I’ll leave you with Suzanne Wrack’s match report from Craven Cottage. Bye.
Phil Neville seems a tad miffed. Understandably so.
“I knew it was coming. They had good delivery from the right-hand side. I knew if they got set pieces that goal was going to come. We weren’t ruthless enough. We should have had two penalties. We should have had another goal. I won’t talk about the referee. We should have won that 4-0 considering where they are in their season.”
He then reviews the two penalties. “ I don’t know why [the referee] looks at the linesman [instead of pointing to the spot]. I am angry. It’s frustrating. We have got to be more ruthless. We have to put the chances away. I’ve learned more about my team tonight than I have in the last six months. We got a bit ragged in the second half. We should have kept the ball.”
On the subject of the disallowed goal. “I mean … Fran should have had a shot herself.” He clearly doesn’t want to be critical of the officials. “Erm, you say it please,” he says, trying to keep a lid on it. I hope he doesn’t own a cat.
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Alen Stajcic will be delighted with that draw. Considering Australia left some of their more seasoned players at home, they hung in there diligently.
Full-time: England 1-1 Australia
The corner is cleared and that is that. England dominated and should have won by a few goals. They should have had two penalties and a goal at the end of the first half was chalked off for offside when it clearly should not have been. But, perhaps they will learn from this. They should have turned their domination into goals. In the long run up to the World Cup this harsh lesson may serve them well.
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90+5 min: And still it goes on. Daly is picked out by Williams but as she tries to get a shot away Australia clear for a corner.
90+4 min: Williams sends Parris clear, she rounds the keeper but offside is given against her.
90+3 min: Bronze drifts a right-footed cross into the box that causes mild panic among the Matildas’ defence. But after a few failed clearances they eventually hoik it away.
90 min: There will be four minutes for someone to find a winner.
88 min: Foord is booked for blocking Bronze just outside the area on the right. Walsh drills it in at the near post but it’s cleared comfortably. It looks like Australia are going to get a draw here. They have hung in there gamely. Alen Stajcic will be delighted with his team’s spirited display.
86 min: Australia have got the wind in their sails now. Kellond-Knight tries to send Gielnik clear on goal but hr pass has just a little too much juice on it. Then England break and Daly pounces on a short backpass but Parris is muscled out of the picture as she attempts to get in front of the defender. The ball squirts through to Daly, but her shot at the near post is blocked.
Goal! England 1-1 Australia (Polkinghorne 84)
My oh my! The defender’s towering header from Kellond-Knight’s corner has brought the Matildas level. Nobody was getting close to her there. Football eh? England should have been about 4-0 up.
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82 min: Carpenter hits a vicious shot at goal from a tight angle on the right but Earps is alert and parries the ball over. It’s another warning to England that the Matildas still pose a threat.
80 min: England are denied another stonewall penalty. And it’s Foord who gets away with it again. Parris bursts into the box only to be cynically clipped by the Matildas defender. The referee should blow her whistle. But, incredibly, she waves away the England forward’s appeals.
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77 min: Greenwood leans on Parris and concedes a free-kick on the right in an inviting position. It’s knocked in at the near-post but England clear. Then Williams gifts possession back to the Matildas, but Nobbs tidies up tenaciously.
75 min: And that’s Kirby’s last bit of action. Neville brings the experienced Williams on for Kirby. She will play in a deeper role. Perhaps Neville wants to make sure his team stay in control and don’t end up drawing a game they should be winning far more comfortably.
73 min: A lovely one-two between the lively Nobbs and Kirby frees the England striker in the box but Catley races in front of Kirby and snuffs out the danger as the forward attempts to unload a shot.
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71 min: For all England’s dominant play, Phil Neville will probably be a bit miffed that his side haven’t put this game out of sight. He wanted them to be ruthless. Australia win a free-kick on the right. One decent delivery and it could be 1-1. England defend it well though.
67 min: Parris tests Arnold with a sneaky snap-shot towards the keeper’s near-post but the keeper is smart and equal to it. And then Bronze gives the ball away at the back and invited Fowler to wallop a shot at goal from 20 yards that rises over the bar. Fowler is only the fifth youngest Matilda of all time. Blimey.
65 min: Australia changes. Ibini, who has had Australia’s best chance, is off and Crummer is on. And Der Vanna is replaced by Fowler. Fowler is 15. F-I-F-T-E-E-N!
64 min: Daly doesn’t hang around. She races into the box to get her head on to an inviting in-swinger from Bronze and finds the roof of the net. A moment later she nips in to the near-post and attempts an audacious right-footed back heel that’s jut a few inches over the bar. It was a brilliant delivery from the left by Greenwood.
63 min: That delightful pass was Mead’s last contribution. She’s been England’s best player in my humble opinion. She’s replaced by Parris. And Staniforth is brought off, with Daly coming on in her stead.
62 min: Mead angles a delicious right-footed pass in behind the Matildas defence for the onrushing Kirby. She rounds Arnold but her right footed shot at goal is snuffed out by Catley. Arnold did enough to force Kirby wide. The angle was against her.
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61 min: Australia win a corner. It’s knocked into the near post where a collection of bodies collide so that England can break.
60 min: England tiki-taka the ball around at the back for an age and draw the Australia defence up the pitch, which gives Bronze the chance to try and send Kirby through on goal with a dinked pass over the top from the back but Arnold is alert to it and beats Kirby to the ball at the edge of the box.
58 min: Mead has had a fine game. She has that lovely combination of lovely footwork and tenacity. If she doesn’t beat you with skill she’ll beat you somehow. She attempts to drift across the Australia backline to Duggan at the far post but it’s just overhit.
56 min: A change for the Matildas. Sayer is off and Gielnik is on.
54 min: Mead dances around one defender and then tackles a second and hares away into the box but the referee blows for a foul. She’s unlucky there. It was a clean tackle.
52 min: Kirby races away on the inside-right channel and squares to Mead, but she can’t turn and get a shot away.
50 min: Australia are pressing England in midfield better than they did in the first half. They’re trying to stop England. But the hosts break and Duggan brings a fine save out of Arnold.
47 min: Ibini brings a fine save out of Earps after being put through on goal by De Vanna. The keeper uses her right foot to divert the ball out for a corner after rushing out to close down the angle. It followed a sloppy bit of play by Bronze, who got caught in possession as she tried to play out from the back. A warning sign that the Matildas are still a threat.
Peep! It's the second half!
45 min: Can the Matildas find a way back into this game? They give the ball away a couple of times early on in this half and gift possession back to England. They need to take better care of the ball if they are to.
It’s almost time for the second half. England completely controlled the first but Australia did look like they had the pace on the break to trouble the hosts. One lapse in concentration at the back for England could be costly.
Here’s some important half-time reading for you:
Half-time: England 1-0 Australia
And that’s that for now. England should really be winning by more than a single goal. They have been dominant and have had a few questionable refereeing decisions go against them. Back shortly.
45 min: England are denied a clear penalty. Mead’s slick footwork takes her past Foord, who sticks a leg out and brings her down. But nothing given. That’s incredible. A clearer penalty you’ll never see.
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43 min: Staniforth thinks she has scored for England after Kirby squared when through on goal but the flag is up and offside is given. She was behind the ball when Kirby found her so she can’t have been offside. The only thing I can think is that offside was given against Kirby when Mead cleverly flicked the ball through for her.
41 min: England have settled back into their patient passing game. They win a free-kick around 35 yards from goal. Staniforth angles it towards the back post but it’s got too much zip on it and it drifts out for a goal-kick.
39 min: Houghton sends another header at goal after an England free-kick but Arnold’s safe hands deny her again.
35 min: Australia break and Ibini brings a smart low save out of Earps with a powerful right-footed drive. The teenage debutant has had a decent game.
34 min: England win a corner. It’s a deep outswinger that Houghton wins with a towering header that she sends hurtling towards the top corner. But Arnold leaps and manages to get a hand to it. The ball drops at the feet of Mead but her right footed toe-poke is smothered on the line by Arnold. She thinks it is over the line. She has a case but there is no goalline technology so I guess we’ll never know whether it was or not. From a camera angle behind the goal it looks like half the ball crossed the line before it went out of sight as Arnold dropped on to it.
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32 min: This is better from the Matildas. Ibini, who has had to do a lot of defending as she has tried to contain Greenwood, gets on the front foot and rinses the England left-back for pace before drilling a cross to the near-post, where Logarzo flings herself towards the ball but can’t get a clean connection.
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30 min: Sayer has another pop at goal from distance. It’s a decent hit from 25 yards but Earps gets her body behind it. Sayer is 16. What were you doing at 16? I bet you weren’t playing international football were you?
27 min: The Matildas have begun to keep hold of the ball and they’re working it into space between the lines and causing England some discomfort now. A smart interchange on the edge of the box between De Vanna and Sayer, sets up the latter for a left-footed effort at goal, but she is challenged just as she lets fly and the shot is robbed of any power and is saved easily.
24 min: Kellond-Knight has a shot from distance but it takes a heavy deflection and is gathered comfortably by Earps.
23 min: This has been a dominant display from England. The build-from-the-back policy is working well. Australia aren’t seeing enough of the ball to hurt the hosts, whose passing has been inventive.
Goal! England 1-0 Australia (Kirby 21)
That was coming but it came after some shocking defending from Australia. A loose back pass bounced in front of Arnold, who side-footed horribly straight to Mead. Mead squared cleverly to Kirby, who swivelled shr to send her marker the wrong way, before drilling home with her left foot from eight yards.
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17 min: Mead is booked after taking out Logarzo with a wild challenge in midfield. She went right through her standing leg there. Oof! Thankfully Logarzo is OK.
16 min: Staniforth turns smartly in midfield and drives towards the Australia box. Kirby makes a zippy run down the inside-right channel but she is forced wide and Australia pick up possession.
13 min: England go close again after some intense pressing in midfield forces Australia to lose possession. Mead cuts inside on her left foot and tries to find the far corner with a low curling effort but it drifts wide by a few inches.
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12 min: Arnold saves smartly after Staniforth has a pot-shot from range.
11 min: There’s a half-hearted penalty appeal from England when Kirby goes over under little contact in the box but it wasn’t a foul in my opinion. Australia can’t keep hold of the ball but they do look like they could be dangerous on the counter-attack. They have pace.
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8 min: This has been a very lively start from the hosts. Greenwood pings a cross-field ball 40 yards into Bronze on the right. She takes a touch and drills a low cross in at Mead, who forces a smart save low to her right from Arnold with an inventive flick of the right heel. That was a lovely move. Before that the Matildas had their first shot on goal but Kellond-Knight’s effort was well wide from distance.
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6 min: Greenwood helps the ball forwards towards Kirby, who somehow flicks the ball on to Mead, who breaks forwards from midfield. Arnold races to the edge of the box to gather but can’t get there in time and Mead should really score as she lifts the ball over the keeper only to see it bounce wide of the open goal.
5 min: Duggan and Greenwood combine well on the left and the full-back races up to the by-line and crosses low towards Kirby, who can’t get round the ball to poke it on target at the near post. A bright move from England though.
3 min: England have started with impressive intensity. They’re pressing high up the pitch and looking to squeeze a mistake out of Australia’s backline.
Peep!
1 min: We’re under way! England kick off and take possession. They immediately get on the front foot. Bronze curls a cross into the box from the right but the Matildas stand firm and clear.
The teams trot out on to the Craven Cottage pitch. There’s a non-too-shabby crowd of around 6,000 in attendance on an unseasonably warm October night in London. The national anthems ring out, which means it’s almost time for football!
Here’s what the England manager Phil Neville had to say in his pre-match interview on BT Sport: “The plan was to utilise the full squad tonight. The five players coming in will be tested and there will be three or four changes from the bench too. I think this Australia team will test us more than Brazil. I want us to be more ruthless in front of goal. The 1-0 scoreline flattered Brazil. Tonight I want us to put chances away. I want us to play with control and win in style. That’s the challenge I set them.”
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Of course, Australian football teams have form when it comes to humbling England in London. Isn’t that right Sven? Sven?
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The England team’s future looks bright if these talented prospects are anything to go by. Thanks to Suzanne Wrack for picking them out:
I expect there will be a healthy contingent of Matildas fans at Craven Cottage tonight given the number of Australians who tend to land and stay in west London. One such fan has found a novel way to get to the match.
Best way to get to the Cottage to watch the @TheMatildas! pic.twitter.com/Oe5MRyh1ay
— Richard Hughes (@abittooRich) October 9, 2018
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England and Australia have met four times since they first played each other in 2003. England have won three and Australia just the one. The last times the two nations met was three years ago, in a friendly. England won 1-0.
Team news
England: Earps, Bronze, Greenwood, Nobbs, Houghton (c), Kirby, Duggan, McManus, Walsh, Staniforth, Mead. Subs: Telford, Chamberlain, Bright, Parris, Christiansen, Daly, Blundell, Williams, Williamson, George.
Australia: Arnold, Sayer, Polkinghorne, Logarzo, Catley, Kellond-Knight (c), Foord, De Vanna, Butt, Ibini, Carpenter. Subs: Luik, Fowler, Whyman, Gielnik, Crummer, Chadic.
Phil Neville has made five changes to the England side that beat Brazil 1-0 on Saturday, with Chelsea goalkeeper Carly Telford replaced in goal by Wolfsburg’s Mary Earps.
Amy Sayer and the brilliantly named Princess Ibini make their first starts for the Matildas while Elise Kellond-Knight brings the experience. The captain wins her 100th cap tonight.
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Preamble
Hello. This is an intriguing game. The England manager, Phil Neville, believes the Matildas are “dark horses” for the World Cup in 2019 and offer his side a physical test similar to that of the USA, who were the last team to beat the home side, in March this year. The 1-0 victory over Brazil at Meadow Lane on Saturday stretched England’s unbeaten run to six games but they will have to work hard to keep that impressive record intact against tough opponents.
There will be a couple of Ballon d’Or contenders on show at Craven Cottage tonight. England’s Lucy Bronze and Saturday’s match-winner Fran Kirby are on the 15-player shortlist for the inaugural award but sadly Australia’s sole nominee, the brilliant Sam Kerr, has not travelled with the squad to avoid burnout. It’s a pity, as without Kerr, the Matildas are a diminished attacking force.
Australia were also without Alanna Kennedy, Lydia Williams and Emily van Egmond as they lost 2-0 against France last Friday and they’re expected to give some younger players another chance against England as they look to freshen up their options before the World Cup. Expect England to dominate possession against callow but hard-running opponents who may be dangerous on the counter-attack. I’ll have the team news shortly.
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