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USA Punish Ferns For Early Concentration Lapses

by Jeremy Ruane

The reigning world and Olympic champions, the USA, proved too strong for New Zealand's Football Ferns at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte on August 3, early goals in each half allowing women's football's top-ranked nation to prevail 2-0 in front of 10,059 fans in the opening match of the 2016 Olympic Women's Football Tournament.

Jill Ellis' charges swiftly set about their work, taking advantage of a nervous Football Ferns combination who were fortunate not to concede as early as the fifth minute when Tobin Heath - a merchant of menace throughout - whipped in a corner which was only scrambled clear after Erin Nayler had had her reflexes tested by a couple of close-range efforts from Julie Johnston and Alex Morgan.

Two minutes later, an Ali Riley foul on Carli Lloyd invited Heath to whip in a free-kick from the edge of the penalty area. While Morgan headed this opportunity over the bar, the Football Ferns weren't so fortunate when Heath next delivered a ball into the eighteen yard box.

That was in the ninth minute, after she had been picked out by Morgan Brian's precise pass. Heath was confronted by Katie Duncan, but jinked inside her before delivering an angled cross towards the far post, where reigning FIFA Women's Player of the Year Lloyd rose between Riley and Rebekah Stott to guide a looping header beyond Nayler and in by the far post.

It was a blow the Football Ferns could ill afford, particularly in light of their inability to retain possession for any length of time when they did have the ball. While they were comfortable on the ball in the defensive and midfield thirds, any attempt to bring Amber Hearn and Hannah Wilkinson into play was swiftly picked off by the Americans, allowing them to turn defence into attack in the vicinity of the half-way line.

But they failed to make a great deal of head-way, Tony Readings' charges rediscovering their composure after the early setback to contain their highly regarded opponents well throughout the remainder of the first half, and force a few errors as well.

Pacy front-runners Morgan and Mallory Pugh were both well-policed, as was attacking dynamo Lloyd, but it was the movement of Brian - off the ball - and Heath - between the lines - which regularly gave the Football Ferns cause for concern, and the USA reason to believe that they would eventually add to their opening goal.

Very occasionally, however, they had to turn their attention to defensive duties. The first of the Football Ferns' rare attacking raids came to pass just shy of the half-hour mark, via a Riley throw-in. The ball found its way to Wilkinson, whose shot on the turn had the sting taken off it by a covering defender, rendering life easy for the hitherto unoccupied Hope Solo.

Riley, Annalie Longo and Betsy Hassett linked well on the left when the opportunity presented itself, but it was the right flank which was the source of the Football Ferns' next opening, right on half-time.

Hearn and Wilkinson worked a one-two before the former brought Katie Bowen into play. She fired over a deep cross to Hassett, whose ball inside to Longo was just too high for the midfielder to control, allowing Kelley O'Hara to tidy up and bring the first half to a close.

The Football Ferns were still in the dressing room mentally when the USA doubled their advantage 35 seconds into the second spell. Heath had already made a smart initial run straight from the kick-off, but while that was thwarted, Allie Long picked up the pieces.

She slipped the ball back to Heath, whose lay-off to Brian allowed the midfielder to steer a precise pass into the stride of the unmarked figure of Morgan, just inside the Football Ferns' penalty area, and perfectly placed to pull the trigger on her favoured left foot.

One touch later, she did just that, finding the 'postage stamp' with a fiercely struck low drive which arrowed between Nayler and her near post, the ball hitting the back of the net as the goalkeeper was completing her dive with a grimace on her face, knowing full well she should have stopped it.

That goal gave the USA some welcome breathing space, but the Football Ferns came close to reducing the deficit just four minutes later. Duncan picked out Bowen with a free-kick which she laid back to Longo. Her twenty yard volley was blocked by a defender, but the ball rebounded to Hearn, who swivelled to volley narrowly wide on the turn from twelve yards.

That was as good as it got for the Kiwis attacking-wise for a good half-hour, during which time they regained their composure and restricted the USA to just a couple of opportunities, a volley over the top from Heath on the hour, and Lloyd's twenty-five yard free-kick which soared over the bar six minutes later.

Lloyd then collided with Duncan in an aerial duel which left the Football Ferns' midfield lynchpin in considerable pain, prompting her withdrawal from the fray twenty minutes from time, worryingly clutching her ribcage area as she trudged off, to be replaced by Kirsty Yallop.

Before she could make an impact on proceedings, Heath once more caused Kiwi hearts to flutter, this time via a vicious whipped left-footed free-kick from the right which Lloyd was just a stride away from meeting. Nayler parried the ball away, with Stott averting the danger.

A couple of Yallop corners ten minutes from time offered the Football Ferns hope of halving the deficit. The first was punched out by Solo, prompting Ria Percival to drive the ball back into the danger zone. Lloyd's timely challenge prevented Hearn from making the most of the chance.

Yallop's next delivery went beyond the far post to Hassett, who played the ball back for Stott. She strode forward before chancing her arm from thirty yards, in vain.

Seven minutes from time, substitute Crystal Dunn fired over a cross beyond the far post which Heath, ghosting in, volleyed wide of the mark. It was a foretaste of things to come, as the duo combined again six minutes later, Dunn combining with fellow substitute Christen Press before getting the better of both Riley and Abby Erceg on New Zealand's left.

The resulting low cross was right in that corridor of uncertainty which 'keepers loathe, but with Heath ghosting in once more, Nayler had to commit herself, and bravely saved at the feet of the incoming attacker, whose performance was central to the USA's victory.

The Football Ferns came close to pulling a goal back in stoppage time, with Yallop, Longo and Percival combining to loft a ball into the penalty area for substitute Jasmine Pereira to pursue, only for Solo to pluck the sphere off the head of the newcomer and ensure she would add to her admirable collection of clean sheets, which now tallies over 100.

The USA were deserving victors, and were largely untroubled in achieving the feat, such was the Football Ferns' general lack of creativity - the usual forward thrusts which Percival and Riley make as overlapping fullbacks were virtually non-existent in this match, a tribute to the tactics employed by the reigning Olympic champions.

But one wonders what the outcome would have been had Readings' team not suffered those momentary lapses of concentration early in each half, lapses for which they were ruthlessly punished by Lloyd and Morgan, two of the game's true superstars once more delivering when it matters on the world stage, ably assisted by Heath, this game's foremost performer.

Both teams are in action again at the same venue in three days' time, with the Football Ferns taking on Colombia in a must-win match for both teams, while the USA and France clash in a mouth-watering encounter between two of the world's three leading teams.

USA: Solo; O'Hara, Johnston, Sauerbrunn, Klingenberg; Long, Brian (Horan, 64), Lloyd, Heath; Pugh (Dunn, 51), Morgan (Press, 81)

Football Ferns: Nayler; Percival (booked, 64), Stott, Erceg, Riley (booked, 30); Bowen (Gregorius, 60), Duncan (Yallop, 71), Longo, Hassett; Wilkinson (Pereira, 82), Hearn

Referee: Kateryna Monzul (Ukraine)

Rio 2016