It wasn’t the regulation result the Matildas had probably expected it to be when play began. And it certainly wasn’t as comprehensive as most of the 26,795 supporters in attendance had anticipated. Going off pre-game remarks from coach Chan Hiu Ming, it likely wasn’t as close a scoreline as the Taiwanese had envisioned. As while Australia’s women did emerge victorious on Wednesday evening, they did so in a somewhat unconvincing fashion, running out 3-1 victors at AAMI Park.
Seizing the lead through Tash Prior in the 10th minute and then doubling it through Sharn Freier in the 12th, the early exchanges had suggested that despite being understrength, the Matildas would almost be able to pick their margin by the end of the 90. Things were looking good and, with the lead delivered by two players scoring their first international goals in their first international starts, the pre-game mantra of “opportunities” taken up by interim coach Tom Sermanni appeared to be manifesting itself in the best possible way.
Indeed, with nine European-based players having returned to their clubs following the conclusion of two friendlies against Brazil – in addition to the pre-existing absence of the likes of Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler, and Katrina Gorry – Wednesday’s side was almost unrecognisable from recent major tournaments. With several new players drafted in, the group had trained together just once before the game. In addition to the two goalscorers, Daniela Galic received her first international start in the midfield and Charli Grant deputised in the unfamiliar role of centre-back in a back five.
But this wasn’t the type of lambs thrown to lions XIs of previous friendlies. These inexperienced heads were accompanied by some very experienced ones in veterans such as Michelle Heyman, Emily Gielnik, Chloe Logarzo, Tameka Yallop, Mackenzie Arnold and Emily van Egmond. Only the latter two have been regular parts of squads in recent years but all brought a level of pedigree and maturity.
Which is why the next goal of the game arriving through Taiwanese spearhead Chen Jin-wen raised many an eyebrow. Taking advantage of Grant’s haphazard attempt to judge and chase down a long ball forward from Chan Pi-han, the 21-year-old used her body to manipulate the position of both her marker Grant and Arnold, caught well off her line, before cutting outside and slashing the deficit by half in the 35th minute. It was the first goal Taiwan had scored against Australia since a consolation in an 8-1 defeat in an Olympic qualifier back in 2007. Given Chan had spoken in his pre-game press conference of hoping to put together some nice passing combinations rather than outright score, the scenes from the visitors showed what it meant.
“This is a huge difference, compared with last year when we couldn’t even threaten the goalkeeper,” said Chan. “With our current ability, I think our players already tried their very best. Of course, I think we still need to improve. Of course, we don’t want to lose. But it’s a proud performance for our team.”
Much of the air had been sucked out of Australia 10 minutes prior when Logarzo, playing in her first game since tearing her ACL in a friendly against Ireland in 2022, was forced off with a head knock. Her devastation was evident as she was in tears and pleaded to return to the field before heading down the tunnel.
For vast swathes of the game, the hosts lacked the inspiration and incision in the final third to convert their clear control and 25 shots. Taiwan, meanwhile, took confidence from their strike, and while they weren’t exactly expansive, they did end the evening with nine shots, seven more than the previous meeting between these two sides last year when they mostly sat in a subterraneanly low block.
“The Asian teams are very, very good and very disciplined when they defend in that block,” Sermanni said. “So I was delighted by getting the two early goals because that sort of took the pressure off and I think had we not conceded that goal we would have won a lot more comfortably.
“As a coach, you would like to create more when they do that, but then you’ve also got to be pragmatic and practical. We’ve had one training session ... with a significantly different group of players, and then you throw them on the field with a little bit of guidance, and you hope that things all come together.”
Gielnik should have made it 3-1 in the 58th when Heyman played her in behind, only for her last touch to prove a heavy one that enabled keeper Yu-ting Wang to clear. Neither forward had the kind of evening they would have hoped for, with Yallop the veteran who likely would have been most satisfied with her efforts. The tireless Brisbane Roar attacker ended her evening further forward and delivered the cross in the 78th minute that Bryleeh Henry adjusted well to meet and head inside the far post to secure a deserved, if not comprehensive, win with the added bonus of three first-time international goalscorers on the night.
