As the Barclays WSL returns for another season Matildas’ winger Hayley Raso
makes her league debut with Spurs as they face newly-promoted Crystal
Palace.
In the opening minutes, Raso was a danger right from the very start of her debut.
After catching her feet onto the end of a pass, she created the first real attempt of
the game in hopes of opening the scoring. However, her powerful shot smacked the
crossbar and was deflected away.
After 6 minutes, she went on the attack again. Raso ran onto the end of a long ball
from her team’s defence to push up the pitch. She then sent a dangerous cross into
the box but instead of taking the lead, this cross ended up in the hands of the
keeper, Shae Yáñez.
Seven minutes had passed since and Raso was fouled by the opposition around the
halfway line. Following this, Spurs were awarded possession by the referee but
nothing too exciting came from this moment in the game.
15 minutes into the match, Raso continued to be a threat to Palace’s defence,
creating chance after chance. This time it was a long range strike from the Spurs
newcomer but the shot was stopped by Yáñez with another incredible save.
Neville bursted down the wing for her team to push up the pitch. Her pass reached
the feet of Raso, who paved her way into the box for the Spurs attack to add to their
tally of shots 2 minutes later.
In the next minute of the match, Raso took possession of the ball in the middle of the
pitch and tactically made her way to the edge of the box. The Matilda finally had her
moment where her volley was shot low into the bottom corner of the net to open the
scoring.
A few minutes after the half hour mark Raso continued the action and being lively
where she creates another chance for the hosts but this time her opportunity is
stopped by a low block from the Palace defence.
Just after the added before the half time whistle was announced, a few attempts
from a multitude of Spurs players came from inside the box but once again Yáñez
was called into action and after being left unmarked, Raso’s chance was deflected
away by the Palace shot stopper.
Half-Time: Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Crystal Palace
12 minutes into the second half, the Aussie took control of the ball from a tackle
before pushing up the pitch towards the box. With her first chance of the second
half, her shot was deflected away.
Just a few minutes later, Raso kept her spark alive with yet another attempt to
extend Spurs’ lead. However, this chance traveled just wide of the target.
With 8 minutes left of the game, Amanda Nildén sent the ball over to Raso who
paved her way into the box once again. This time she set up Drew Spence to have a
shot on goal but the Eagles’ keeper yet again was impressive, and pushed the ball
over the bar to deny Spurs.
Her game came to an end in the 86 th minute where she was subbed off to make
room for Lenna Gunning-Williams.
She put in an excellent shift and made some crucial moments of play, including her debut goal, for Spurs to take their first three points of the season.
When speaking to Raso post-match she stated her goal this season “on a personal
level” was “to contribute to the team as much as [she] can with goals and assists like
[Sunday]”
Comments