Tottenham Hotspur forward Kyah Simon said that Australia must be more clinical in the 18-yard box following a 3-0 defeat to the United States.
The Commonwealth Bank Matildas registered eight shots on target in the match, two more than their opponents, yet they came out of the game with a 3-0 loss.
When speaking in the post-match press conference, Simon was critical of her own finishing after spurning an opportunity to score when the scoreline was at 1-0.
“It’s a very disappointing scoreline, the game was definitely there for the taking,” Simon said.
“Obviously, I had a chance for myself….as a striker, you pride yourself on scoring goals and I take full responsibility that I should have finished that. The game would have been 1-1 at that point and it definitely would have changed the momentum of the game.
“Us conceding in the first minute, I think we made it difficult for ourselves. I think we were definitely in the game in the middle period and I think that they were more clinical in the final third than we were on both ends of the stick. When you put it down to that, that was the difference.”
Commenting on Australia’s performance further, Simon said that the Commonwealth Bank Matildas grew into the game but again, she highlighted the team’s poor finishing as their downfall.
She said “When you concede a goal in the first minute, it’s certainly no easy feat, particularly against the world number one. As the game went on, we grew in confidence and had confidence in the way that we played, we could settle into the game which we did definitely in parts of the first half going into half-time. In the second half, we had glimpses of good passages in play but again, goals win you games and they can lose you games as well.
“It is hard when you make it an uphill battle and we are not clinical enough in the final third to stay in the battle.”
Australia and the United States will contest a second international friendly at the McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle on Tuesday morning.
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