Stanway: Our gameplan paid dividends | OneFootball

City clinched Third Place in the tournament in dramatic fashion, netting in injury time through Tessa Wullaert, after Janine Beckie had equalised with seven minutes to go.

READ: Last-gasp Wullaert strike seals stunning comeback

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Lauren Hemp had opened the scoring for the English cup double-winners in the first half, before Atletico struck two quickfire goals to turn the game on its head on the hour.

City rallied in the final ten minutes to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, and Stanway believes her side’s management of energy levels and fitness reaped rewards.

“It was an unbelievable comeback,” she smiled. “It was a very hot day and the girls put in a good shift.

“We left it late but we got the result in the end and that shows the quality we’ve got.

“It’s pre-season and not only did we last the full game, but we came up trumps in the end.

“We got our gameplan right. In the first half, we sat off and let them play so we could conserve our energy levels for towards the end.

“That showed in the last 15 minutes. We dominated and got two goals.”

Stanway, who scored in the opening game against competition hosts the North Carolina Courage, also spoke of her enjoyment of the tournament.

City have trained in humid conditions, facing tough opposition and bonding as a team, and Stanway believes the week-long trip has brought tremendous benefit.

“It’s been unbelievable out here,” she added. “The girls have been brilliant – they’ve put in really good shifts in training and in games.

“We’ll take that into the first game of the season in the Manchester Derby against Manchester United.

“We have a few weeks to prepare but we’re in a good place and we’ll find out on Saturday 7 September how we’ll get on!”

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