Before we knew it game day had come around again; Third and
final group game vs Estonia. We knew a win would see us more than likely progress
to the quarter-finals but if Brazil were to beat Japan it would come down to
goal difference and therefore it was not only vital we gained maximum points,
but we needed to get some goals on score sheet. Everyone was more than excited
for the game and the day was spent preparing for kick off.
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| Pre-match treatment |
With an 8pm kick off scheduled we had the day to relax before
the match. The usual game routine kicked off with breakfast, followed by a
meeting where the team line-up was announced. I was starting and was selected
to play as a number 4, in centre midfield. A slightly unfamiliar position but
somewhere I had been playing in since arriving in Kazan and therefore I felt
prepared enough to go and out and do the best job I possibly could. I literally
couldn’t wait to get on the pitch. It’s why I’m here in Kazan, to play the
sport I love and today I was getting my chance to contribute towards our quest
for gold on the pitch. As you can imagine I was buzzing and literally wanted
8pm to hurry up and arrive!
Lunch, an afternoon nap and pre-match complete and it had
arrived – time to board the bus and head to our game. As our first two games
had been played in 30 degrees heat, today the Russia weather provided us with a
little rain. I say a little, a few hours before kick-off the heavens decided to
open and it poured and poured. Thankfully come 8pm the rain had dried up but it
was still pretty humid and warm conditions.
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| Game time: Walking out from the tunnel |
Lining up in the tunnel to walk out, the excitement started to
rise and it was time to perform. First half started, before we knew it,
literally before we knew it we found ourselves 1-0 down. It came out of
no-where, a lapse in concentration and we found ourselves trailing. This wasn’t
how the game was supposed to go and it was evident everyone was frustrated and
annoyed. It then took us a while to become settled but thankfully we managed to
pull a goal back and it was 1-1. Time to press on and get some more goals, at
half-time we were leading 2-1 and it’s fair to say we all agreed that our
performance wasn’t good enough and we would need to go up more than a few notches in
the second half.
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| Today's starting 11 vs Estonia |
Out for the second half we went, where a few substitutions were
made and I dropped in to play right back. This was it, 45 minutes to get the
result we knew we could and it was in our hands. For the majority of the second
half we attacked, and created a multitude of opportunities. Thankfully the
goals soon followed and despite frustration being felt at the missed chances,
credit should go to our attackers who didn’t give up and kept persevering. The
game finished 5-1 with two goals coming within the last few minutes. And little
did we know at the time the significance of those goals.
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| Pre-match team huddle |
Final whistle blew and our thoughts immediately turned to what
the result was in the Brazil vs Japan game as this would impact our final
positioning. Then we heard the news we had been waiting for, Brazil had beaten
Japan 1-0 but what did this mean for us? As we frantically tried to figure it
out, rumours had it that this meant we had qualified in second place on goal
difference. We didn’t want to celebrate too much as we were unsure whether this
was concrete and words wouldn’t do justice if I tried to explain the emotions
felt in those moments. But confirmation of the result soon followed and yes we
had qualified for the quarter-finals. With us, Japan and Brazil all finishing
on 6 points it came down to goal difference. Japan topped the group with +8
goal difference; we came second with +5 just in front of Brazil who had +4. A
place in the quarter-finals awaited where we found out we would be facing
Ireland!
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| Cheeky team picture before the game |
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| The volunteers who have made our 3 games at the Raketa Stadium possible! Thank you from all of the girls! x |
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