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Singapore's Lionesses Cop A Football Ferns Mauling
by Jeremy Ruane
New Zealand's Football Ferns unleashed all their pent-up fury on an unsuspecting Singapore National Women's Team at Queenstown Stadium in Singapore on July 23, and dished out a 14-0 mauling to a squad nicknamed “The Lionesses”.
Smarting from having gained no reward for outplaying Australia and China twice in their last three matches, John Herdman's charges tore into their hosts with unrelenting menace, and within three minutes had opened the scoring through Kirsty Yallop's far post header.
That set the tone for a match played, at Singapore's request, in three thirty-minute spells, which allowed the Football Ferns to employ three different strategies in this non-cap-earning international.
“We set out initially with the idea of pressing the fullbacks on and getting two quick goals”, said Herdman on a very buoyant team bus afterwards, “and to get one within three minutes was the ideal start. Three more followed soon after, so the girls delivered with interest.
“They did again in the second spell, when, having had our technical staff analyse the opposition and provide worthwhile input, we set out our stall to work on the flank areas, playing with clear width and producing quality deliveries from out wide. Three of our five goals in this spell came from crosses - again, objective achieved in style.
“In the final third of the match, we employed a very fluid attacking formation, with Renee Leota coming inside off the flank, Emma Kete roaming in behind Rebecca Tegg and Anna Green bombing on from deep. Again, that worked really well for us”, said a well-satisfied coach with a degree of understatement after another five goals found the net in the half-hour's play.
“What we're about now is achieving specific outcomes in games - it's not only the result which matters to us. We achieved those outcomes with interest tonight. Roll on Canada in two days' time!”
With everybody fit and well and enjoying at least thirty minutes' game-time in this match, attention was very much on turning the statistical superiority which has been achieved against their opponents on this tour into tangible evidence on the scoreboard.
Herdman was delighted with the way his charges responded to the criticisms which had been directed at them, and, even more importantly, the criticisms they had of themselves.
“The girls were on fire tonight. We've been waiting
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for that to happen - the potential of this team was unleashed tonight. Our work in the attacking third is what has let us down in our last three games, but the forwards stepped up tonight.
“They were very professional, and there was a real ruthlessness in front of goal, with plenty of quality finishing as well”.
Amber Hearn certainly delivered in that regard. The pick of her four goals was a turn and shot in off the bar from twenty-five yards. Emma Kete, who also savoured a four-goal haul, was well pleased with her best effort, a peach of a twenty yard half-volley which crashed in off the inside of a post into the opposite corner.
The best of Renee Leota's hat-trick was an acrobatic scissors kick which turned home the rebound which resulted from Hearn hitting the post. And with Yallop netting twice and Merissa Smith once in the rout, there can be no doubting this result will do wonders for the Football Ferns' individual and collective confidence levels.
“I felt sorry for Singapore”, said Herdman, “particularly their coach, who was under a lot of pressure not to play the game. But as we know ourselves, the only way you'll improve is by playing against top teams, and it's pleasing that we're now held in that regard by other countries”.
The Football Ferns now turn their attention to the final game of their pre-Olympic tour, which sees them taking on Canada at the Jurong West Stadium in Singapore from 11.30pm on Saturday.
The squad then heads to Beijing, where they will spend a few days savouring the Olympic Village environment before departing for Qinhuangdao at the start of August, and matches against Japan (6th) and Norway (9th), before meeting reigning Olympic Women's gold medallists the USA in Shenyang (12th).
Line-ups (by third):
Rachel Howard; Ria Percival, Abby Erceg, Rebecca Smith, Marlies Oostdam; Ali Riley, Hayley Moorwood, Katie Hoyle, Kirsty Yallop; Amber Hearn, Emma Kete
Howard; Percival, Kristy Hill, R. Smith, Oostdam; Merissa Smith, Emily McColl, Yallop, Anna Green; Hearn, Renee Leota
Jenny Bindon; Hoyle, Hill, Erceg, Green; Moorwood, McColl; Leota, Kete, Rebecca Tegg, M. Smith
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