[ad_1]
Football Ferns coach Jitka Klimková was set to receive a Kiwi ice cream education on Monday night, after her side put their 10-match winless run to bed at the perfect time.
They brushed past Vietnam with ease at McLean Park in Napier, going 2-0 up by halftime thanks to goals from fullback CJ Bott and forward Jacqui Hand then holding on to that advantage come the final whistle.
It was only the fourth time the Ferns had won a match under Klimková, who took charge in September 2021, just under two years out from the FIFA Women’s World Cup on home soil that starts next week.
Kerry Marshall/Getty Images
The Football Ferns celebrate CJ Bott’s first-half goal against Vietnam.
But even though wins have been hard to come by, the players and staff have still managed to foster a post-victory tradition.
When the Ferns win, they have ice cream.
But what flavour was in store this time around?
Stuff put it to Klimková – would she go for hokey pokey? Neapolitan perhaps?
The Czech national might have lived here since September last year, once Covid-19 border restrictions lifted and allowed her to enter the country – and for longer period around a decade ago, when she was national under-17 coach – but the names of the flavours popular with New Zealanders were lost on her.
Hand, sitting beside her, intervened: “We’ll have hokey pokey. We’ll let her try it”.
In her defence, Klimková did point out: “I haven’t had ice cream for a while”.
The Ferns’ last wins before Monday were in Los Angeles in September 2022 – a 1-0 victory against Mexico, followed by a 2-1 triumph over the Philippines, one of their three group A opponents at the forthcoming World Cup.
Before that, their only other win under Klimková was in her four match in charge, 2-1 over South Korea in November 2021.
Since last September, they have only managed two draws amidst eight losses, while scoring just twice – a tally they equalled in the first 45 minutes on Monday.
Vietnam brought next to nothing to the contest, which meant the match was nothing like the three that lie in store once the World Cup starts next Thursday, with Norway the Ferns’ first opponents at Eden Park in Auckland.
But given how bleak their results have been of late, they had to savour the moment on Monday for what it was and move forward with a boost of confidence.
“We wanted this win,” Klimková said before the line of questioning turned to dairy products.
“We needed the win.
“The win was our first win at home since 2012 and our fans deserve these kinds of moments.
”The confidence piece is number one.
“We know Norway is going to be different opposition in our first game, but knowing that we can play such a good football, it’s very positive
“Knowing that we can score goals, that’s something we wanted to achieve and having done this, it’s just helpful.”
Hand’s goal was her second in 13 appearances for the Ferns and helped her become one of three players, alongside Bott and midfielder Betsy Hassett, to start in all four of their wins under Klimková.
Kerry Marshall/Getty Images
The Football Ferns will take confidence into the FIFA Women’s World Cup after beating Vietnam.
The Ferns finished with 29 shots to Vietnam’s two and probably should have added to their tally, but as Hand noted “getting those 29 shots is a big step forward for us”.
Two more days in Napier are in store for the Ferns before they return to Auckland – their base for the World Cup – on Thursday.
[ad_2]