Ferns complete unhappy hat-trick
The Football Ferns have lost 2-0 to Korea as their Cyprus Cup disappointments continue.
The defeat yesterday was their third in a row at the international tournament following a 3-2 loss to Scotland and a 3-0 loss to Austria. It was New Zealand’s final pool game at the tournament.
New Zealand coach Tony Readings said he was pleased with what he saw against Korea in Larnaca despite the result.
‘‘It was probably our best performance of the tournament. They’re good at keeping the ball but we defended really well,’’ he said.
‘‘We had a lot of opportunities to hurt them that we weren’t able to take. A big thing for us is to try and improve those areas and introduce some players who can, either now or in the future, help us with some of the deficiencies we’ve had in the past.’’
New Zealand were again missing captain Abby Erceg, who took part in the first match against Scotland but has been out injured for the past two.
Readings believed some of the young players in his squad had stepped up well.
‘‘The first goal at the tournament was to win as many games as possible, which we haven’t been able to do, but the second was to make sure we do build towards 2019 and 2020,’’ Readings said.
‘‘The results of the games have been disappointing but, at the same time, it’s been really encouraging for the future.’’