Superstar captain Sam Kerr has headed in an early match-winner as the Matildas shook off some rust with a 1-0 win over the Philippines to kick off the Asian Cup on Sunday night in Perth.
Only coming together in camp in recent days, the experienced Aussies — with coach Joe Montemurro leaning on much of the 2023 World Cup line-up — got on the board in just the 14th minute through a well-worked move down the right.
Caitlin Foord met Clare Wheeler’s cross at the far post, heading it back into the danger zone where an unmarked Kerr pounced for a hometown goal — her first international strike since November 2023 — in front of 44,379 fans.
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In a positive sign, Kerr saw out the full 90 minutes for just the second time since returning to the pitch this season after her lengthy and troubled recovery from an ACL tear.
“To do it here in Perth it’s extra special, to do it in the Asian Cup was nice. Nice to get the win, nice to be at home and the weather was good too,” Kerr said in a brief post-match interview.
“I think I’m just finding my confidence again. I’m still my normal self, I’ve just got to get more touches around the box.
“We would love to (win the tournament), of course, that’s the goal — everyone comes here to win but we’re just taking it one game at a time.
“Today was a good start, there’s lots of belief within the team but as you see today there’s a lot of quality teams in the Asian Cup so you have to take it one game at a time.”
The Matildas kept the foot down after the goal and looked to have doubled their lead when Hayley Raso tapped one in on the half-hour mark, only for VAR to rule it out for offside.
The chances continued to flow for the hosts, who recorded 15 shots and six on target, while at the other end goalkeeper Chloe Lincoln had little to do after her last-minute call-up to the squad turned into a starting berth.
Despite recording just 15 per cent of possession and one shot, which missed the target, the result marked a step up for the Philippines after they were crushed 8-0 by the Matildas in November 2023.
The Filipinas are coached by Aussie Mark Torcasco and boast former Matildas player Angela Beard as well as several players born representing their heritage.
On the flip side Steph Catley described it as the “typical first game of a tournament” and Foord said the narrow scoreline showed the Matildas now “have a lot to work on”.
“We would’ve loved to get a few more goals but credit to the Philippines, they worked really hard to keep us out,” she said.
“But our goal today was just to get the win and to get the job done and we did that. Happy with that.
“They were (defensively strong) and they did a great job at it. For us we’ve got to build into this tournament, it’s been a while since we played together.
“We’re just getting back into the flow of things, building relationships again and that’s going to keep growing and growing with every game we play so hopefully the next game’s a little bit better.”
The Matildas will now look to book a place in the quarter-finals when they meet Iran, playing with a positive outlook while their country is in turmoil, on the Gold Coast on Thursday night.
The last group-stage clash with South Korea next Sunday shapes as the match to decide who secures a potentially easier path to the title.
Montemurro said he was content to have controlled the game against the Philippines and avoid slipping up on the counter.
“It’s important we grow into the tournament instead of starting off with a bang and then the expectations are high,” he said.
Mary Fowler made a bright cameo off the bench in her return to international action following an ACL injury suffered at the end of last season.
Amy Sayer, who missed the Paris 2024 Olympics with her own ACL injury, was also quickly laying on crucial attacking touches when she was inserted into the match with 10 minutes remaining.
Star midfielder Kyra Cooney-Cross was not named in the matchday squad after playing little football this year in the wake of her mother’s cancer diagnosis.
Wheeler grabbed her opportunity with both hands and will now be hard to pin back if Cooney-Cross works her way into calculations for a starting berth.
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