Reggae Girlz were not clinical enough – Shaw
Published:Sunday | September 24, 2023 | 12:12 AMLivingston Scott - Gleaner Writer
JAMAICA’S ALL-TIME leading goalscorer Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw says the Reggae Girlz were not as clinical as their opponents in the first leg of a two-way Olympic qualifier against Canada at the National Stadium on Friday.
The Girlz suffered a 2-0 defeat in that game, and Shaw said it could have been a much different result, had they taken their chances.
“We started well. We started positive. We were on the front foot and we had a few chances earlier in the game that we should have executed.
“So, ultimately, it comes down to the fine margins and being clinical in front of the goal. Taking your chances when you get them, and that is what Canada did tonight (Friday),” she told The Sunday Gleaner post match.
The home team had some good looks at goal throughout the contest, through Jody Brown and Cheyna Williams (twice) in the first half, while, in the second half, despite having the better of the latter stages, Shaw’s header on target was their best chance on goal.
Though disappointed with the result and facing a mammoth task to overhaul the result in Canada on Tuesday, the Manchester City ace does not believe the tie is over.
“We are very disappointed but, as I said, football comes down to fine margins and we were a bit off it. So we have to look at the video and what we did wrong and correct it for the next game.
“We are an underdog team and we have been in tough moments before. So it is nothing new to us. We just have to look at what we did wrong and look at how we can improve in the next game. We will travel tomorrow (Saturday), rest, recover, and then go again,” she said.
Shaw, who has been in sparkling form for her club in the Women’s Super League in England, has not scored for her country since the Concacaf Women’s Championships final-round game against Haiti in July.
Nevertheless, the 26-year-old insists she continues to give her best for the nation every time she steps onto the field.
“Football is a team effort and that is what it is. Ultimately, the position that I play, fans and people look for me to score, but it is not as easy as it seems. But it’s just about continuing to work hard and keep moving forward,” she said.