as well. Hearn is a classy operator up front and her combination with Wilkinson could be excited as the compliment each other nicely, Wilkinson just looks to be slightly off her best right now. When White came on, she offered a more lively presence up front with a dose of pace replacing Wilkinson's size.
France beat up Columbia 4-0 and then loss to USA 1-0, so it's safe to assume that the Ferns start as major underdogs against France. A win would be ideal and would require a far more potent attacking performance from the Ferns, I guess the best way of putting it would be that their attack needs to reflect their defensive work. At the moment, it's all a bit frantic from the Ferns in attack and they've lacked the composure or patience to build attacking movements. They either end up hoofing a long ball away down field when they start from the back, or when they do a great job to win a turnover in the middle field, they tend to look for a glory pass that misses the mark.
The Ferns have the ability to hold France to a goal or, better yet, to zero. The key question against France is whether the Ferns can show 'composed ruthlessness' in attack as they might not have many clear opportunities and any small opening needs to be put away. On the other hand, a draw could be all the Ferns need and they could benefit from going all-in on a mammoth defensive effort.
I reckon the Ferns will definitely need to score a goal or two though, whether they can or not is the question.