Black Maidens coach, Evans Adotey, believes the first goal for striker Jane Ayieyam at the on-going FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup (WWC) has eased the pressure on the player who is eager to repeat the feat she attained at the 2012 tournament in Azerbaijan.
Late last Saturday, the Maidens began their U-17 WWC campaign, scoring a 2-0 win over North Korea with goals from Ayieyam and Sandra Owusu-Ansah.
Ayieyam was the second highest scorer at the 2012 tournament when the Maidens won bronze, and has attracted a lot of attention as the 2014 tournament kicked off. And according to Coach Adotey, scoring against North Korea has taken the pressure off her.
“Of course, there was a lot of focus on Ayieyam before the first game. Everyone had seen her during the 2012 tournament and many were wondering if she would be that good at this tournament. Not many young players are able to handle such pressure and I believe the first goal has calmed her nerves,” Coach Adotey said.
Though the pressure is off, Coach Adotey is hoping Ayieyam will remain focused to help the team to achieve their dream. While the coach is relieved that his team got off to a winning start, he insists he is focused on getting his team past the group stage rather than discussing the games already played.
“It is important we pay attention to the matches already played because it helps to correct our mistakes and prepare for the matches ahead, but, it should not engage our attention to the point of thinking that it’s a done deal, particularly when those matches are won.
“Of course, my first objective of winning the first match against North Korea DPR has been achieved and we have to now focus on the rest of the matches. They are equally important to our quest to top our group.
“When the draw was conducted for this tournament, everyone tagged our group as the ‘Group of Death’ because of the presence of Germany and North Korea. Even though we won bronze in 2012, the talk has been about Germany and North Korea. For us, that is good, because it takes the attention off us and gives us the room to spring more surprises on the tournament,” Coach Adotey said.
