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Australia 2

Matildas Extend Unbeaten Streak Against Football Ferns

by Jeremy Ruane

Australia's "Matildas" continued their recent dominance over their trans-Tasman rivals, New Zealand's Football Ferns, at Canberra's GIO Stadium, prevailing 3-1 in front of 13,077 fans on April 12 to extend to 33 the number of matches these teams have played since the Kiwis were last victorious way back in October 1994.

In truth, the result was never in doubt after the Matildas scored twice in as many minutes around the quarter hour mark. They took full advantage of an at times feeble Ferns display during the opening half-hour in particular, one riddled with wayward passes aplenty, poor option-taking and the child-like practice of short goal kicks, which invites pressure aplenty and isn't the best option a team already under pressure through their other shortcomings should take.

The Football Ferns pulled a major surprise in their starting line-up, although in hindsight, was it? While ACL victim Ria Percival required replacing - Katie Bowen stepped into her midfield role while Meikayla Moore returned to the heart of the rearguard, it was Erin Nayler's recall in goal which raised eyebrows, particularly in light of Victoria Esson's outstanding display in the first game of this two-match series.

One needs to look at the bigger picture at this point. When it comes to selecting her number one, Ferns coach Jitka Klimkova is confronting the same situation which former England manager Ron Greenwood faced when Ray Clemence and Peter Shilton were in their prime.

He generally swapped them from game to game in the build-up to the 1982 World Cup Finals, at a point prior to which he made a call on who would be his regular starter in goal, and got it wrong in the eyes of this Liverpool fanatic - England's number one should have been "Clem" every day of the week!

Klimkova appears to be following the same process - two strong contenders for the number one jersey, each of whom deserves the chance to stake their claim for said shirt, so the fairest means of doing so is to give them a game apiece in each international window throughout this year, then make a call circa six months out from the Finals. So anticipate plenty of rotation in the goalkeeping position for a few more matches yet, methinks.

Nayler had nothing to do in the first two minutes of the match, as the Matildas didn't get out of their half in that time. It was a terrific start by the Football Ferns, pressing high and hard, for which they should have been rewarded by taking the lead in the fourth minute of play.

Having staved off a couple of Australian threats in between times - a four-player move culminating in a cross for Sam Kerr which was headed out by Claudia Bunge, and a rasping cross-shot from Hayley Raso seconds later which Nayler grabbed under her crossbar, the Football Ferns moved onto the attack, Bowen's volleyed pass inviting Hannah Wilkinson to hurtle goalwards.

The striker latched onto the sphere and led an uncharacteristically weak Australian central defensive pairing a merry dance before letting fly from the edge of the penalty area, a shot which crept inches past the far post - a real let-off for the host nation, and Wilkinson knew it.

Things started going pear-shaped for New Zealand soon afterwards when Paige Satchell, hours away from celebrating her 24th birthday, took ill with a heart-related condition which eventually prompted an earlier than planned substitution appearance for Gabrielle Rennie.

By the time she entered the fray, however, the Matildas had grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck. Steph Catley's ninth minute corner - her set-piece deliveries in this series were top notch! - was headed past the far post by Alanna Kennedy, while Nayler smothered a twenty-yarder from Kerr three minutes later, after the striker had got the better of Bunge.

The defender made amends seconds later with a vital tackle to dispossess Raso after she had raced past three opponents into the penalty area, with the resulting corner seeing Catley and Katrina-Lee Gorry work it short before the delivery picked out Kerr, who outmuscled Olivia Chance but directed her header just past the post.

The door was being pounded upon, and on the quarter hour, it was blown off its hinges! Once again, Catley was the architect from a corner, awarded after the aforementioned pathetic practice of playing Russian roulette from a goal kick. The fullback's pinpoint delivery saw Kerr soar above all-comers and direct an angled header wide of Nayler and into the far corner of the net.

1-0 swiftly became 2-0 two minutes later. Ellie Carpenter combined with Raso and Gorry, whose ball forward was blocked by Bowen. Raso latched onto the rebound in the blink of an eye, and a further blink later saw it curling around Moore and into the net by the base of the far post, beyond Nayler's despairing dive.

There was no respite for the Football Ferns after these goals, either. Gorry's corner was flicked on by Clare Polkinghorne to Caitlin Foord, whose header lacked the power to trouble Nayler. Foord twice fired wide in the next five minutes, rattling the side-netting on the first occasion on receipt of a pass from Carpenter, who had drifted in-field past four opponents before creating the opportunity.

Australia spurned a great chance to add a third goal in the 26th minute. Mary Fowler's fine ball found Foord, who played in Emily Van Egmond with just Nayler to beat, a feat the midfielder accomplished, only to direct her effort wide of the target.

On the half-hour, and very much against the run of play, the Football Ferns were afforded a sniff of a goal by some poor Australian defensive work. Anna Green teamed up with Betsy Hassett to send Rennie in pursuit of a ball through the inside left channel.

Polkinghorne had the advantage in that particular foot-race, but got in a bit of a mix-up with goalkeeper Lydia Williams seconds later, one which Rennie was poised to capitalise upon until the veteran defender took charge of the situation and tidied things up.

The Matildas responded to this scare by increasing their advantage in the 32nd minute. The home team didn't need any help in causing chaos for the Football Ferns, but Daisy Cleverley - as ineffective as ever in her time on the park - summed up her personal performance by gifting the ball to Van Egmond.

She wasted little time in pinging the ball over the top, a pass which Kerr latched onto after timing her angled run in behind the defence to perfection. The prolific striker duly outpaced the defence before steering the sphere unerringly beyond the approaching figure of Nayler and into the net by the far post - 3-0.

And still they pressed. Carpenter picked out Kerr, who worked an opening with Raso before seeing her shot blocked to safety by Moore. Three minutes after the goal, Carpenter charged again, leaving

Hassett trailing in her wake before picking out Kerr once more.

The striker's ball inside was cleared by Ali Riley straight into the stride of Carpenter, who had continued her attacking run. The fullback let fly with a screamer which was matched by Nayler's fine flying save to her left.

The Football Ferns' custodian dashed out of her area to clear the danger six minutes before half-time, Catley having delivered a quality ball in behind the defence for Kerr to exploit - she met her match on this occasion.

Five minutes later, further Matildas pressure forced a corner, which Gorry delivered into the danger zone. Nayler charged off her line to grab the ball but got nowhere near it, and it was only desperate defending which prevented Fowler from adding a fourth goal to the scoreline.

A fourth goal in the half came about, however, but it wasn't scored by the natives. Chance hadn't enjoyed an easy time of things defensively in this match - her game revolves around creativity, not containment - but she latched onto a loose ball in first half stoppage time and immediately brought Bowen into play before racing forward in anticipation of further involvement.

The Football Ferns' most versatile star - at least Bowen will never have to play in goal for her country! - evaded a couple of challenges before returning the compliment to Chance, who promptly threaded a pass into the stride of Wilkinson, who found herself in the sort of situation she relishes most.

Bearing down on goal, she outmuscled the challenge of Polkinghorne before seeing her initial attempt blocked by Williams. Wilkinson was quickly onto the rebound, however, and by sheer force of will and determination eked out an opening from where she prodded home her first goal in international football since netting against Norway 25 months ago.

It was a goal which gave the Football Ferns something to cling on to after a half which had largely been dominated by the Matildas, who were good value for their 3-1 advantage, a lead which could have been far greater, truth be told.

And they looked to extend it straight from the start of the second half, Catley pinging another one forward for Kerr, who controlled the ball neatly before volleying it narrowly past Nayler's right-hand post.

Foord was then afforded a great chance, but only after Japanese referee Haruna Kanematsu ignored a glaringly obvious foul by Kennedy. The ball broke for Foord, who curled a shot onto the crossbar, with Bunge thwarting Raso's bid to ram home the rebound.

Half-time Football Ferns substitute Grace Jale - one of three alterations made by Klimkova at this juncture - was still getting up to speed when attempting a fiftieth minute pass to Chance. Gorry pounced on it and instantly invited Van Egmond to bring Catley into play.

The fullback delivered a quite gorgeous buffet ball from the left which had "Help yourself!" written all over it, but Kerr failed to fully partake of the feast, heading past the far post when scoring appeared easier.

Kerr's next attempt to complete her hat-trick saw her twenty-yarder grabbed by Nayler in the 58th minute, after which Australia changed half their starting line-up, a move which usually presents its own challenges as the newcomers get up to speed.

Alex Chidiac was one of those introduced, and she hit the ground running, her first touch being an impudent back-heeled pass which allowed Carpenter to complete a one-two with the newcomer and charge forward before looking to pick out Kerr with a cross.

Riley stepped in to avert the danger on this occasion, but the ball soon found its way to Tameka Yallop, whose lobbed ball forward was headed tamely goalwards by Kennedy. Nayler was more concerned by the Matildas' next attack, a 63rd minute raid which culminated in Moore blocking Kerr's latest hat-trick bid after the striker had been picked out by Chidiac.

The newcomer was relishing the chance to wear green and gold again - she last did so in 2019! In the 67th minute, she invited Carpenter to hit the turbo button once more, the jet-heeled fullback duly lashing a cross-shot beyond the far post.

Yallop did superbly well to not only retrieve the opportunity but deliver a first-time volleyed cross which found Kerr lurking six yards from goal, her hat-trick at her mercy. But she contrived to head the ball wide - how on earth did she miss the target? Unbelievable by her standards, but such is football …

Bunge foiled Kerr's progress by fair means soon afterwards, while Nayler did so by foul means in the 74th minute, as the striker latched onto Chidiac's pass and looked to take the ball round the 'keeper, who inadvertently tripped her opponent. For the second time in the match, referee Kanematsu turned a blind eye to the incident - had the Video Assistant Referee been operating, one suspects a penalty would have resulted.

From this point on, the Football Ferns were in the ascendancy, Rebekah Stott's appearance off the substitute's bench considerably strengthening a midfield trio which had benefited greatly from Malia Steinmetz's introduction at half-time - she seized her opportunity well.

While the game was beyond them, however, the Ferns did threaten to score once in the time remaining, Williams grabbing a twenty-yarder from Chance eight minutes from time after New Zealand's most concerted spell of pressure in the entire two-match series.

When the right personnel are on the park to carry out such moves while ensuring ball retention, there is no doubt Jitka Klimkova's charges are more than capable of matching it with higher-ranked rivals.

It's an approach which will need to be seen more often as the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Finals loom ever larger on the horizon, along with improvements in the areas of creativity and finishing - in other words, there's plenty still to be done over the course of the next fifteen months, and this Australian series has served its purpose in highlighting many of the issues which require addressing, if the Football Ferns are to fulfil their World Cup ambitions.

Australia: Williams; Carpenter, Kennedy (Grant, 74), Polkinghorne (Luik, 60), Catley; Fowler (Chidiac, 60), Gorry, Van Egmond (Wheeler, 60); Raso (Simon, 60), Kerr, Foord (Yallop, 60)

Football Ferns: Nayler; Riley, Moore, Bunge, Green (Ward, 46 (booked, 90)); Cleverley (Steinmetz, 46), Bowen, Hassett (Jale, 46); Satchell (Rennie, 21 (Rolston, 79)), Wilkinson (Stott, 69), Chance

Referee: Haruna Kanematsu (Japan)

Football Ferns build-up