In 2018, the Matildas played their first-ever game in Perth, defeating Thailand 5-0 in front of just over 7,500 people. Lisa De Vanna netted a brace in front of her hometown fans, while there were also goals from Larissa Crummer, Chloe Logarzo and Alex Chidiac (the South Australian’s first international goal). The Matildas have not played in Sam Kerr’s hometown since then, so when the announcement was made that Australia would host Olympic Qualifiers in Perth, the demand for tickets was off the scale – a case of Matildas Mania.
Within a few days, it was announced that the three games were a sell-out at the 20,000-capacity HBF Park. The WA State Government announced that game day 2 would be moved to Optus Stadium to accommodate demand and within hours, the 60,000-capacity stadium was also sold out.
Nearly 100,000 fans were expected to watch the games, so the pressure was on the Matildas to secure passage into Round 3 of the qualifiers. Despite being overwhelming favourites to win a group containing the Philippines, Iran and Chinese Taipei there were some hurdles for coach Tony Gustavsson to overcome. Among these was the lack of preparation for the first game with players such as Kerr, Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Mary Fowler and Alanna Kennedy not arriving in Perth until 48 hours before kick-off of Game Day 1 against Iran.
These difficulties allowed Gustavsson to experiment with not just his starting lineup but also his tactics for the game. It was Emily Van Egmond who led a side out that contained players who had little or no game time during the World Cup, plus Amy Sayer, who hadn’t even made that squad.
Iran was in no mood to try and attack the Matildas, sitting in a low block and challenging the Matildas to break them down. Whenever the pressure was getting a little too much, Iran would slow the game down through a gamesmanship, and were forcing the home team to work hard for openings. A fine Ellie Carpenter goal was the difference at halftime, but the introduction of Kerr, Catley and in particular, Fowler, made all the difference. Despite scoring just one more goal, the Matildas were showing signs of getting their groove back.
At the post-match presser, Gustavsson was delighted that his team had followed the game plan of winning the ball back as early as possible. This was an area identified by the head coach as a weak point during the World Cup and he wanted them to improve on that.
Between Game 1 and Game 2, there was a significant public event for the team to attend as they were guests of honour at the formal opening of the WA State Football Centre. With 4,000 people in attendance and Eskimo Joe playing, there was a real carnival atmosphere as the WA Premier, The Honourable Roger Cook, MLA announced a funding package of $9.3 Million for grassroots football in WA and, much to the delight of the crowd, renamed the Centre as the Sam Kerr Football Centre.
Game Day 2 was at Optus Stadium against the Philippines. The Matildas knew that three points were vital if they were to top the group and progress to Round 3 of the qualifiers. In a pre-match press conference, Kerr stated that the team saw this game as being the toughest of the group and declared that with four days of preparation behind them, they were 100% focused on getting the job done.
Gustavsson made wholesale changes to his starting XI, with only Ellie Carpenter remaining from the game against Iran. Kerr, Foord, Fowler, Kennedy, Catley, Cooney-Cross, Hayley Raso, Mackenzie Arnold, Katrina Gorry and Clare Hunt all started and Australia flew out of the blocks in front of 59,115 adoring fans on a beautiful Perth afternoon.
That attendance figure eclipsed every football game played at Optus Stadium, including the men’s A-League Grand Final between Perth Glory and Sydney FC, as well as exhibition games featuring Manchester United and Chelsea. It was also the highest attendance for any women’s football game in Australia outside of a World Cup or Olympic games, and was higher than the last AFL Derby between Fremantle and the West Coast Eagles.
The pressing exhibited in the game against Iran was in full effect from kick-off and was relentless for the whole 90 minutes. Fowler was the first to score with an assist from Foord in the 15th minute, before Kerr bagged her second in two games on 19 minutes. Foord was then in on the act, making it 3-0 on the half hour, and then she scored her second just three minutes later. Kerr added a fifth in 1st half stoppage time, before completing her hat trick 24 seconds after the re-start to make it 6-0. Foord then scored her own hat trick in the 56th minute to make it 7-0, before Clare Wheeler scored her first Matildas goal on 72 minutes to finish the scoring at 8-0. The Philippines have now played the Matildas three times and have yet to register a goal in those games, losing 7-0 and 4-0 previously.
Gustavsson was delighted with the performance at the post-match press conference and felt it was one of, if not the best, performances from the team since he took charge. Foord was named player of the match with three goals and four assists, but there was no doubting who the crowd favourite was as Kerr received a huge ovation when she came off in the 65th minute. Earlier in the week Kerr revealed that she had been dealing with calf injuries suffered during the World Cup and had only just returned to full fitness. Gustavsson had stressed the need to ensure she was not at risk of further injury during the qualifiers, so it was no surprise to see her come off.
With a scoreline of 8-0 it’s usual for attackers to gain the plaudits, but Gustavsson was quick to praise Kennedy and Hunt for having the bravery to put their foot on the ball and slow things down, even though Philippines attacker Sarina Bolden is quick enough to have benefitted from any lapse in concentration against a defensive line as high as what the Matildas played.
The result put the Matildas into the next round of qualifiers, but they knew that finishing as the best-performing team in the three groups would mean avoiding teams such as Japan in the next round. Therefore, it was a fully focused team that prepared for the final game against Chinese Taipei.
Before that, there were more public duties. Some players visited local shopping centres, whilst Kerr, fellow West Australian Lydia Williams and Charli Grant visited Dorrien Gardens for a joint Commonwealth Bank / Football Australia announcement – the Growing Football Fund. Football Australia Head of Women’s Football, Women’s World Cup Legacy & Inclusion, Sarah Walsh, was also in attendance as the fund was announced.
The Growing Football Fund commits to the following over two years:
- Multi-million dollar commitment to support grassroots football in Australia
- Attract and retain 50,000 female participants over two years
- Distribution of community grants up to $5,000 to community clubs across Australia to fund activities that develop and promote women and girls’ football
- Introduction of a new, state-based network of female coaches for peer-to-peer support
- Provide access to C & B Diplomas for coaches of women and girls through scholarships
- The creation of high-quality resources to support the development of women and girls’ football in Australia
The impact of the Matildas and the huge pulling power that Kerr has, especially in her hometown, has led to these unprecedented funding announcements. Meanwhile, the sheer number of people in attendance at these three games has shown just how much untapped potential there is for women’s football.
The final game against Taipei saw Gustavsson retain all bar Carpenter from Sunday’s starting XI – Carpenter was unavailable as she had returned to her club side in France, Olympique Lyonnais. Van Egmond had also left camp early to go back to San Diego Wave in the USA, and Cortnee Vine was ruled out due to a hamstring injury suffered during the game on Sunday.
The crowd was another large one, with over 18,000 in attendance. Despite enjoying almost total dominance, the hosts couldn’t force an opening goal in the first 45 minutes, with Chinese Taipei keeper Cheng Ssu-yu performing heroics, whilst her teammates defended with a huge amount of determination and discipline.
There was still no score until the 62nd minute, when Fowler demonstrated why many in the game feel she is the heir apparent to Kerr. Receiving the ball on the left touchline, she took a touch inside with her left foot before unleashing a fearsome right foot shot that flew into the net, leaving the keeper stranded. This ended Chinese Taipei’s resistance and Kerr then scored the Matildas’ 900th goal in the 68th minute, before Tameka Yallop added the third and final goal on 76 minutes.
That win and other results meant Australia finished as the best performing team in the group stages. They now face Uzbekistan over two legs in February next year.
Gustavsson was again a very happy coach in the post-match conference and was particularly pleased with the three clean sheets achieved, as he felt that this was another area his team had improved on during his time in charge. Gustavsson also mentioned that he now has much more strength in depth than when he took over, and pointed out that he had used all 22 players in the squad when Williams came on at halftime in place of Arnold during the game against Chinese Taipei. The big problem now is that he has to cull the squad if the Matildas qualify for the Olympics, but Gustavsson felt this was a good problem to have with so many quality players at his disposal. He also mentioned that players would need to be exceptionally good to force their way into the current squad.
So what to make of the campaign? In terms of the football, the Matildas showed a growing sense of being able to cope with teams that park the bus. They played with more composure and won the ball back more quickly than they did in the World Cup. There was also a greater sense of squad depth with the likes of Clare Wheeler and Amy Sayer playing significant roles when they were on the pitch. Sam Kerr is still the main player in the team, but Foord and Fowler can also be considered as genuinely world-class players.
Off the field, Matildas Mania continues to take effect. Media coverage was enormous and viewing figures were sensational, with the Philippines game being the 2nd most-watched show on free-to-air TV during Sunday, even though the games were being played at 10pm and 9pm in the Eastern States. The crowds adored the players and they were generous with their time after the games. Perhaps the one story that truly sums up the feel-good factor was when Alex Chidiac joined in with a MiniRoos halftime game, much to the delight of the young players around her. It’s hard to think of another team that would dream of doing something like this.
