New Zealand players and staff huddle after their final World Cup group game against Switzerland. Photo / Getty Images
New Zealand players and staff huddle after their final World Cup group game against Switzerland. Photo / Getty Images
Football Ferns’ coach Jitka Klimkova believes the foundation is there for a bright future, despite the raw pain of their Fifa Women’s World Cup exit.
The Ferns bowed out of the tournament on Sunday night in the most devastating way, held to a 0-0 draw by Switzerland in Dunedin.
It meant New Zealand were eliminated on goal difference, after Norway smashed the Philippines 6-0 at Eden Park.
Despite everything that has been achieved over the past 11 days – with women’s football being put on the map in an unprecedented way – this result cut deep.
Klimkova struggled to hold back the tears during the post match press conference, as the reality sunk in.
They had dominated the contest but failure to find the net for a second successive match proved decisive.
“I’m very proud of what our team has done during this World Cup,” said Klimkova. “When I saw the fans around and the sold-out stadiums and interaction that we had with New Zealand during those few weeks, that’s what we were aiming for, that’s what we wanted.
“We wanted to win this game, we wanted to go through. I’m sorry for the result but it was another very solid performance and we were very close.”
Klimkova said constant, incremental improvement was crucial over the next few years, ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris and the next World Cup in 2027.
“It’s not going to be always perfect,” said Klimkova. “We will have ups and downs, but we always want to move forward and see what we can do better.”
The Football Ferns during the national anthem. Photo / Photosport
Klimkova achieved a coaching miracle with the performance at Eden Park against Norway but there will be questions over the tactical decisions and selections in the final two games.
Something wasn’t quite right in Wellington against the Philippines – though the Ferns had a number of chances – and the New Zealand team seemed to lose their shape after halftime in Dunedin.
The match had changed – with the Swiss aware of Norway’s big lead – but the Ferns lacked a cutting edge.
The substitution of co-captain Ria Percival seemed curious, while the reluctance to roll the dice on the likes of Milly Clegg or Michaela Foster would have disappointed many observers, though it would have been a tough stage for a World Cup debut.
Klimkova defended her decision to replace Percival after 60 minutes, pointing out that the Spurs player was on the comeback trail after her horrific knee injury and the past 11 days had taken a physical toll.
“She is not used to it after such a long period of recovery,” said Klimkova.
Clegg is raw but also an instinctive finisher, but Gabi Rennie was the final attacking substitution.
“We felt Gabby is a good spot to go there and fight for the team and for her country,” said Klimkova. “Gabi is performing well during our training sessions. She is growing, she has already experienced an Olympics. Milly is still learning and she’s 17 years old. Her time will come.”
The Swiss changed their midfield shape after halftime. It wasn’t a surprise – Klimkova said they had prepared for it – but it took some time to adjust, with the Ferns overloaded in midfield for a spell.
Though the Ferns were a whisker away in Dunedin, it felt like the die was cast in Wellington, with the shock 1-0 loss to the Philippines.
“It was tough for us to get the same performance after the game against Norway,” reflected Klimkova. We wanted to keep performing, keep growing.”
Football Ferns players were dejected after their loss to the Philippines. Photo / Getty Images
But they couldn’t, with Klimkova admitting they had struggled to deal with the unprecedented situation.
“This team hasn’t had this opportunity to go to the game as a favourite, after the amazing performance against Norway,” said Klimkova. “This is a huge lesson learned for us as a team.”
Asked if the past six days felt like a massive missed opportunity, Klimkova disagreed, preferring to focus on what had been achieved.
“This team has huge talent,” said Klimkova. “This team has a lot of young players that will have another opportunity at the World Cup to represent New Zealand. So I will always start with the positive and then look for things that we could improve and do a little bit better. This is the journey that is very common in sport. That is how it always works. You can’t have everything straight away.”
