The Football Ferns opened their 2020 Olympic Games campaign with a 2-1 defeat to trans-Tasman rivals Australia at Tokyo Stadium tonight.

Tameka Yallop opened the scoring for the Australians in the 20th minute, thumping a shot past Erin Nayler. Captain Sam Kerr doubled the lead in the 33rd minute, with her header glancing off the underside of the crossbar.

A bright spark for the Football Ferns, however, was the arrival of Gabi Rennie on the international scene, marking her debut with a goal just minutes after taking to the pitch.

Football Ferns head coach Tom Sermanni paid tribute to the young forward.

“It’s great for any player to score a goal but to come out to the Olympics, first time, obviously very excited to make the squad, probably unsure if she was going to make the squad, and to then come on and score her first international goal, it’s a special moment for her.”

And while defeat wasn’t the desired result tonight, the Football Ferns playing their first competitive game since March 2020, thanks to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, is important for the side going forward, says head coach Tom Sermanni.

“G­­­­etting today's game under our belts was of benefit to us – it helps us to be more focused and understanding of what to expect in the next game.”

Satuday’s game is a challenge the side needs to be prepared for, says captain Ali Riley, especially given the Football Ferns’ next opponents, the USWNT, lost 3-0 against Sweden this evening – and losing isn’t a familiar experience for the 2019 Women’s World Cup champions.

“It's a very quick turnaround and I think we need to be very specific with our preparation and our analysis [of tonight]. You can't spend too much time thinking about this game because we need to prepare for the next one.

“We're going to have to be ready for a US team that is not used to losing two games in a row. I'm not sure if they ever have, so I think they’re going to want revenge and we will be that target.”

Article added: Thursday 22 July 2021

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