Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Chloe Peplow reflected on a brilliant 3-1 victory over reigning champions North Korea in the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup.
Former Albion midfielder Alessia Russo scored a brace while Georgia Stanway was also on target, and Peplow spoke about an ideal start to the tournament.
She said, “It was a great team performance.
“We came into the game with no expectations, as the North Koreans are the current holders and we knew it was going to be a tough game.
“We’d been preparing for the game for a good two months since going away on camp and knew what we were going to face. Everyone performed well and we got the result that was needed.
“The Koreans were very different to anyone we played before. We had friendlies against China and Japan to help us prepare, but they were a very small and technical team in possession.
“It was very different to what we’ve faced before from playing European teams.”
The midfielder also reflected on life away from the pitch at a major tournament, and feels the squad have had a sufficient amount of work and rest time so far.
“Tournament life can be hard because you’re away from home for a long time, but we get the right balance of training, having time off and knowing when to focus and switch off.
“It’s important to get that balance right if we want to progress far in the competition.
“We’ve moved hotel; the first one was by a local beach, but the one we’re in now is in Rennes.
“We’ve all been allowed to out into the town and get food, as well as meet up with friends and family.”
Peplow also commented on the tremendous support she has received out in France and back home at the club.
“The atmosphere was unreal for the North Korea game, and we had about 300 travelling England fans.
“They were chanting throughout the game, and as the stadium was small, we could here all their chants and it contributed to a great atmosphere.”
“All of the Albion squad has been so supportive too. They’ve been contacting me over the phone and both Hope [Powell] and Amy [Merricks] texted me good luck before the North Korea game. They’ve all been brilliant.”