Gotal praises young squad for positive mentality after world cup qualifiers debut defeat

Gibraltar women’s head coach Stella Gotal was full of praise for her young side even after their 6–0 defeat at the hands of Kosovo in what was their first official World Cup qualifying match.

“The players should be proud of themselves — it was their first match ever,” Gotal told the Gibraltar FA social media platform immediately after the match, highlighting how her team had faced a side that had only just missed promotion to League B in the Nations League.

“There is still one match ahead of us and we have to focus on that one match as it’s only three days before the second match,” she added, praising her team for the “positive” attitude they were showing even after defeat.

The former Croatian international, now head coach of the Gibraltar national women’s team, described the team’s journey through the qualifiers as a learning experience, saying the players were not in a “sprint” but rather a marathon in which they would learn from every match.

Highlighting how her squad is young, with players between the ages of 17 and 26, she added: “The experience will definitely help them in the future. It’s a team in the development phase.”

Although having faced a heavy defeat in the end, the Gibraltar head coach again praised her players for the positive mentality they had shown and how they had switched their focus to the next match rather than dwelling on the defeat.

“Those players are learning, even in that game. It was a tough defeat but they can learn quite a lot,” she said.

Highlighting how spirits remained high, she added: “With time they will learn to deal with the pressure and learn from our mistakes.”

Gibraltar next play Bulgaria this Saturday in what will be their first home match in the World Cup qualifiers — a match that will add to the historic occasion of starting to play in such competitions in front of the home crowd.

With women’s football developing rapidly, there are hopes that the team’s efforts on the pitch will provide a platform for younger players to emerge in the sport as Gibraltar builds a new era in women’s football.