Coach Francisco Neto said Thursday that he wants to take advantage of Friday’s friendly with New Zealand to “correct details” and encourage the Portuguese women’s soccer team for what is to come.
“Above all we want to take advantage of the match against New Zealand to have a good feeling and, at the same time, correct details in the team and the players. We want to prepare and stimulate them for what will be the big game. on the 22nd, which is the most important thing for us”, pointed out the Portuguese coach.
Portugal is preparing the intercontinental play-off match, with Thailand or Cameroon, to be played on Wednesday and which could be worth an unprecedented qualification for the World Cup, which in 2023 will take place in Australia and New Zealand.
Since Saturday, the selection of ‘corners’ has been concentrated in Hamilton, New Zealand, but since then the team has only carried out two training sessions on the pitch, on arrival and on Wednesday, due to the storm, caused by Cyclone Gabrielle, that affected the country.
“Within what they allowed us, and in the space we had, we tried to physiologically stimulate the players, even without field work. Also, we did a lot of video work and opponent analysis. Yesterday [quarta-feira] we returned to training on the field and focused on the strategy for the game with New Zealand”, said the coach.
It was also later, due to canceled flights, that Francisco Neto managed to have the complete group, with the arrival only on Tuesday of Tatiana Pinto, Fátima Pinto, Joana Marchão and Inês Pereira, and, finally, of Andreia Jacinto, on Wednesday – just .
“We already have all the players with us. Some are still in the process of adapting because they arrived later. We knew that this was going to happen and we are prepared”, devalued the coach, also saying that there are no excuses for not being successful.
The team is already thinking about the friendlies on Friday, starting at 7:00 p.m. local time (6:00 a.m. in Lisbon), at the Waikato Stadium, in Hamilton, against New Zealand, and, on Wednesday, the ‘all or nothing’ for the Cup World.
Portugal will face the winner of the tie between Thailand and Cameroon, which will meet on Saturday, at the same Waikato stadium on Wednesday (6:30 am Lisbon time).
“Thailand and Cameroon have experience in World Cups and they really want to be there, like us. Whoever the rival is, it will be difficult and a victory will moralize it”, said Francisco Neto.
Ana Borges, one of the captains of the “quinas” group, faces the private game on Friday first, before thinking about what will be the great moment.
“We know that this first match has a friendly character. Even so, we face it with the same ambition that we reserved for the second. We want to win, because that will give us encouragement for the decisive game”, said the player, also speaking to the council of the Portuguese Football Federation.
Portugal seeks to qualify for a world championship for the first time in a match to be played on Wednesday, February 22, at the Waikato Stadium, in Hamilton, against the winner of the duel between Cameroon and Thailand, who meet on Saturday. .
The ‘quinas’ team seeks to secure one of the last three places in the final phase of the World Cup, which will take place in Australia and New Zealand, from July 20 to August 20, 2023.
Source: TSF
