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Girlz hunt first World Cup win

Coach Donaldson: Panama will come out and fight to the bitter end

Published:Saturday | July 29, 2023 | 12:07 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
France’s Eugenie Le Sommer (right) vies for the ball with Jamaica’s Tiernny Wiltshire during the Women’s World Cup Group F match between France and Jamaica at the Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, Australia, Sunday, July 23, 2023. The match ended in
AP
France’s Eugenie Le Sommer (right) vies for the ball with Jamaica’s Tiernny Wiltshire during the Women’s World Cup Group F match between France and Jamaica at the Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, Australia, Sunday, July 23, 2023. The match ended in a 0-0 draw.

The Reggae Girlz are strong favourites going into their second Group F FIFA Women’s World Cup game against Panama at Nib Stadium in Perth today at 7:30 a.m. (Jamaica time) but coach Lorne Donaldson is expecting a “dogfight” from the Central Americans.

Nevertheless, he said it is a fight the Reggae Girlz will be ready for.

Donaldson noted that although a draw against France in the opening game has lifted confidence, they will not be taking today’s opponents for granted.

“We came here with the mindset that every game is important. Obviously it (draw) gave us a little more confidence but we also know that we are playing a strong team in Panama and they are here for a reason.

“We played them twice four years ago and that was a long time ago. They have a different look and we have a different look. But nothing has been decided group wise, so we expect Panama to come out fighting and it is going to be a dogfight.

“We expect a tight game. Panama are here to qualify. So I expect them to come out and fight to the bitter end. So we have to be ready,” he said

Both teams are still hunting their first-ever World Cup win while eyeing a place in the next round.

4-0 LOSS

Although Panama lost their opening match 4-0 to Brazil, they still have everything to play for and Donaldson believes they will play with the sort of commitment to get a result on the day.

“A clean sheet give us a chance. So hopefully, we can score some goals and keep a clean sheet and that is the objective right now. We have to treat it (game) the way we played against France.

“We don’t look at them (Panama) as being an underdog. We look at them as a competitor.

“We were on a high coming off France but that celebration is over. It is time to move on. It is time to try and get our first win and secure a better position,” Donaldson said.

The absence of leading striker Khadija Shaw, who was red-carded in the previous game against France, is a big loss and filling her boots is no small task, said Donaldson.

However, he pointed out that they are a resilient bunch that know how to get things done.

“She is the all-time leading scorer for Jamaica. That’s a tough replacement. But we are very resilient. We always find a way to get stuff done. We have somebody ready to go, people are ready to go,” he said.

“We will obviously put somebody in there but it could take more than one (player) to get her job done. But we are just going to prepare those persons and go after it,” Donaldson said.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com