Almost 50 years since the Matildas took part in the Women’s Asian Cup in Hong Kong, they faced off against the cream of the continent at Allianz Stadium on Friday night, the beginning of the long and winding road to the 2026 edition in our own backyard.
Sydney’s Entertainment Quarter was awash with green and gold shirts on a warm autumn evening, the Matildas Active fans choosing their venue on Oxford Street to begin their march to the stadium to take their place in the Sydney Cove.
Excited Tillies fans lapped up the activations outside, the Sports Heads a popular addition, the young Matildas signing autographs for curious youngsters, and the Channel 10 cameras were like a honeypot. Inside the stadium, the atmosphere was growing. Korea Republic were regimented in their warm-up at the southern end of the stadium, the final sprint by the starting 11 being done through a guard of honour by the remaining squad members.
By contrast, the Australian team were relaxed and firing in shots at will to the goal in front of the safe standing section at the northern end. The Tillie-tubbies were visible in the crowd next to the Paramount+ desk in the corner of the field, the music grew in volume, the stadium lights dimmed and the crowd noise reached a peak.
Youngsters in black with scarves and pennants lined up, the 1975 Matildas came out in the dark and the lights flickered. Music filled the stadium, no one knew what was happening, but it all seemed to be building to something spectacular.
The First Matildas were announced, a team that finished third in that tournament in 1975, and were recognised tonight officially as the first Matildas players; the smiles of those remaining players from that historic tournament masking the torrid goings on behind the scenes that has tainted this recognition ceremony. But now it’s official, perhaps we can move on.
The 1975 players, and those representing players unable to be there, lined up alongside the current-day Matildas for what was an emotional first rendition of the national anthem as recognised members of the Matildas Alumni. What a moment.
1975 Matildas pose. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
The Matildas team had already been stripped of some of their prize assets, Ellie Carpenter, Hayley Raso and Mackenzie Arnold succumbing to injury earlier in the week, and with Mary Fowler on the bench as an impact player, there was opportunity for some of the lesser-capped players.
Jamilla Rankin, Winonah Heatley and Holly McNamara were thrust into the spotlight. The hypnotic drum beat from the Australian active fans was the backdrop for a stirring start to the football on the pitch, Kyra Cooney-Cross teed up in front of goal but taking a touch too many, while the South Koreans looked calm and assured, a cheeky nutmeg on Emily Van Egmond met with a crunch from the Birmingham City midfielder.
The appearance on the big screen of the players who we had been told were on the plane back to their clubs for treatment drew a huge cheer, Sam Kerr amongst them, smiling as she realised the cheers were for her.
Charlotte Grant let a ball run out of play. Holly McNamara was pushed to the ground in pursuit of a hopeful ball from the lively Tameka Yallop. Captain Steph Catley was on free kick duty but there was no way through. The crowd was playing its part to perfection, huge cheers for anything good in defence, a collective increase in volume whenever the home team got anywhere near the Korean penalty area.
Tameka Yallop was alert when she reacted to a nutmeg attempt and brought a good save from Kim Minjung. The corner delays that blight the modern game were evident from the first corner, but the visiting team held strong. Teagan Micah showed safe hands with her first test.
There was rotation up front from the Matildas. Yallop popping up on either side. Caitlin Foord copped a head to the nose that brought oohs from the crowd on the big screen replay. The stuffing had been knocked out of the Matildas, and that three-minute break saw South Korea come out firing; the crowd could sense it.
The Mexican wave that had filled the stadium with joy as the fans waited for play to restart was replaced by apprehension. Passes started going astray, the bright red shirts of the Koreans seemingly increasing in numbers. There was great applause when Micah got down low to foil a Korean raid, then again soon after when she easily saved from a further attack, and there was chaos as the Matildas invited pressure on their own goal with sloppy giveaways.
The Australian Active fans were having their own challenges, security warning that profanity was outlawed in the Cove tonight, the sterilised atmosphere making for an eerie ten minutes before the break as their team struggled to get anywhere near the ball.
The carnival that had been roaring before the game and during the first half an hour had completely gone, the life sucked out of the stadium. Australia needed a hero. Grant flung herself to the floor in an attempt to win a free kick. This was tough viewing. Carpenter and Raso on the big screen had the fans cheering again, but the expectant crowd was growing restless.
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Foord stung the palms of goalkeeper Kim to perk up the fans, and when the speedy McNamara was bundled to the ground, the yellow card was out for the first time. The crowd held their collective breath as the striker walked gingerly off the field. Half time was signalled.
The real Matildas were back as the second half got underway. Cooney-Cross upended as she went for the jugular, but Alanna Kennedy shot into the wall. There was little to suggest that the deadlock would be broken any time soon, but Foord emerged with the ball from the back as Korea pressed, galloping through the middle of the park, ignoring McNamara to feed Van Egmond on the left.
Her deft cross was deflected, defender Lim Seonjoo had already committed to the leap and could only head the ball goalwards, goalkeeper Kim unable to keep the ball out despite a valiant effort. Welcome back to the fans, who didn’t care who had just scored or how, and were back in the groove.
The Matildas chose to play with ten when Rankin went off after treatment, waiting for the substitutions to be made instead of throwing Rankin back into the play for a final 30 seconds of action. Experience replaced youth as international stars Clare Wheeler, Kaitlyn Torpey and Courtney Nevin came on, while Foord continued to play with her nose filled with gauze after her earlier collision.
There was a beautiful openness to the game now, the lemon and lime Aussies full of energy while always leaving the back door open to a swift counter attack. The crowd was back in it. Michelle Heyman and Mary Fowler were thrown into the game for Foord and Yallop, the fans responded but it was the Korea Republic who were doing the pressing until Cooney-Cross ignited the stadium again with a lung-busting run that ended with a wild shot into the stands.
The game was finely poised, the big crowd of over 37,000 giving themselves a round of applause at the announcement of the attendance figure. Korea went close with a cross that bounced off Micah’s bar, Heyman teed up Fowler whose shot was deflected just past the upright, the excitement was coming at the right time, ten minutes remaining of an absorbing contest.
Wheeler drew a corner, Heyman’s free header blocked on the line. Torpey was unlucky to see her shot blocked after a terrific cross from Nevin and Fowler’s effort gave us another corner, the hard-running Cooney-Cross taking her time to get over and take it.
Korea pressed at the other end, Micah made a late dive to push a header round the post. She then punched the corner up into the air from under her bar and clawed away the rebound. Australia were hanging on. Wheeler conceded a cheap free kick, Kang Chaeram blazed over. Kang was unlucky not to connect at the far post after drifting in around the back.
Clare Hunt replaced Van Egmond as Australia looked to shore up the game in the dying moments. Come on you Aussie girls chanted the active fans, the game heading into five minutes of added time. Torpey and Heyman combined but the cross was easily cut out. The Koreans stroked the ball around looking for that opening, but there was no way through despite a more route-one approach in the dying stages. The final whistle was a relief in the end.
A relief that Australia had secured a morale-boosting win, a relief that they had repelled an increasingly forward-thinking Korean team, and as the stadium burst into Men at Work, the crowd roared and the fans streamed for the exits.
Was this a classic? No way. Was this vintage Matildas as Kennedy had hoped for? Not at all. But a win is a win and when tournament football comes around in a year’s time, this could prove to be a priceless test.
Ironically Kerr got the biggest cheer after the game. She’s welcome back any time it seems. We look forward to seeing her in action soon to give her country’s football team that cutting edge.
The Matildas now head to Newcastle on Monday knowing that they weren’t quite good enough to be convincing tonight. The Korean players found the small pocket of red shirts in the crowd and showed their appreciation. The Australian players slowly made their way around the stadium before diving in to a signing session.
A number of young fans would miss out with a swift curfew, but that leaves the door open for a more intimate meet and greet on Monday. We’ll see a very different team then, and with John Aloisi and Joe Montemurro two names thrown in the ring recently to succeed caretaker boss Tom Sermanni for the Asian Cup, a permanent head coach would be very welcome sooner rather than later.
On a night when Australia welcomed a whole team of new caps, a victory against Asian opponents bodes well for next year. See you in Newcastle.
