West Ham United women’s team defender Amber Tysiak praised her side’s fighting spirit and believes our come-from-behind draw at Chelsea is another sign of the growing confidence in Rehanne Skinner’s squad.
The Hammers fell two goals behind in Sunday’s Barclays Women’s Super League encounter at Kingsmeadow inside 21 minutes.
Fighting back to reclaim a share of the spoils is never a simple task - never mind against a side who had not failed to win a league game at home all season. Yet after Shekiera Martinez took a touch to control Riko Ueki’s pass before whipping his shot past Hannah Hampton shortly before the interval, we grew in confidence.
It appeared the Blues had done enough, however, until the first minute of added time, when a deep cross from Kirsty Smith found Martinez unmarked, and she headed back across goal to deservedly earn a point for the visitors and round off an impressive comeback.
Reflecting on a dramatic game, Belgium international centre-back Tysiak said: “It felt great, and I'm really proud of the players. It was a very difficult start, but we got through it and made it 2-1 shortly before half-time and then were very happy with the late equaliser at the end.
“I think that goal [before half-time] kept us in the game. I think it would be maybe a different and more difficult game. She (Martinez) was brilliant. She was strong, kept the ball and obviously scored two important goals for us.
“At half-time, the manager said it was a difficult start, that we need to be better in one-on-one situations and that we need to be stronger and more aggressive. There were still another 45 minutes in front of us, and I think we played much better in the second half.
“I think in the beginning for everyone in the back-line it was about trying to settle into the game, and when we began to win our one-on-ones, our confidence grew, and I think we were more comfortable in the game.
“I think the second half was brilliant, not just from the back line, but from the whole team, actually, and that’s why we earned a point.
“We were very happy [at the end in the post-match huddle] because it was a good point to take. Since I joined the Club, it's the first point we've got against Chelsea, so it's really nice to achieve that, and I think everyone goes away [into the international break] with a lot of confidence.”
Tysiak is one of 18 Hammers who have now headed off to represent their country during the current international window, with Belgium facing England in UEFA Nations League ties on Friday 4 and Tuesday 8 April in Bristol and Leuven respectively.
