After an amazing three wins from three, the girls faced their toughest test yet today against a very strong Finnish side. The opposition had been scoring goals for fun throughout the tournament, sweeping teams aside with some outstanding futsal, and our girls knew they would be the underdogs going into the match.

But do you know what? This team was always going to go out there and give everything they had. We knew it would be difficult. We knew we would have to be at our very best. Every player understood the challenge that lay ahead, but they were ready for it. After all, every underdog has its day. The question was: was today going to be ours?

First Half:

Half Time: Bootham 0 – 1 Ylaston-Urheilijat (Finland)

Second Half:

Full Time: Bootham 1 – 5 Ylaston-Urheilijat (Finland)

Player of the Match:

You can’t pick just one player today—we have to pick them all. We have to put a collective arm around their shoulders, give them a huge pat on the back, and tell them they were all amazing. We have a team that doesn’t really train together and doesn’t really play together regularly, yet we travel to another country and they produce a performance like this. Wow—what a group.

The commitment, the effort, and the togetherness they have shown throughout this tournament have been incredible. They have represented themselves, their families, and their club with pride. Whatever happens tomorrow, they should hold their heads high, because they have shown exactly what it means to be a team.

Coaches Comments:

I really do feel for my team today, and I wish I could make it better.

As a player, I lost nine semi-finals. Only once in my playing career did I reach a final. It hurts—it really does. These are children with ambitions and high hopes, and I truly know how they feel.

Let’s take nothing away from the Finnish team—a name I’m not even going to try to pronounce. They were good, very good. They have some superb players, and in the end, they deserved to win.

But let’s not take anything away from our team either. They battled, they put their bodies on the line, and they gave everything. Two deflected goals went against us, and we hit the post. We never once backed down. In the first half, we gave as good as we got and came so close to keeping it 0–0 at half-time.

As a coach, I have to make sure my players know how good they were. Some were playing three years above their age group, in a foreign country, a long way from home, and in intense heat. As people, we often remember the bad moments—the mistakes we made. We dwell on them and forget just how great we have been. These players have been amazing, superb, outstanding. Want me to keep going?

Tomorrow, we go one last time, aiming to win that third-place trophy. Can they do it? Yes, they can. Will they do it? Who knows? But whatever happens, I will always be proud to be their coach.