Girlz impress coach in warm-up win
Jamaica defeat Morocco 1-0 in Australia
Published:Monday | July 17, 2023 | 12:08 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
Head coach Lorne Donaldson says he was impressed with the Reggae Girlz’ ball possession, midfield play and defending in their 1-0 won over Morocco during an international warm-up game at the BT Conner Reserve Stadium in Reservoir, Australia yesterday.
Atlanta Primus netted the only goal in the 18th minute, in a game where the Reggae Girlz dominated and missed a penalty taken by ace striker Khadija Shaw.
Nevertheless, Donaldson was pleased with the outing, especially how they moved the ball around and connected in midfield.
“It was a team (Morocco) that gave us a lot of possession in the first half, because that’s the way they play. They play very compact. They are hard to break down, so we had to be patient.
“I thought, the first half, we were a lot more composed. We did some good stuff, moved the ball around, and we connected a lot more passes than I really expected.
“The midfield players, especially in the first half, worked well together. Trudy (Carter) and Jody (Brown), the wide forwards, added more in the centre because, the way we play, we had them coming inside and helping out and connecting some of our play. We had a lot of possession, which is always good,” he commented.
PENALTY SPOT
Minutes before Primus’ goal, Shaw had a great opportunity to put the Reggae Girlz ahead, but failed with her effort from the penalty spot.
However, Donaldson said he anticipated a more attacking game from his opponents for the second period and, despite making numerous changes, he was pleased with the team’s game management, especially in the latter stages of the game.
“We missed that penalty but we came back and scored right after, which was good. It was a good response after missing a penalty. I knew the second half would be different. They were down 1-0 and they came out and pushed numbers forward, and we made some substitutions by putting in some young players in there.
“And, once Shaw goes out, the opposing defenders feel they can step up and add more offence to their game, and they actually did that because ‘Bunny’ (Shaw) is a big threat.
“But, overall, I thought we defended well in the last 15 minutes. We have been working on trying to keep clean slates, so it was a good warm-up game going into the next match,” he said.
The game is the first and only warm-up match for the Reggae Girlz since they started World Cup preparations in June. Their next match is the opening FIFA Women’s World Cup game against France on July 23, in Group F. Morocco are in Group H of the World Cup and they will face Germany on July 24.