Football Ferns coach Tom Sermanni wants to see his team finish the Cup of Nations on a high note.

The World No 19 Ferns defeated Argentina 2-0 in Brisbane – thanks to a stunning goal from CJ Bott – but Sermanni feels there is plenty of areas where the team can improve in their performance. They take on World No 14 the Korea Republic tomorrow afternoon at AAMI Park in Melbourne.

The team travelled to Melbourne full of confidence - the victory over Argentina was the first over non-Oceania opposition since the Ferns beat Thailand 5-0 in 2017.

Sermanni is expecting a tough challenge from Korea who have had a mixed Cup of Nations. They were impressive when they defeated Argentina 5-0 in their opening game in Sydney, and they competed well in the early stages against the hosts before going down 4-1 in Brisbane.

“I expect a very difficult game from Korea,” said Sermanni. “Technically they are very sound. Against Australia, surprisingly they rested a few of their key players. I think they will have their strongest team out against us and I think they will want to make amends for that result.”

Sermanni said the inaugural Cup of Nations has been ideal preparation for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in June with the format and also the different styles of opposition.  

“[Korea] are not as physically dominant as the Australians or Argentineans but they are very technically proficient. It is important for us that we continue improving, deliver a strong performance and finish the tournament on a positive note.”

He said the team is feeling upbeat and lively. The Football Ferns have recovered better from the second game than they did for the first game and are looking forward to the challenge.

Sermanni made five changes from the side that went down 2-0 to Australia for the game against Argentina, and he expected he would take a similar approach to their final game.

“We will make some changes again,” he said. “It is always difficult when you have three games back to back for a few reasons. To keep players fresh you need to make changes. The purpose of this tournament as well is for us to have a look at players, and give them some game time in the international arena.”

Sermanni said there has been a lot of talk about CJ Bott’s first goal for New Zealand and rightly so.

“I haven’t seen many goals like that from anybody in the world, male or female, it was just one of those outstanding strikes. People tend to look at the goalkeeper and say was she at fault. But when you look back at the ball movement, it was very difficult for the goalkeeper. It was just a one in a million type goal.”

The vastly experienced Scotsman, who has been to four FIFA Women’s World Cups, knows that his team has scope for growth, but he is also happy with the improvement he has seen on this tour.

“We are a certain stage of our development where we have work to do, and that is a good thing at this time because we now know what we have got to do. This tournament has been great because it has given me and the players an idea of where we are at, and the make-up of our squad as we get into the World Cup, and also the chance to play some good competitive games.”

Nations - Match Schedule – All games live on SKY Sport NZ
MatchDay Three
Date: Wednesday, 6 March
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne, Victoria
Match One: Korea Republic v New Zealand – 3.05pm kick-off (AEDT) (5.05pm NZT)
Match Two:  Australia v Argentina – 6.00pm kick-off (AEDT) (8.00pm NZT)

Cup of Nations Table (Points, Goal Difference)  
Australia 6 points,  +5
Korea Republic 3 points, +2  
New Zealand 3 points, 0  
Argentina 0 points, -7  

New Zealand (from): 1. Erin Nayler (GK), 2. Ria Percival, 3. Anna Green, 4. CJ Bott, 5. Meikayla Moore, 6. Rebekah Stott, 7. Ali Riley (c), 8. Abby Erceg, 9. Katie Rood, 10. Annalie Longo, 11. Sarah Gregorius, 12. Betsy Hassett, 13. Rosie White, 14. Katie Bowen, 15. Sarah Morton, 16. Katie Duncan, 17. Steph Skilton, 18. Aimee Phillips, 19. Paige Satchell, 20. Daisy Cleverley, 21. Anna Leat (GK), 22. Emma Kete, 23. Vic Esson (GK)
Coach: Tom Sermanni

Korea Republic (from): Kang Ga-ae, Kim Jeong-mi, Jeong Bo-ram, Kim Hye-ri, Sin Dam-yeng, Lim Seon-joo, Jang Sel-gi, Jeong Young-a, Park Se-ra, Lee Eun-mi, Ha Eun-hye, Hong Hye-ji, Kang Yu-mi, Moon Mi-ra, Lee Min-a, Lee So-dam, Lee Young-ju, Jang Chang, Jeon Ga-eul, Cho So-hyun, Han Chae-rin, Son Hwa-yeon, Yeo Min-ji, Lee Geum-min, Jung Seol-bin, JI So-yun.
Coach: Yoon Deok-yeo

Article added: Tuesday 05 March 2019