A tough afternoon at the office for one of the favourite teams ahead of next June’s World Cup in France - here’s the match report:
Final thoughts
What to make of that Matildas’ performance? It could be seen as a reality check. That’s three games without a win now for Alen Stajcic’s side who, in 2018, haven’t played at all like the team that so thrilled in 2017. It could be that the opposition have worked them out. Or it could simply be a drop in form which, at this level, is enough.
The Matildas started with a foot planted on the accelerator today and they might have had two or three early goals for all their possession. As it was, they scored from the spot only to see Chile capitalise on some terrible defending. From that moment the Matildas, harassed by Chile, lost their composure and patience. They had their chances to regain the lead but either their final ball was off, or shots were rushed.
Worse, the Matildas were caught time and again on the counter. As with the first goal, it was a defensive error —another injudicious back-pass— that led to Chile’s third and decisive goal.
We won’t know for sure until FIFA puts out its final rankings ahead of the World Cup draw but this result could jeopardise the Matildas’ hopes of remaining a top-six ranked nation and, as such, avoiding the top nations, currently above them in the rankings, in the group stage.
Those ranking won’t be released until early in December. For now, there’s nothing for it for the Matildas but to push for victory against Chile on Tuesday evening in Newcastle.
Thanks for your company today, and have a good night.
The Chile players go behind one of the goals to celebrate with a large contingent of their countrywomen and men. They look delighted with that win, as they should be. Ranked 39 in the world, playing away from home, and having been dispatched comfortably by the USA in their past two outings, they were clear underdogs today. But after withstood a furious Matildas start they pressured Australia into many mistakes and made the most of the few opportunities that came their way.
Fulltime: Australia 2-3 Chile
Safe to say, that’s an upset. A lot of work for the Matildas to do.
90 + 3 min: Australia rush to take the kick-off but they won’t have time for that...
GOAL! Australia 2-3 Chile (van Egmond 90 + 3 min)
Endler dives to her left and gets a strong hand on it but not strong enough to prevent the ball crossing the line.
Penalty to Australia
90 + 2 mins: Kerr hits the post! Then van Egmond forces Endler into a diving save to her left. Moments later Kerr is dragged down in the box by Saez as she shaped to shoot. Penalty.
GOAL! Australia 1-3 Chile (Huenteo 90 min)
That’s the game! Chile pour downfield, and van Egmond under hits a back pass that Polkinghorne is slow to meet. Huenteo gets there first, dribbles into the box and hits the ball with the outside of her right boot to beat Williams to her left.
89 min: Kerr, now, sprints down the right and she does wonderfully to beat the left back and cut back for Gorry. Gorry arrives to meet it at pace but she shanks her shot.
87 min: Gielnik again with a run down the flank. This time she has one option, but her cross to Logarzo is pinched by Endler.
85 min: A double chance to Gorry. First, Gielnik gallops down the right wing after a clever Kerr flick. She has time to look up and choose her pass. She decides to go deep across the box but there’s a lot of pace on it. Gorry gets a sidefoot volley away but it was off target. Shortly afterwards Gorry can’t keep a diving header on target.
83 min: Australia break but Rojas pinches it from Kellond-Knight in midfield. The opening 30 minutes aside, Chile have done a great job today of pressuring Australia which partly explains the Matildas’ lack of polish.
80 min: Saez gets a yellow, though it’s not clear why. Perhaps for a heavy challenge on Logarzo, who is down on the ground, or else for protesting the ref’s decision not to stop play after Araya fell to the turf moments before all that unfolded.
A final sub for Australia. Gielnik comes on for Logarzo. Araya, meantime, is being stretchered off, with Soto coming on in her place.
78 min: A let-off for Australia. Guerrero lofts a pass from deep to Zamora. Polkinghorne appears to be in place to head it clear but she misjudges its flight. Zamora brings the ball down but she doesn’t quite catch her shot cleanly and it rolls wide of Williams’ left post.
76 min: Time an enemy of the Matildas now. So is loose passing. Kennedy, attempting to find Kerr, overhits the ball and it races past her target like a greyhound off the leash.
73 min: A Matildas corner causes havoc in the Chile box . Amid a mad scramble the ball ball falls to Kerr who rifles a shot on target only to see a red shirt clear off the line. Chile then push downfield and, though outnumbered, Rojas, on the right, fashions a shot on goal that sails high over Williams’ outstretched arms.
70 min: Logarzo with a half chance. Butt shoots a lovely raking cross right onto her noggin. On the Chile six-yard line and facing her own goal Logarzo tried a difficult backwards header that goes wide of the goal. She had more time than she knew. She might have brought that down first.
68 min: Kellond-Knight elegantly cushions a header to Williams having intercepted a raking cross field ball.
Moments later, Logarzo escapes censure after she pushes Zamora in the back, off the ball, just inside (I think) Australia’s area. The ref had a good view of it but decided there was nothing in it.
67 min: Subs for Australia. Da Vanna and Alleway are off, Gorry and Kennedy are on. The change was on. Australia will be keeping one eye on the clock now.
65 min: Lopez picks up the ball some 35m out in centrefield and, having made room past Kellond-Knight, attempts a long-range left footer. But she doesn’t get hold of it and it dribbles apologetically to Williams.
64 min: Kerr and Foord combine well and, through Butt, the ball is shuffled right to Da Vanna. Her attempt to put the ball on Kerr’s head at the far post is stymied by the intervention of Endler. That’s better from the Matildas.
61 min: Kerr squares to Butt who allows the ball to run past her, a move that confounds her marker. Butt’s smart ball ahead to Foord, however, is cut out by some smart defending.
Leyton charges in at Da Vanna and takes her legs. Van Egmond’s long range freekick drops into the Chile box but there isn’t a gold shirt anywhere near it.
60 min: A lovely corner is swung in to the six-yard box and Saez, running in to meet it, comes oh so close to getting a head on it. Australia clear.
59 min: Polkinghorne sets Carpenter free on the right. She might have cut the ball inside to Butt, who was yelling for it, but she tried to beat Saez on her outside. And failed.
Chile go down the other end and win a corner.
57 min: Alleway comes in to clear from Zamora with extreme prejudice. But Chile regroup and only some last ditch tackles from the Matildas’ defence prevents them getting another shot on goal.
56 min: Poor communication from the Matildas. Kerr, having gone for a run down the right, turns back and passes into no-(wo)man’s land, giving the ball away cheaply. Alen Stajcic, apparently, is having kittens.
54 min: Chile, you’d expect, will sit back now squeezing the space and making it tougher for the Aussies.
52 min: Zamora in space on the right has time to cross but Carpenter gets to the ball first to clear.
50 min: Hard to be too critical of Alleway for that goal. The major issue was the space afforded to Guerrero - who finished instinctively and with some aplomb. What a test this is of the Matildas’ mettle. That sixth place ranking is looking far from assured right now. Plenty of time to regather themselves, however.
48 min: Poor ol’ Urrutia, meantime, is being stretchered off. She attacked that Araya freekick and ran right into the shoulder of Williams.
GOAL! Australia 1-2 Chile (Guerrero 48min)
Bloomin’ eck! Chile are in front! Araya’s freekick is only half cleared by an Alleway header. The ball drops to an unmarked Guerrero who volleys a gently looping shot inside the far post!
47 min: Carpenter is pinged for a foul inside the touchline and Araya, from wide on the left, shapes up to curl the free-kick into the Aussie box...
Peeep!
46 min: Australia kickoff and push numbers forward immediately, a string of one-twos and a pass in behind by Kerr putting Da Vanna into space on the right. Her lofted cross into the box, however, is cleared by Chile.
Second half coming up soon and the Matildas will be striving to show more composure. It wasn’t the best half from the Matildas. It’s as if the early possession and chances went to their heads a little bit and they became greedy to the point of playing haphazardly, without patience. Then, once Chile equalised, they became rattled and unsure of themselves going forward.
Half-time: Australia 1-1 Chile
Despite dominating for large sections of the half Australia go to the sheds level-pegging with Chile.
Updated
45 + 2 min: Foord comes close to slipping past Guerrero on the Chile byline. It looks like it should be a corner to Australia on the cusp of halftime but on closer inspection it took a nick off Foord.
45 min: Williams comes off her line to claim a long-range free kick dropped into traffic inside the Matildas’ box.
42 min: Van Egmond wins a tough challenge against Araya that has Chile coach Letelier (who is sporting a wonderful moustache) up in arms as he spotted the ball rebounding onto van Egmond’s hand. The ref missed it however. Van Egmond passes to Kerr in space inside the box on the left edge and though she hits it well she can’t keep her angled shot down.
40 min: Da Vanna on the right flirts with feeding an overlapping Carpenter but instead she shifts the ball inside and tries a long-range left-foot curler. Nice endeavour but an easy save for Endler at her far post.
37 min: The Matildas have reestablished possessional dominance but they’re showing more patience now, scarred by that goal. As I write, van Egmond latches onto a Kerr back pass and leathers it from 25m! Only a marvellous Endler save prevents the ball from bulging the back of the net.
34 min: De Vanna crosses from the left with three gold shirts in the box but, on what is a swirly day, the ball lands on the roof of the Chile net.
Moments later, Foord attempts a cross from the right but it hits Saez flush in the head and she drops like a mythical bear in the bush. I wonder if Saez has ever heard of a ‘falcon’? She’s just copped one.
31 min: Saez slides in at left back to pinch the ball from Logarzo. Moments later, Aedo and Urrutia probe down the left flank but the Matildas defence forces them back. Some sustained possession from Chile for the first time.
29 min: Bringing down a long ball from the back Foord shoots accelerates between two red shirts and motors into the box. She manages a shot from close to the byline but there’s not enough power behind it and Endler dives low to claim it without much bother. Still, a fine run by Foord.
28 min: Lopez is down being treated. She copped a ball to the face after a deflected van Egmond shot.
26 min: Endler makes a cracking save to deny Butt! Carpenter’s long throw-in from the right was back-headed further on by Kerr and it fell to Butt at the far post, but Endler smothered her snap shot.
24 min: Chile press and suddenly it’s Australia looking a little rattled. They must be stunned, that goal was the very definition of ‘against the run of play’.
21 min: Alleway, at left back, was under no pressure when she underhit a backpass to Williams. Williams had to rush out of her box to clear from Urrutia but the ball rebounded to Polkinghorne. Her clearance went straight to Lara. Showing great poise she scooped a left foot shot from 30m out to find the empty net and beat a scrambling Alleway.
GOAL! Australia 1-1 Chile (Lara 20min)
Oh dear, a gift from Australia, and Lara draws Chile level!
Updated
19 min: Kerr turns beautifully on the edge of the box to lose Saez but her right foot shot is always sliding away from the right post.
18 min: Australia continue to dominate possession and they seemed very eager to get forward, urged on by Chile’s willingness to backpedal. Do Chile have the ability to catch them on the counter?
15 min: Kerr puts Butt into open space but a lovely sliding tackle robs her of the ball just when it looked like she was about to enter the Chile box.
13 min: The Matildas are surging forward! Kerr cuts the ball back from the byline and Kellond-Knight has a shot before it falls to Kerr. She smacks a lovely left-foot drive on goal but Endler does very well to bat the ball wide of the goal.
Chile survive the corner.
11 min: Australia enjoying 86% of the territory early on and they have an early goal to show for it. Oh, it might have been two! Kerr wriggles clear in centre field, slips the ball wide to Logarzo who returns the ball to Kerr. It sits up on the bounce but Kerr miscues a difficult left-foot volley. Would have been spectacular had she connected with that.
GOAL! Australia 1-0 Chile (van Egmond 9min)
After an unnerving delay, van Egmond shows composure and slides the ball into the bottom right corner, keeper Endler going the wrong way.
Updated
Penalty!
8 min: After a full minute of possession the Matildas creep goalwards and it’s Foord being released inside the box. As she shapes to shoot on her left she’s brought down from behind by Leyton. A clear penalty! Van Egmond to take it...
6 min: The Penrith pitch looks a treat having had a rest from 100kg Panthers running up and down over it.
Some sustained possession from the Matildas, Foord probing with a clever run towards the Chile box before turning back.
5 min: Aedo, who’s had a couple of nice touches, is clattered by Carpenter as she attempted to dink the ball over the Aussie.
3 min: The Matildas pass it around the back, Alleway and Polkinghorne getting some early touches. But here’s Carpenter galloping down the right with Chile backing off her. She slips a ball to De Vanna but she can’t quite get her cross in before the ball rolls over the byline.
2 min: Australia press but a flicked on Kerr header is cleared safely by Chile.
Peeeep!
1 min: We’re off and running! Chile kicking us off and running right to left on my screen.
The Last Post is being played ahead of kick-off to recognise tomorrow being Armistice Day.
Big news! The Matildas are wearing green shorts! Finally, we’ve shed the all yellow (or is it gold?) strip which I’ve never liked, and I know I haven’t been alone in that.
Can't get much better than having @TheMatildas on telly for #AUSvCHI Sat aftero game! #SaturdaySport #womeninsport #Football @TheWorldGame ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/xpK9gd4Uhh
— Ellen Beaumont (@ellenbeaumont) November 10, 2018
Updated
Chile have qualified for the World Cup, by the way, for the first time in their history. So they will be keen on a big scalp in the lead-up to France.
Their form coming into today’s game isn’t great, however. In their past four games, they’ve beaten and drawn with South Africa (ranked 51 at the time) and suffered 4-0 and 3-0 defeats to the USA.
Alen Stajcic has been interviewed briefly, and this is what he had to say:
“It was such a great moment [playing in Penrith] last year. To feel that energy again is brilliant,” he says.
“We’ve got some players back, and hopefully we can put it all together. We didn’t dominate as much as we wanted on the European tour and we want to get back on the front foot.”
The players have entered the field and stand for the anthems. Chile are in red, as you’d expect, with the Matildas in their regular canary yellow. Or is it gold?
A nice touch pre-game for @TheMatildas. A banner for each player.
— Jake Rosengarten (@Jakeros95) November 10, 2018
Huge roar as Kerr 20 read out. 👏 #AUSvCHI pic.twitter.com/9Mv86UHiGz
Sam Kerr, as I’ve said, is back, and though she’s been home as Perth Glory’s marquee player this will be her first game as a Matilda on Australian soil in a year. That’ll only raise excitement levels at a what should be a rollicking Panthers Stadium today.
There’s something affirming and celebratory about Matildas’ crowds I’ve noticed, and it supersedes mere results. Matildas crowds exude a palpable sense of pride and good fortune. Pride at the Matildas’ achievements, which have been built on a bedrock of effort laid down by their less-celebrated forebears, and good fortune that they are witnessing, and contributing to, the continued rise of women’s sport in Australia. It’s like a rally.
Here's a recap of our open training session yesterday. #GoMatildas
— Westfield Matildas (@TheMatildas) November 10, 2018
Plenty of selfies and signatures 😍👌 pic.twitter.com/0FpshGZqVC
Teams:
STARTING XI | Here's our team to take on Chile this afternoon.
— Westfield Matildas (@TheMatildas) November 10, 2018
📺: LIVE on Fox Sports 505, SBS or the My Football Live app.#GoMatildas #AUSvCHI pic.twitter.com/M0pVAsRJcP
¡Hay oncena!
— Selección Chilena (@LaRoja) November 10, 2018
Estas son las jugadoras que iniciarán el primer amistoso de #LaRojaFemenina 🇨🇱⚽️ ante @TheMatildas en Penrith.
¡Con todo, cabras! pic.twitter.com/op2AQ8amfs
I did mention that Alen Stajcic’s side are at full strength for today’s match, but that’s not entirely true. Hayley Raso, of course, is still recovering from fracturing her back in August while playing for the Portland Thorns. Kyah Simon is out with an Achilles (injury that is; she’s not on a date with a Greek man). Steph Cately is also out injured. Meantime, young midfielder Amy Sayer, who has become a regular squad member, has been ruled out of the Chile series with a fractured bone in her foot. There’s a chance the injury could risk Sayer’s chances of a World Cup berth. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
Expectations are high concerning the Matildas’ World Cup chances. For this, to be honest, they’ve only got themselves to blame. They’ve had a couple of years of excellent performances and results against top sides. But you could argue they peaked back in mid 2017 when they defeated the USA for the first time. Did they flatter to deceive? What’s a realistic target for France? Danielle Warby asks the question in this piece you may have missed:
Preamble
In seven months’ time the Matildas will be off to France for the World Cup, a tournament they have designs on winning. There’s business to attend to first, however. This afternoon in Penrith, and on Tuesday evening in Newcastle, Australia’s Favourite Team™ will play Chile, ranked 39 in the world, a nation they haven’t previously faced.
Ordinarily you’d think a couple of friendly matches seven months out from a World Cup are not especially important, but that’s not true in this case. In a month’s time, on December 8 in Paris, the World Cup draw will take place and the top six-ranked nations in the world at the time of the draw will be put into six separate pots. Given that the Matildas would like to avoid sharing one of the six four-team groups with the likes of heavyweights USA, England, France and Germany, they’ll want to seal their No 6 ranking. They can do that by beating Chile twice over the next few days.
A slip up, combined with other international results going against them during this international window, could see the Matildas get leapfrogged by Japan, Brazil or Sweden. That would potentially make for a much trickier World Cup group stage.
Given that, it’s no surprise the Matildas will be at full strength for the Chile double-header; Sam Kerr and Emily van Egmond, to name but two, returning to the squad after they sat out Australia’s last two outings. That those matches resulted in a fortunate 1-all draw with England, and a fortunate-the-margin-wasn’t-larger 2-0 loss to France, means the Matildas will be especially keen to get back to winning ways today.
As you might have gathered by now, I’ll be keeping you up to date with the action and my operators will be standing by should you want to share your thoughts or compliment me on my spelling. Drop me a line to paul.connolly.casual@guardian.co.uk or @pfconnolly.
Let’s do this.
Kick-off 3.30pm AEDT
