Footy Ferns at the 2020 Algarve Cup: An Early Start And A Late Goal
Conceding these late winners hits harder with the early starts. 5am is a ruthless time to be getting up to see the Fernies lose another close one, but it’s a feeling we’re kinda used to these days. This was different from the 90th minute goal that Belgium scored. That one had felt inevitable, the Ferns were down to ten women and were scrambling to hold on to a 1-0 lead at the time. Things were getting desperate and they conceded.
Against Norway it never felt inevitable, the Ferns were actually playing quite well in the second half and creating just as many openings as the Norwegians were although at the same time that goal could have gone in at any point in the game. Things were never completely comfortable at the back and there were sketchy moments throughout. That it happened in the 86th minute was a bit incidental... but unfortunately it also adds to a painful recent trend of conceding late in games.
These games are all from the last nine months...
Wales (World Cup warmup) – lost 1-0 to a 91st minute goal
Netherlands (World Cup) – lost 1-0 to a 92nd minute goal
Cameroon (World Cup) – lost 2-1 to a 95th minute goal
Belgium (Algarve Cup) – drew 1-1 after a 90th minute goal
Norway (Algarve Cup) – lost 2-1 to an 86th minute goal
Obviously the Wales game was only a warmup, the Cameroon goal didn’t matter because we were going out anyway and they scored on the break as we pushed forward for a winner, the Belgium game we bounced back straight away to win the penalty shootout... but this is not good. This is an awful trend and even if these goals are happening in different ways and different situations... they’re happening too often to be a fluke. The Ferns need to figure out a way to close out these close games, otherwise they’re only putting more pressure on an already desperate need to score more goals. If they’d held on for penalties against Norway that would have been a decent result but instead the gloss is scratched off by another failed closeout.
Which is a tad harsh, because once again there were some very nice signs from the Fernies. They defended pretty well in their shape, occasionally too defensive from the wide attackers as we sat in a 5-4-1 shape but for the most part doing what we needed to do. When we were put under pressure by Norway it was either through their excellent work, primarily from Barcelona playmaker Caroline Graham Hansen, or it was from our own errors within that system. Failed clearances or heavy touches or bad passes or whatever. The kind of things that are up to individuals to iron out, which will also be way less common when the squad confidence and belief grows with more rewarding results. And also when Abby Erceg is playing.
They didn’t get much reward for this either but the pressing game was still humming nicely. Katie Bowen again as the key player in that objective, when she pushes up the press is on. Norway’s experienced defensive pairing of Maren Mjelde and Maria Thorisdóttir (both of Chelsea) were pretty good at avoiding getting into danger from all that but there are other ways that approach can pay dividends. Rushing the opposition build up in their own half tends to slow them down which gives the Ferns time to get their shape back and to commit players forward in transitional play (should the opportunity arise).
The annoying thing was that they were often kinda disjointed as they did all this, two players pushing on the same opponent and leaving an outlet pass wide open or whatever, that sort of thing. You’ve gotta be working as a cohesive unit or it’s all wasted effort... and Tom Sermanni was uncharacteristically animated on the sidelines there. Such are the troubles when you’re not exactly getting regular training camps to figure all this out. Again, the strategy is sound though. It’s working in bits and pieces and with more refinement it’ll be a major string to the ol’ bow. We might not see the benefits ‘til later down the line, is all.
Moving on, it seems we now know Tom Sermanni’s preferred starting team. Old mate picked the exact same eleven as the Belgium game: Erin Nayler in goal. A back three of Claudia Bunge, Rebekah Stott, and Meikayla Moore. CJ Bott and Ali Riley at wingback. Ria Percival and Katie Bowen in midfield. And Olivia Chance and Betsy Hassett playing in and around Hannah Wilkinson. When Abby Erceg is back in business she’ll take the place of Bunge and I wouldn’t be stunned if Annalie Longo and Rosie White are still very much in contention to start, there’s not a lot between them and Betsy Hassett (I reckon Olivia Chance has put a little distance in there, although she wasn’t at her best against Norway). But that feels like a pretty stable team. Lots of experience, everyone knows their roles, and as much talent as we could possibly squeeze into an eleven. Sweet as.
Hannah Wilkinson scored the goal. It was an opportunistic one that came against the run of play, the Ferns having been on the back foot for most of the opening ten minutes and this was the first time that we’dhad had a chance to attack down the left through Ali Riley... who dragged her shot but Wilkie did what good strikers do and followed up on it to guide that little bastard into the net. The first goal that Hannah Wilkinson has scored for the Ferns since September 2017. She’d gone 15 international games without one prior (eight starts, seven as a sub) – albeit with a serious knee injury in the middle. Safe to say she needed that one.
And Wilkie immediately seemed to grow another half metre after it. Within minutes she’d turned sharply down the right and whipped in a dangerous cross and also headed down an Ali Riley cross towards goal which drew a save. Wilkinson’s been a mixed bag so far this tour in a very prominent role. Some superb stuff and some messy stuff, so it goes. It’s tough for Wilkie because she’s the only pure centre forward in a team which is struggling for goals, which means she’s got disproportionate expectations on her shoulders... but for good reason. Hannah Wilkinson can influence the Ferns more than any other player on this journey towards Scoring More Goals. Knowing the competitor she is, as her recovery to make the World Cup squad proved, she should be loving that pressure. This was her best performance of the Algarve Cup.
Same goes for Katie Bowen who has been really tidy and is a player capable of playing those give-and-go passes which help the fullbacks push up into attack, not to mention the ground that she covers in midfield. Ali Riley had another wonderful game here too. She’s been arguably the best of the Ferns in Portugal which is beautiful to see from the captain, who’ll hopefully be refreshed with more regular club footy in Orlando after limited cameos during her time at Chelsea and Bayern Munich. And of course the obligatory note for an incredible and unprecedented feat from Ria Percival who earned her 150th cap in this game...
The bugger was that the Ferns then conceded the very first chance Norway had after the Wilkie goal. Rebekah Stott had stepped up as she does so well but it didn’t work out this time and Norway caught the Ferns on the break with nobody really covering. Synne Jensen was too fast for Claudia Bunge and after her red card against Belgium you can understand Bunge being a little hesitant to dive in. Great finish from Jensen to be fair.
That was one of a few examples of Ferns players getting burned for pace. CJ Bott had one early trying to run the ball out of defence and the winger gassed her and stepped in front. Betsy Hassett was played through by Katie Bowen but couldn’t get there before her defender. Wilkinson isn’t the quickest either. It’s just one of those things we’ve gotta deal with. Paige Satchell is notoriously quick though and while she only got a short appearance late on we did see a few times what she’s been working on at SC Sand. Her touch and balance has improved so much already in her first season as a pro, love that from her.
Things settled down after the two goals and continued on that track for basically the rest of the way. What was pleasing was that the Ferns continued to create little chances, especially in the first quarter of an hour or so of the second half where a glancing header from Wilkinson went wide after a deep Riley cross, a Wilkinson flick on to Hassett was slid through for Chance but she couldn’t get it on her left foot to strike, a long ball from Moore picked out Wilkinson in the box who squared it nicely but there was nobody there... not to mention a number of corner kicks where while we couldn’t do anything with the first phase there were plenty of second phase strikes from the edge of the area, mostly from Katie Bowen and mostly blocked. No missed penalties this time but a heap of sneaky halfies... which on the one hand is awesome because it shows we’re creating more and especially involving Hannah Wilkinson... but on the other hand it exposes another annoyance because we didn’t score any more of them. The finishing wasn’t there. Twelve total shots but only two on target.
Compare that to Caroline Graham Hansen’s 86th minute banger for Norway. Rebekah Stott had failed to clear the ball earlier after a heavy touch and Ria Percival maybe coulda closed her down a tad more to block the shot but it was a quality strike after some quality composure from a quality player. That, ultimately, was the difference in the game. Norway were the more technically proficient team, sure, but we created just as much as they did only they eventually made the most of one of them. Rosie White came so close to a brilliant equaliser at the end there with a low volley only for it to go narrowly wide. Ah well. Them’s the margins sometimes and those margins are why the Ferns keep being so vulnerable to these late goals. You don’t have to worry about a last-minute concession if you’re 4-1 up, right?
It’s a shame because the second half against Norway was the best half of football the team had strung together all tournament, a clear sign that progress is being made, only for a couple of those lingering bad habits to pop up again and spoil it. Well, spoil it on the surface anyway. Beneath that surface there’s plenty to suggest the Ferns are already a stronger and more confident team than they were at the World Cup... hopefully next time we start getting the results to prove it.
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