'A tough match to start'
Thursday, 15 July, 2010
England Coach pleased with point from opening match.
Watch highlights of England's game on FIFA.com
here
England Coach Mo Marley said she was happy with her team's 1-1 draw in their opening match of the Women's U20 World Cup, despite seeing a one-goal lead slip.
The Three Lions met Nigeria on Wednesday to kick-off their campaign in Germany, and were given a tough test by the African nation they last faced in Chile two years ago.
Marley's side began brightly, stroking the ball around with confidence, but had to weather a series of attacks by the Nigerians midway through the half before going into the break with a 1-0 advantage.
Kerys Harrop's close-range header from a Lucy Staniforth corner put them in the driving seat on the stroke of half-time, but Nigeria didn't lie down.
Desire Oparanozie equalised on the hour-mark to ensure the spoils were shared on day one of Group C, and Marley acknowledged that it was a hard start for England.
"We knew what kind of game they were going to play and it was very difficult to keep hold of the ball with all the pressure they were putting on us," she said.
"You get games like that in these types of competitions and we’re happy with the result.
"It was a very tough match for us to begin with but we expected that.
"This is the World Cup and that’s the way these tournaments go. We'll now start to prepare for Saturday's meeting with Mexico back here in Augsburg."
That match with the Mexicans will be live on British Eurosport and online at FIFA.com - click here.