4-1 win over Kolding IF: "We did what we needed to do"

HB Køge Women and Kolding IF faced each other at Køge Idrætspark on Saturday afternoon, with the swnas claiming a 4-1 victory.

WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS

After a strong first half, HB Køge Women went into the break in a good position against Kolding IF. The Swans controlled large parts of the game and created several good attacking moves, and that was particularly pleasing for Head Coach Kristian Mørch after the final whistle.

"I think we played a very, very good first half with a lot of control and many really good attacking moves. Overall, it was a performance where we did what we needed to do, and a little bit more," says Kristian Mørch.

Unhappy with the start to the second half

Despite the 4-1 scoreline, there were still aspects of the performance that the Head Coach was not satisfied with. In particular, the way the team started the second half took away from the overall performance.

"I'm unhappy with the way we came out for the second half. We knew what Kolding would bring after the break, so that wasn't good enough. I don't think we got close enough to the defenders when we had the ball because we knew they would come out with more intense pressure. We continued a little too much at the same tempo as we finished the first half, but at that point Kolding had been pushed further back. When the game changed in the second half, we had to adapt to that as well."

Substitutions made a difference

The response came partly through several substitutions, and Mørch was pleased with the impact made by the players coming off the bench.

"It was good to see the impact they made. We needed to play even more down our right side, so Macy came on there. Mille came on and added some tempo centrally, and we also got more players into the box, which made us better in terms of dealing with the second-ball situations that could arise."

With a busy schedule, the game also provided an opportunity to manage minutes following Tuesday's demanding Champions League fixture in London.

"In many ways, we ticked a lot of boxes. The only things missing were giving Mercy her debut and giving Kyra a little more time on the bench."

The original plan was to give new signing Mercy Chipasula her first minutes for the club, but the way the game developed meant the coaching staff ultimately opted for a different solution.

"We would have liked to bring Mercy on and see her towards the end of the game. But I felt Boye had worked a little harder in the previous game, so in the end it was her we decided to take off."

Chasing historic points on Thursday

HB Køge Women can now turn their attention to another big European night. On Thursday, Servette FC visit Køge Idrætspark for the team's first home game of the UEFA Women's Champions League league phase.

Following the narrow 1-0 defeat away to Arsenal FC, the Swans are now chasing their first-ever points in the main stage of the Champions League.

"We're incredibly excited. I know there are all sorts of other things happening that day, but we're chasing our first-ever points in the league phase – or in the main stage of the Champions League – and that's what we're going for," Kristian Mørch concludes.

Get your ticket for the game against Servette FC at hbkogew.eventii.dk.