Asllani’s silver lining from Rio
CITY’S SWEDISH STAR RETURNS
MANCHESTER City striker Kosovare Asllani says she has “mixed feelings” about winning silver at the Rio Olympics last week, but added it’s a tournament that she will “never forget”.
The 27-year-old was on the receiving end of a 2-1 defeat to Germany in the Gold Medal match at the Maracanã Stadium, but with Sweden not even tipped to get beyond the quarterfinals, Asllani says her team can be proud.
“You want to win gold because it’s right in front of you, and that’s all you want when you reach a final,” she said.
“We didn’t have a strong start to the tournament, but we had a lot of belief in our team, and we performed when it meant the most.”
Sweden came in for some heavy criticism from some areas for the defensive tactics employed in matches against the USA and Brazil in the knockout stages – an approach that came after they were thumped 5-1 by Brazil at the group stage.
“We changed our strategy a little bit because we would never have got the results we did if we had not worked hard and been disciplined,” she said.
“We showed a lot of mental strength to win two games on penalties. We were aware of the criticism we were receiving, but I didn’t really care.
“I love playing beautiful footFORMER ball, but I love winning more.”
This week USA goalkeeper Hope Solo received a six-month suspension by US Soccer for comments she made following her side’s quarter-final defat to Sweden, describing their performance as ‘cowardly.’
Asllani’s teammate Lotta Schelin, defended Solo in Swedish media this week following the ban, and the Manchester City forward’s view was not too dissimilar.
Focused
“Right after a game you’ve lost, sometimes you say stuff in the heat of the moment, and that’s what we said when we heard the comments,” she revealed.
“We defended her and agreed she probably didn’t mean what she said.
“But to be honest, we just focused on what we could control, and we didn’t really care that much.”
While disappointed not to win gold, the Swede has no time to dwell on Rio, with her club side needing just nine points to clinch their first Women’s Super League title.
Their quest for glory continues today as City host Reading Women in a slightly earlier 12.15pm kick-off, giving supporters the chance to watch both the women and the men play, with Pep Guardiola’s side hosting West Ham later in the afternoon. In addition, this Thursday sees the draw for the last 32 of the UEFA
Women’s Champions League, with City making their debut after finishing runners-up in the WSL last season.
Asllani admits it almost feels like the season is starting now, with the business end of the campaign throwing up a long line of important fixtures.
She concluded: “It’s the end of the season, and these are the most important games with the chance to win the league and play in the Champions League.
“We need to perform in every game, and we won’t settle down until we have something nice around our necks.”