Netherlands aim to turn ‘dream a reality’ after 2019 Women’s World Cup runners-up finish
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Lieke Martens helped her county win the European Championship in 2017 – where she was voted best player and also won the Uefa Women’s Player of the Year.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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AMSTERDAM – Lieke Martens said the Netherlands are eyeing their maiden Women’s World Cup title as the forward prepares to play for the third time at the showpiece event, which gets under way in Australia and New Zealand in July.
The 30-year-old Paris Saint-Germain player was in the Dutch side that finished runners-up after a disappointing penalty shoot-out loss to the United States.
Martens, who won three successive league titles and the Champions League during her time at Barcelona, helped her county win the European Championship in 2017 – when she was voted the tournament’s Best Player and also won the Uefa Women’s Player of the Year.
“Yes, you do dream about that (winning the World Cup),” Martens told Fifa in an interview. “I think it is very good that you keep trying to make that dream a reality.
“If we were to win, it would be complete. I would have won everything that I ever dreamt of winning. It will be a tough challenge, but nothing is impossible.
“I’m going to give everything I can to be as prepared as I can be.
“I also trust in this team. I just hope we can get into the flow.”
The expectations on the Dutch team have increased since their Euro win, and Martens said that dealing with the growing pressure has been an adjustment but believes that they can thrive and embrace the challenge.
The Netherlands are ninth in the Fifa rankings.
“Suddenly, after the Euro win, people expect a lot from us,” she said.
“I think we dealt with that well as a team. We have slowly grown into it, and we are still dealing with it.
“People expect us to always be able to battle for the grand prizes, and we have given ourselves that standard.
“The character in the team is back and maybe we can achieve something beautiful again at this World Cup.”
Andries Jonker’s side will kick off their World Cup campaign against Portugal on July 23, before taking on record four-time winners the United States on July 27.
Meanwhile, thousands of football fans marched over the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday to mark 25 days before the Women’s World Cup.
Football’s governing body Fifa estimated around 4,000 braved chilly temperatures to take part in the early morning event on the famed bridge, which was temporarily closed to traffic.
Co-hosts Australia and New Zealand kick off the 32-team tournament on July 20 when the Matildas play Ireland in Sydney and the Football Ferns face Norway in Auckland.
Fifa says more than one million tickets have been sold for the 64 games in nine host cities, surpassing total sales for the 2019 World Cup in France.
Fifa has said each player at the World Cup will earn at least US$30,000 (S$40,600), with the winners taking home US$270,000 apiece. REUTERS, AFP
