Olympic champions Canada produced a convincing defensive display to hold out Australia and earn a 1-0 victory in their friendly at Lang Park in Brisbane on Saturday afternoon.
A first-half wondergoal from Manchester United winger Adriana Leon was enough to secure the victory for the visitors, whose makeshift rearguard was expertly marshalled by Tottenham Hotspur centre-half Shelina Zadorsky in a stoic display reminiscent of her side’s efforts at Tokyo 2020.
With both sides missing a number of players through injury, selection headaches abounded in both camps as Matildas manager Tony Gustavsson handed starts to Courtney Nevin, Charli Grant and Kyra Cooney-Cross, while Canadian boss Bev Priestman opted for Bianca St.-Georges and Sura Yekka alongside mainstays Janine Beckie and Zadorsky in her side’s back four.
With the changes in the Canadian defence, it was no surprise that the visitors were the first called into action, turning a header from Matildas skipper Sam Kerr away after four minutes before denying her again two minutes later from just outside the penalty area.
The visitors took the lead through the most incredible of means on 11 minutes as newly-minted Mancunian Leon unleashed a fearsome effort on goal from just outside the Australian box, lasering her shot inside Lydia Williams’ far post to give her side the ascendancy inside a quarter hour.
Australia went close to levelling the scores six minutes later through local favourite Clare Polkinghorne, though the Brisbane Roar mainstay couldn’t trouble Canadian goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, who gratefully watched her headed effort sail into the Milton Street End.
Canada were perhaps unlucky not to be awarded a penalty at the halfway mark of the first half, while Polkinghorne was herself fortunate to only see yellow, after the Vittsjö centre-half mowed down Jordyn Huitema without the ball millimetres outside her penalty area, though fellow Queenslander Emily Gielnik came to Polkinghorne’s rescue as she ricocheted Leon’s effort away in the Matildas’ wall.
Canada’s plan to play a high defensive line continued to prove frustrating for the home side, constantly outnumbered in the middle of the field and compressed into tight spaces, often misplacing passes under pressure from defensive pivots Julia Grosso and Jessie Fleming, whose terrier-like workrate wore Matildas midfielders Emily van Egmond and Mary Fowler down as the game wore on.
This high defensive line was not without its risks though, as occasional passes would have the Canadian rearguard turning on its heels to chase Kerr, who would have opened the Matildas’ account after 27 minutes if not for Sheridan pouncing on indecisive touch as the Chelsea striker bore down on goal without company.
Ten minutes from half-time the moment all Matildas fans dread came to pass, as Alanna Kennedy stopped short while recovering in defence, holding her hamstring as she slumped to the turf in pain.
With Aivi Luik slotting into Kennedy’s spot moments later, the Matildas looked to build up more cautiously, playing more through midfield without the option of Kennedy’s raking diagonal passes to Gielnik and Fowler on either wing, forcing Gustavsson to look to van Egmond and Fowler to instruct their more-advanced teammates in attack.
Half-time came and went, and while the hosts continued to huff and puff, their guests held them out at every opportunity, their structure and scramble snuffing out efforts here and there through the opening quarter-hour of the second half.
Left fullback Courtney Nevin was among the most blessed of the home side, fortunate to not be booked twice – or even sent off directly – after a series of strong tackles on Leon, including one collision that seemed to feature Nevin’s forearm in a starring role, only for Gustavsson to remove her from harm’s way 19 minutes into the second stanza.
Canada should have doubled its lead halfway through the second half as all-time international leading scorer Christine Sinclair spurned a golden opportunity to add to her innumerable goal tally, sending her effort goalwards from aside the penalty spot directly into the clutches of a grateful Lydia Williams.
Try as they might though, the Matildas could not pick the Canadian lock, as substitute Cortnee Vine made a brilliant diagonal run from the left flank, collecting Kerr’s no-look pass in traffic and curling an effort on goal only to watch it sail agonisingly past the far post for a goal kick.
With the fourth official signalling stoppage time and the home side pressing forward, Kerr herself could have equalised moments from the final whistle, but the Chelsea star proved she was not immune to the team-wide yips as her headed effort from a 92nd-minute Katrina Gorry corner forced Sheridan into another acrobatic save but again failed to trouble the scorers.
Australia 0
Canada 1 (Leon 11’)
Australia: Lydia Williams; Courtney Nevin (Tameka Yallop 64’), Clare Polkinghorne, Alanna Kennedy (Aivi Luik 39’), Charlotte Grant; Katrina Gorry, Emily van Egmond (Larissa Crummer 78’), Mary Fowler; Kyra Cooney-Cross, Sam Kerr, Emily Gielnik (Cortnee Vine 64’).
Yellow cards: Polkinghorne 23’, Nevin 51’, Gorry 90’+3
Unused subs: Teagan Micah, Princess Ibini, Jada Whyman, Clare Wheeler, Alex Chidiac.
Canada: Kaiden Sheridan; Janine Beckie, Shelina Zadorsky, Sura Yekka, Bianca St.-Georges; Julia Grosso (Desiree Scott 61’), Jessie Fleming (Sophie Schmidt 61’); Nichelle Prince (Simi Awujo 75’), Christine Sinclair (Gabrielle Carle 68’), Adriana Leon (Clarisa Larisey 75′); Jordyn Huitema (Cloé Lacasse 69’).
Yellow cards: Nil.
Unused subs: Quinn, Sabrina d’Angelo, Jade Rose, Lysianna Proulx, Marie Lavasseur.
Attendance: 25,016 at Lang Park, Brisbane.
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