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Same Old Scene

by Jeremy Ruane

"And when I turn the corner, I can't believe

It's still the same old movie that's haunting me."

Bryan Ferry's lyrics from his Roxy Music song "Same Old Scene" perfectly sum up the women's footballing rivalry between New Zealand and Australia in recent times, its latest chapter seeing "The Matildas" overcome the Football Ferns 2-1 at Tokyo Stadium in both teams' opening fixture of the 2021 Olympic Women's Football Tournament.

It was a deserved win for the Australians, their 28th in the 31 clashes between these trans-tasman rivals since the Kiwis last finished on the right side of the ledger, a feat they haven't achieved since winning by the same 2-1 scoreline in Port Moresby on 14 October 1994.

Ever since, some of the best female players to ever don the white or black shirt adorned with the silver fern have tried in vain to get one over their nemesis from across the Tasman. Indeed, a fair few of our current crop of Football Ferns weren't even born when New Zealand last beat Australia in a senior level women's football fixture.

And the harsh reality is they never looked like righting that wrong on this occasion. Indeed, the final score flattered the Football Ferns, who couldn't have complained had the Matildas prevailed by four or five goals - that's the harsh reality of the gap the Kiwi representatives are trying to overcome every time they take on their arch-rivals on the world stage.

It didn't help New Zealand's cause that this was their first international fixture since the 2020 Algarve Cup, soon after which Covid-19 entered all our lives and changed life as we'd known it for some considerable time.

Australia, too, haven't been immune to the impact of Covid on their opportunities to play the game on the world stage, but in recent months they've bitten the bullet and played a handful of internationals in Europe under new coach Tony Gustavsson.

While they copped a few hidings in those games, that recent matchplay ensured they were ready and able to hit the ground running at the Tokyo Stadium, and after the early pressure they applied was countered by composed Football Ferns' play, the Matildas fashioned their first opening of the contest in the eleventh minute.

Ironically, it came as a result of the Kiwis' best move of the match thus far, an enterprising raid down the right featuring Meikayla Moore, Katie Bowen, Betsy Hassett, Hannah Wilkinson and Catherine Bott.

A stray pass let in the Matildas on New Zealand's right flank, with Caitlin Foord's cross being punched off the head of Kyah Simon by Erin Nayler, who plunged to her right six minutes later to keep out Abby Erceg's wayward attempt to divert the ball to safety, after she attempted to clear an Ellie Carpenter cross after the attack-minded fullback had got the better of both Hassett and Ria Percival on Australia's right.

The goal which the Matildas' pressure had been threatening finally materialised in the twentieth minute. Anna Green, who is a far, far better footballer than the aimless long balls she was sending downfield from her left back position would suggest, on this occasion played the ball back to Nayler.

The goalkeeper duly returned the favour, but by this time Green was on the radar of Simon, who bore down on the fullback at a great rate of knots, forcing a hurried pass to Moore.

The Liverpool defender duly cleared her lines, but Bowen, the intended recipient of her clearance, was caught napping by Tameka Yallop, who secured possession and surged forward after laying the ball off to Simon.

Her ball inside to Sam Kerr prompted a sumptuous one-touch round-the-corner lay-off into the stride of Yallop as she ploughed into the penalty area, from where she fair hammered a shot at the target. Nayler got her hand to it, but could only divert the ball into the roof of her net as she was beaten at her near post by the sheer power of the shot.

Buoyed by the goal, it wasn't long before New Zealand's nemesis threatened again. Caitlin Foord combined with Carpenter, whose cross only just evaded the incoming duo of Simon and Hayley Raso, while Erceg blocked a Carpenter shot in the 32nd minute after Foord and Raso had prised open the Football Ferns' rearguard.

The result of this was a corner, and Steph Catley's scrumptious delivery to the near post was rewarded by the slick movement of Kerr, whose deft yet superb header beat Nayler at her near post once more - the 'keeper again got her hand to the effort, but the ball ricocheted straight into the roof of the net next to the upright. 2-0!

The pressure from those in the all-yellow kit continued unabated in the minutes leading up to half-time. Nayler grabbed a twenty-five yarder from Foord after Kerr made a break down the left, before smothering Simon's diving header after Catley and Kerr had ruthlessly exploited the space in behind Bott - employing her as a wingback rather than as a fullback in a solid back four was a tactical blunder by Tom Sermanni.

The Football Ferns' coach would have been frustrated by the number of occasions his charges gave the ball in the first half, the last example of which saw Hassett's stray pass pounced on by Kerr. She worked the ball wide to Simon and raced forward for the return cross, the Matildas' most prolific striker directing her header over the bar.

An improved second half showing was the least the

Football Ferns' fans expected of their heroines, but before Bott fired their first shot in anger - a twenty-five yarder which gave Lydia Williams scant cause for concern in the 48th minute - the Matildas had threatened to increase their lead still further.

Moore found herself outnumbered on the left, and as a result, Kerr played in Simon. Nayler thwarted the striker by saving with her legs, Erceg mopping up the loose ball on this occasion.

The Matildas' response to Bott's effort was to seek a third goal at the expense of their geographical neighbours. Raso and the overlapping figure of Carpenter combined in the fiftieth minute, the fullback's low cross to the near post finding Kerr, whose delicious flicked finish flashed past the upright.

Four minutes later, Emily Van Egmond swept the ball wide to the unchallenged figure of Carpenter, who was making the most of the space in behind Ali Riley in much the same manner the area abaft Bott was throughout the first spell. Her cross picked out Kerr, who was unable to direct a shot on target.

After Percival had survived a handball call against her in the penalty area, the Matildas pressed again, Kerr's 58th minute presenting the overlapping figure of Catley with the chance to deliver a gorgeous measured cross to the far post, where Simon was arriving on cue. Nayler turned her header round the upright.

The Football Ferns were under the cosh as their rivals looked to close out the game, with Kerr's 62nd minute through ball seeing Nayler and Simon in a race to secure possession.

The goalkeeper prevailed, but her clearance ricocheted off the striker, forcing a welcome clearance by Bott, who let her frustrations get the better of her soon afterwards, the first of two yellow cards - Bowen followed later - issued by Mexican referee Lucila Venegas.

Williams had hardly featured in the game thus far, such was the combination of her team-mates' dominance and the Football Ferns' lack of attacking presence. But the 'keeper made a meal of a back-pass in the 65th minute, presenting the ever-vigilant Wilkinson with the inkling of an opening to attempt to exploit.

The powerfully built striker swooped on the loose ball near the right-hand byline and looked to pick out Hassett with a cross. Clare Polkinghorne and company were wise to that game, however, and this rarest of openings for the women in black was swiftly closed.

Nayler made a terrific save at close-quarters to deny Simon in the 73rd minute, a denial which came in the middle of a flurry of substitutions by both sides, as the heat and humidity of a summer's evening in Tokyo began to play its part in proceedings.

Six minutes from time, New Zealand enjoyed the chance to strike via a long-range free-kick. Hassett let fly with venom aplenty, forcing Williams to tip the goalbound effort round the far post - just the second time in the contest that the Kiwis had fired a shot in anger.

Red cards for Football Ferns have been extremely rare birds indeed in the previous 262 internationals played by Oceania's champions, but the ever-feisty Bott came very close to earning one three minutes later when committing a needless foul on Catley.

The combative Kiwi really needs to learn to channel her aggression for the greater good. All too often Bott lets her temperament supersede her talent, an attribute which renders her a potential liability to a team which faces enough on-field challenges when at full strength as things stand.

The Football Ferns can ill afford to take on the likes of their Olympics opponents with reduced numbers on the park due to hot-headedness or indiscipline, a weakness which Bott brings to the table and one which smart opponents will doubtless pinpoint with so much at stake when teams play on the world stage.

From the resulting free-kick, a cross-shot from Carpenter fizzed across the face of goal after Green had blocked a drive from Matildas substitute Mary Fowler, the youngest player in the Australian squad.

Sermanni responded to Bott's indiscretion by introducing debutant Gabrielle Rennie off the bench for the last couple of minutes of action - and if the subject ever turns to inspired Football Ferns substitutions, this one will be a feature of the conversation.

Hassett intercepted a pass on halfway in stoppage time and fed Wilkinson on the left. She skipped past a challenge before delivering a cross to the far post which Percival - an inspired surge forward in support - met with a header inside.

The target of her headed pass was Rennie, whose first touch in senior level international women's football saw her guide a header wide of Williams and into the net by the far post - a rare and very welcome moment of delight for the Football Ferns on what was an otherwise disappointing night as the same old scene prevailed once more - yet another defeat at the hands of their arch-rivals, this time 2-1 in Tokyo.

Australia: Williams; Carpenter, Polkinghorne, Catley; Raso (Kennedy, 83), Van Egmond, Luik, Yallop (Cooney-Cross, 75); Simon (Fowler, 75), Kerr, Foord (Gielnik, 90)

Football Ferns: Nayler; Moore, Erceg, Green (Cleverley, 68); Bott (booked, 71) (Rennie, 89), Percival, Bowen (booked, 81), Riley; Hassett, Wilkinson, Chance (Satchell, 68)

Referee: Lucila Venegas (Mexico)

Road To France & Tokyo