Hege Riise did not have time to fix them a fragile defence and over-reliance on Ellen White for goals in time for the Olympics
Team GB were one minute and stoppage time away from an Olympic semi-final when the Australian midfielder Emily van Egmond scooped the ball from just inside the GB half to the chest of an unmarked Sam Kerr. With all the time in the world, Kerr twisted and crashed home an equaliser. The soul-sapping effect of the last-gasp strike proved fatal.
It would be easy to point fingers. Why was the Women’s Super League’s most potent finisher alone in the middle of the area with seconds left on the clock? Britain’s defence consisted of Kerr’s Chelsea teammate Millie Bright and several players who have attempted – with admittedly mixed results – to contain her guile domestically.
