Sport

Own goals cost Football Ferns

13:48 pm on 21 February 2022

The Football Ferns have been outclassed 5-0 by the United States in their latest game at a four-nation tournament in California.

Football Ferns Hannah Wilkinson defends against Alana Cook of the USA. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The New Zealanders had no answer to the World Cup holders who dominated the game in the SheBelieves Cup.

Ferns defender Meikayla Moore conceded three own goals in the first half, the first two were within the first six minutes.

While her name will be in the record books, there was a collective problem in the New Zealanders defence as they failed to control any of the American attacks.

Moore, who was playing her 50th game for New Zealand, was taken off just before half time.

While the USA had 19 shots, only four of them were on target, while the Ferns had just the one shot on goal.

The USA scored their final goal in time added on, while the home side had only 10 players on the field due to an injury and all substitutes having already taken the field.

Football Ferns coach Jitka Klimkova said the whole team would rally around Moore.

Klimkova believed Moore was "unfortunate" to concede the goals but defended the decision to sub her.

Mentality was "a huge part of the game", according to Kilmkova.

"It could be the situation that she stays on and she goes through it by herself but I think for us it was a better decision to sub and now she needs to really reflect and we are going to look at the moment that maybe her decisions could be better."

Klimkova wanted to help Moore move on and reiterated to media straight after the game several times that Moore was a player worth sticking with.

"Meikayla is a thinker, we know that about her and it was tough for her but this is the game and you have better days and not great days so now we'll just look forward what can we do for her to get out of it and be ready for the next game."

Klimkova said Moore would not forget the horror start to the game but wanted to remind the defender it could of happened to any player at any level of the game.

Moore also had the backing of goalkeeper Erin Nayler who had to watch the ball go past her.

"We're just going to have to support her as much as we can and we will do that. This is about more than football right now that we have to think about and we have to think about her as a person and think about what we can do to help her get her confidence back.

"She's a great player and she has so much potential and that just wasn't her day."

New Zealand lost 1-0 to Iceland in their opening game.

They play the Czech Republic on Thursday in Texas in their final game of the tournament.