With the first two games of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014, just days apart, it’s vital that teams don’t get down if they suffer a disappointing result in their opening game.
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So after a 1-0 loss to Ghana, the talk after the game was that all eyes are now firmly focused on the second task—that is Finland on Friday at the National Soccer Stadium in Toronto.
“There are no questions anymore. We know that we have to get results,” said head coach Andrew Olivieri, saying that Friday’s game against Finland and next Tuesday night’s game against Korea DPR are must win encounters.
It was a slow start for Canada that ultimately was punished with a Ghanaian goal in the 22nd minute but, especially in the second half, the Canadians gathered momentum and ended the stronger of the two teams so with Finland also having lost their opener, whoever can recover from defeat faster will find success on Friday.
Olivieri said he was pleased with the energy his team put out in the second half and stated that it’s imperative that his team put out that kind of performance early in the game on Friday.
“The second half was a different energy and a different quality from all players,” said Olivieri. “I think they lived the strategy a lot more in the second half than the first but that’s part of the learning experience for these players getting adapted to playing in front of the home crowd.”
After the first day of play in Group A, Canada is tied for third with Finland. Earlier in the day, Finland lost 2-1 to Korea DPR so Korea and Ghana top the group with three points, while Canada and Finland are yet to get off the mark.
