![Football Ferns coach Jitka Klimkov wants her side to maintain possession at Canberra Stadium. Picture: NZ Football Football Ferns coach Jitka Klimkov wants her side to maintain possession at Canberra Stadium. Picture: NZ Football](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/5E9aiwEpmxaHU7wKAB7bK/2d333d85-dffb-45a0-9331-23966b0bb81f.jpg/r0_530_5184_3456_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Heartbreak.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
It has been the word used to describe the result in Townsville for the Football Ferns, after two extra-time goals cost them the match 2-1.
But it is what will fuel the Kiwi side heading into their second shot at the Matildas at Canberra Stadium.
And leading them will be a familiar face to Canberra fans. Former Canberra United coach Jitka Klimkova, who took on the New Zealand head coaching gig late last year, will steer them on Tuesday, and on to the 2023 World Cup.
She said the heartbreak had only made them more determined.
"Conceding goals in the last two minutes of the game is always tough, but I have to say the team is recovering [well] mentally, physically," she said.
"We are preparing to compete the same way we competed in our last game. Obviously we still have things to improve on [but] ... it would be devastating leaving here and not having another chance. So everybody is ready to compete again.
"If we see ... that kind of grit and competitiveness and fight from our players, I will be always proud."
MORE IN CANBERRA SPORT:
The Kiwis will be without defender Ria Percival but will likely receive a boost to their ranks with the return of midfielder Rebekah Stott.
Percival will likely be sidelined for the next 12 months after initial scans showed her knee injury, from the opening minutes of the Townsville game, was an anterior cruciate ligament tear.
Klimkova confirmed the 32-year-old was headed back to London to rejoin her WSL side and undergo further scans to determine the degree of the injury.
Stott's return, following a needed rest after her first ALW campaign since her cancer battle, will likely boost the vision Klimkova has for Tuesday night's match.
"Can we improve, specifically, in our possession to keep the ball better, so we can control the game a little bit more? There is no doubt about it," she said.
"And those are the [areas] that we are focusing on now and we are going to focus on in our future. So always things to get better, but I'm very proud of how we fought on Friday."
The side only had 29 per cent possession in game one and managed three shots, compared to Australia's 37 shots and 71 per cent possession.
These two key areas will need to be addressed in game two to secure a different result, and in the next 15-months before the 2023 World Cup in order to reach the Ferns coach's target.
As Klimkova wants her side to make it out of the group stage come July 2023.
"It's not just about all those outcomes," she said.
"I believe that this team can achieve [our] first wins in the World Cup and get out of the group. And ... it's not going to happen in one or two tours. We still have a lot to learn. And the best teacher is the game and that's what we are going to do for the rest of the year.
"The second important thing is ... what the players are doing outside of the tours. So we are making sure that players are in a good environment where they are pushed, they are challenged, they are learning and competing. I believe it's the top preparation for July 2023."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark canberratimes.com.au
- Download our app
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram