Kyah Simon column: Matildas’ job half done as knockout stage of Asian Cup approaches
AS a team we celebrated qualifying for next year’s World Cup with a swim in the Dead Sea but now it’s back to business because the job here in Amman is only half done, writes Kyah Simon.
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BONJOUR France ... but you’ll have to wait, there’s an Asian Cup title to win.
As a team we celebrated qualifying for next year’s World Cup with a swim in the Dead Sea but now it’s back to business because the job here in Amman is only half done.
We’ve topped the group and now head into the knockout stage of the tournament.
Our first game against South Korea was a tough one. We walked away with one point and noticed a change in tactics in the second half.
Our opponents seemed content with the one point and tended to “park the bus” as we say, allowing us to play in their half of the pitch.
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It hasn’t just been South Korea though, our other opponents have shown fear in their approach to playing us. They know it will be a physical and fast-paced game and know our defensive game is hard to break down.
That is positive for us in a sense but teams are now making it harder for us. We’ve gone from being the hunters, to the hunted.
Our semi-final is against Thailand, who we played in our farewell game three weeks ago in Perth. They aren’t as strong as Japan or South Korea but present different tactical challenges in the sense of a stacked defensive structure, mainly in their half of the pitch. This slows the tempo down and makes our change of pace and breaking down their block difficult.
Should we win, we face off against China or Japan, both strong opponents. But we’re not looking past this game. You can’t afford to be complacent in tournament football. I believe in our squad and the talent within our locker room and I believe that we can win the Asian Cup, but we have two games to go and won’t be satisfied until we leave with the trophy.
Topping our group was something we set out to do. Knowing that we would potentially face off against a weaker opponent in the semi-final was definitely favourable for us. Japan were solid as always and their number 8, Iwabuchi, was their key threat – I actually played the Youth Olympics in Sydney in 2008 against her when we were 16, so playing against her 10 years later is quite special.
On a personal level, I’m happy to be back, playing 100 per cent, fit and healthy.