Apologies for the lack of communication over the past few days, the wireless internet was down in our previous hotel. Since then we have moved location where the wifi is much better!
I think it is safe to say that we were really disappointed to have finished fourth in last week’s tournament. On Wednesday we lost to South Africa, a frustrating result given that we dominated periods of the game and had numerous chances to put ourselves in contention for the 3 points. We were not aggressive enough in our play, but learnt a lot of valuable lessons from the game. On Thursday we beat India in the pool stages which was a significant victory for us over a team ranked above us in the world, so it was an important step in the right direction.
Saturday was a huge test against the world champions Argentina. They are treated like celebrities here, with crowds of young kids running to get their autographs and posing for snaps with their favourite players. We knew it was going to be a tough tough game, especially in front of their home crowd. To come off the pitch disappointed with a draw against Argentina is an emotion I never thought possible, but the game surpassed all our expectations as a team. We went into half time 2-0 up after we took our chances from two set pieces. I even managed to get a sneaky goal! The second half was tough to play in, they dominated possession, pressed us high up the pitch but despite this we were disappointed to concede two goals that we down to our own errors. But for the heroics of Pam who saved a stroke in the last minute we would have lost the game, so the draw was bittersweet in a way. We didn’t make the final but took a lot of positives from the game.
Our final game was again against India for 3rd/4th place. It was game played under severe adversity, our fourth game in five days against tough opposition in the heat and humidity with a sticky pitch, so it was ultimately a test of our mental stamina and game management. At full time the score was 1-1, so extra time followed. We had chances to win the game and were the better team as time elapsed, but couldn’t add to our tally. The game went to a shoot-out and we lost 4-2. There’s a reason they call it the Indian dribble! It was a frustrating end to the four nations but the shoot-out was good practice for us if it happens again when it matters most!
On Monday we set off on our journey to Parana, and after a bus trip totalling 8 hours we finally reached our destination. I hadn’t really realised before just how vast this country is, it felt like the bus travelled along a straight road for hours on end! On our arrival there were some local press photographers which was an entirely strange and new experience! The hotel is beautiful; it overlooks the river Parana which you can see below.
Parana is a small town and they seem really excited about the tournament. One of our girls visited the local doctor about getting bite cream and instead of accepting monetary payment he just wanted tickets to see the games! When we trained at the pitch yesterday there were workers everywhere, constructing the dug outs and seating, trying to get the floodlights in tip top shape and watering the pitch with firemen hoses! There appears to be a real community effort involved, which is so nice to see. Apparently they even laid the pitch themselves!
Our first game is this afternoon against South Africa. We were disappointed with last week’s effort against them so are eager to make up for past mistakes!
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