THOUGH senior Reggae Girlz Head Coach Lorne Donaldson is pleased with the much-improved effort by his team he believes the overall execution was still lacking, particularly from a defensive perspective, which continues to be their Achilles heel.

In fact, Donaldson narrowed the 2-3 loss to Czech Republic down to poor game management as the Girlz, who clawed their way back twice, conceded in the dying moments of the Cup of Nations encounter at CommBank Stadium in Australia on Saturday.

The 28th-ranked Europeans, who dominated proceedings, got their goals from Andrea Staskova (24th), Kiara Cahynova (45+5), and substitute Alena Peckova (90th), while Jody Brown (42nd) and 19-year-old Kameron Simmonds (55th) were on target for the 44th-ranked Jamaicans.

“Whether you win or lose a close game such as this one comes down to how well you manage the game — especially when you’re tired — and we were awful at that. Our execution at the back wasn’t up to par. We gave up a goal in the last minute of the first half and again at the end because it’s almost as if we think we can’t play the game outside of the box,” Donaldson said in his post-game assessment.

Despite seven changes to the starting team that lost 0-3 to Spain on Thursday, the Girlz were unsettled defensively and not only failed to put pressure on the ball but also showed very little attacking intent at the start.

Czech Republic inevitably found the opener from the penalty spot as Staskova rammed the 12-yard kick past Schneider after Kristyna Ruzickova was felled inside the danger area by Satara Murray.

After absorbing consistent pressure, with a few sporadic attacking bursts coming in-between, the Girlz pulled level as Havana Solaun orchestrated their best build-up play that ended with Trudi Carter placing a pass on a platter for Brown who fired home a delightful, right-footed effort from just inside the 18-yard box.

But just when they grabbed the momentum, the Girlz let it slip and Czech Republic regained the ascendancy on the stroke of half-time when Khyrova’s weighted corner was expertly headed in by Cahynova to put Czech 2-1 up at the break.

The introduction of 17-year-old Solai Washington, in particular, at the start of the second half brought life to the Girlz’ attacking front and they again pulled level as Simmonds notched her first senior team goal.

Like they did earlier in the contest, the Girlz lapsed in concentration at the back and it again proved costly as the Czechs eventually found the winner on the stroke of full time. Miroslava Mrazova’s pass across the box somehow found its way to Peckova at the far past for an easy tap-in.

While the outcome was not what Donaldson wanted he was still full of praise for his young players, in particular, who proved valuable in showing that the Girlz possess the firepower to fight back.

In reviewing the performances of Simmonds, Washington and others, the tactician stopped short of saying he knew involving the young players would be a worthwhile investment, especially as they seek to find the best 23 for their second FIFA Women’s World Cup appearance in Australia and New Zealand this summer.

“We had some young players out there and I think they did very well. Some of them are first-timers and I thought they came out and gave us a good shift, so we were pleased with the young players’ performances,” Donaldson said.

“We are building so we are still looking at players, and some of the players here are players that we are looking at and we put them in some tough situations [because we’re testing them]. Yes, you want to win games but you have to look at the bigger picture and just see where we want to go.

“We are trying to build a squad, and because of that we had a couple of good players that didn’t play because we want to look at some other players. We have to continue the same way, thinking that we are building towards something special,” he explained.

Looking ahead to the final game against host Australia on Wednesday, Donaldson pointed to the importance of having every player pause and realign with their goals. This would not be solely for individual goals but will also ensure that everyone is staying on course and working towards the larger aim, which is to give off a capital effort at the July 20 to August 20 global showpiece.

There, the Girlz are drawn against France and Brazil, with the third opponent to come from the ongoing intercontinental play-offs.

“They [Australia] are home, they are energetic, and they are a good team so we have to come out again and do some good stuff against them. We are still going to do what we set out to do, which is to continue looking at players, because we want to make sure that we leave no stone unturned so [that] when we get back we can narrow down our squad. We are looking at players and so they have to perform,” Donaldson declared.

“We are trying to build into the World Cup so when we select the final group then the little things in terms of closing out a game or getting a pass right, and stuff like that, we can correct that but we have long ways to go, and we know that.

“We came here because it’s three quality teams so we wanted to mimic what things will be like at the World Cup so players know what to expect. It’s been great so far and we look forward to the last game against the Matildas,” he ended.