Sherida Spitse is disappointed with her role in Scotland’s equalizer in the Nations League match against the Orange Lionesses. Despite the draw, the captain is not worried about the European Championship. “We shouldn’t think we can’t do anything anymore.”
After Jill Roord’s 1-0, everything seemed fine for the Orange Lionesses at the Koning Willem II Stadium. But Scotland scored the equalizer out of nowhere almost half an hour later. After losing the ball, Caitlin Dijkstra escaped Kathleen McGovern from behind Spitse, after which she was able to tap it in.
“Of course that’s a bad moment,” Spitse said after the match against, among others, NU.nl. “I do feel responsible because she comes out of my back. I knew where she was, but she just comes in front of me and shoots that ball in. That’s sour.”
After the match, national coach Andries Jonker did not want to go too deeply into Spitse’s role in the goal against. He protected his captain, who, unlike the match against Germany last Friday (4-0), started in the starting line-up against Scotland.
“I never hand out blame. Not in the group and not in public. Those involved in that goal know very well that they didn’t look good there. So I don’t have to tell Caitlin Dijkstra that that ball wasn’t good. I also don’t have to tell Sherida Spitse that she might be able to defend that better. They know that themselves.”
‘Don’t think we can’t do anything anymore’
Spitse was generally positive about the first half, but believes that the Orange Lionesses should have been much more efficient. Jonker’s team shot on goal seven times before half-time, but did not succeed once after half-time.
“We forget to reward ourselves in the first half. After the 1-0 we should have continued and we had those opportunities. Then we make one mistake, yes that can happen. Only that is immediately punished. On the other hand, they also make mistakes, only we don’t shoot them in.”
The 243-time international thought that the Orange Lionesses were more careless in the second half. The humiliation against Germany (4-0) last Friday was also not good for confidence towards the European Championship, which starts in a month. Yet Spitse is not worried. She thinks that the short vacation until the start of the preparation (June 19) will give a boost.
“The energy needs to come back a bit. We will get that if we are more rested and can clear our heads. Then we can start with a fresh spirit. Of course we would have preferred to win and then everything would be in glory, but we shouldn’t think that we can’t do anything anymore. We know ourselves that we have a good team, but sometimes you need a vacation. I feel that a little bit.”
The Orange Lionesses will start preparing for the European Championship on June 19. On June 26, Jonker’s team will play a farewell match against Finland. In the group stage of the title tournament, the Orange Lionesses will face Wales (July 5), England (July 9) and France (July 13).