Emotional Martens Expresses Disappointment with Draw in International Fixture
Netherlands captain Sherida Spitse Martens has voiced her disappointment after her team’s disappointing 2-2 draw with Portugal in the Algarve Cup on Wednesday. The match was a tale of two halves, with the Netherlands dominating the first period and taking a 2-0 lead through goals from Vivianne Miedema and Shanice van de Sanden. However, Portugal rallied in the second half, scoring twice through Ana Capeta to snatch a share of the spoils. Martens, who was substituted in the second half, was visibly frustrated by the result. “We’re very disappointed,” said the Barcelona forward. “We played well in the first half and should have put the game to bed. But we let Portugal back into it and we paid the price.” “It’s a shame because we wanted to win this tournament. But we have to learn from our mistakes and move on.” Martens’ comments echoed those of head coach Mark Parsons, who admitted that his team had been too complacent after taking the lead. “We were sloppy in the second half,” said Parsons. “We allowed Portugal too much space and they made us pay. It’s a valuable lesson for us.” The draw leaves the Netherlands top of their Algarve Cup group on goal difference, but they must now beat Scotland in their final fixture on Friday to reach the final. Martens, who is one of the most experienced players in the Dutch squad, is determined to end the tournament on a positive note. “We’re still in with a chance of winning the trophy,” she said. “We have to focus on ourselves and put in a better performance against Scotland.” “We have the quality to win this tournament. We just need to show it on the pitch.”
Belgium’s Martens disappointed with draw in last international match
Belgium’s Tessa Wullaert expressed her disappointment after the team’s 1-1 draw with Portugal in their final international match before the Women’s World Cup. “We wanted to win this game and get a good feeling going into the World Cup,” said Wullaert. “But we didn’t play our best and we made some mistakes. We need to learn from this and make sure we’re ready for the World Cup.” Belgium took the lead in the first half through a goal from Janice Cayman, but Portugal equalized in the second half through a penalty from Ana Borges. “We had a lot of chances to score more goals, but we didn’t take them,” said Wullaert. “We need to be more clinical in front of goal if we want to do well at the World Cup.” Belgium will face Canada, New Zealand, and Cameroon in Group E at the World Cup. “We know it’s going to be a tough group, but we believe in ourselves,” said Wullaert. “We’re going to work hard and give it our all.”