Australia 3-1 Taiwan: international women’s football friendly – as it happened

  • 12/4/2024
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Joey Lynch has covered the match for us, so I’ll leave you here and let you head along to read his full report. Let’s do it all again on Saturday night … Matildas interim coach Tom Sermanni is pleased with what he has seen though as always is leaving the door open for improvement as he speaks to Channel 10. Overall very pleased. We made life a bit more difficult for ourselves than perhaps we needed to but I think in the end it’s a good result and, as you say, we put a lot of players on the field that have not played together much, and coming away with that, and three debutant scorers is a good result. Most of the players that came in played very well for us. I think obviously Natasha Prior has come into the team in a very difficult game against Brazil but I think she would very much belongs at this level. Full-time: Australia 3-1 Taiwan The Matildas get what they came for with an encouraging performance while outclassing a relatively passive opponent, as all three scorers found their first goal for the national side. Tash Prior opened the scoring in the 11th minute, Sharn Freier added a second just a minute later, and Bryleeh Henry sealed it within four minutes of being brought into the match. A first-half goal to Chen Jin-Wen put a dent in the Matildas showing but they will likely have as much concern for Chloe Logarzo after the luckless midfielder had her first international in more than two years cut short following a nasty head clash. Freir was prominent throughout while starting at wing-back or pushing forward to challenge the deep-lying Taiwan defence, and has been named player of the match. 92 mins: Henry could have, in fact should have, had a second. A series of headers inside the box ends with the ball at Henry’s feet directly in front of the goal face at the edge of the six-yard box. She just need to get the ball under control but somehow lifts the shot over the crossbar. 90 mins: Remy Siemsen has found it difficult to find the ball among a tight Taiwan defence but gives a hint of her talents with a clever header. Wang saves and there will be a minimum of five minutes added time. 87 mins: The Matildas turn to an even younger lineup as Tameka Yallop makes way for Jessika Nash. 85 mins: Sharn Freier has been one of the standouts in a new-look lineup and almost adds her name to the scoresheet when rising for a header. The ball floats narrowly wide. 81 mins: Yallop has been unleased since moving out of the wing-back role and almost gets on the end of a sharp through ball from Chidiac. But just as Yallop winds up the shot is blocked and takes a deflection to sail over the crossbar. More changes for Australia as Emily van Egmond and Daniela Galic are subbed out with Winonah Heatley coming on alongside debutant Leah Davidson. Goal! Australia 3-1 Taiwan (Henry "78) Breathing room for Australia and another first-time goalscorer for the Matildas as Bryleeh Henry gets on the scoresheet. Tameka Yallop did all the hard work with a gut-busting run down the left then a pinpoint cross to find Henry unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box. The 21-year-old Melbourne local had time to almost slip over then casually pick out her spot with a header to the bottom of the far post. 76 mins: 26,795 fans are watching the action at AAMI Park this evening and the sounds coming from the crowd suggest there is more of an even spread across the teams than the Matildas are used to on home turf. Despite the strong turn out, the Matildas home sell-out streak ends at 16 matches. 73 mins: A change of formation for Australia as Emily Gielnik and Michelle Heyman make way for Remy Siemsen and Bryleeh Henry. A good shift, as they say, from the pair of forwards even if they never truly threatened the Taiwan keeper Wang. 71 mins: Su Yu-Hsuan is in a lot of pain on the sideline though it isn’t clear if that’s from the effects of a robust challenge or cramp. 19-year-old He Jia-Shiuan replaces the Taiwan forward as Australia also look to swing some changes. 68 mins: We can’t be far off some substitutions on both sides as several Taiwan players start to tighten up. A few breaks give plenty of time for rehydration. 65 mins: The brief refresh doesn’t seem to have done much for the Matildas as they seem to be running out of ideas. Sharn Freier is still showing her worth on the right with some nice moments and finds Alex Chidiac running into the box with a scything pass. Taiwan captain Chen Ying-Hui has tracked the run and clears the danger. 62 mins: The Matildas earn a corner on the right side and line up in the six-yard box until Mackenzie Arnold takes a seat on the turf. The keeper calls for attention as the game is paused, and seems to be favouring her right ankle. A few testing bounces on the right foot and we’re back under way. That might have just been time for a reset, though Arnold usually saves those moments for when the Matildas are under pressure. 59 mins: Gielnik is through on goal with plenty of space in front of her and only the keeper to beat until a slightly heavy touch takes her too close to the glovewoman. The Matildas forward beats Wang to the ball but the keeper’s swinging leg is only a split second behind and clears the danger. 56 mins: Galic gives herself room on the edge of the box with a deft touch away from the defender and blasts a shot towards goal but the Taiwan defence get a boot in just in the nick of time. 54 mins: Tash Prior continues to get involved closer to goal as the Matildas search for a third goal. The Matildas keep working the triangles, especially on the right side with Tameka Yallop, but there aren’t any obvious gaps in the Taiwan defence. 52 mins: Chen gives the Matildas a little reminder that Taiwan are still within reach as ball is bombed into space down the right and the goalscorer is the first to reach it. A shot from a tough angle is targeted just inside the near post but Arnold takes it cleanly. 50 mins: The Matildas are more prepared to pass around the defensive line and even bring keeper Arnold into the build up while trying to draw Taiwan out of their 5-4-1 structure. But the visitors ain’t falling for that one. 48 mins: Australia are back on the attack and Michelle Heyman directs a corner towards goal only for it to be blocked by a wall of Taiwan defenders. Goalscorer Tash Prior side-foots the second ball back in the same direction but the same wall stands firm. 46 mins: We’re back in action at AAMI Park and both sides have lined up as they were before the break. The Matildas were on top for much of the first half with 61-39% possession, while have 13 shots with six on target. But in more than a hint of the problems that haunted them against Brazil in Queensland, Australia left the door open at the back and Taiwan stepped right through it. The visitors had five shots with two on target, so they were hardly out of the contest and the narrow margin means the Matildas still have plenty of work to do. Half-time: Australia 2-1 Taiwan The Matildas made a bright start with a host of chances while the ball hardly passed the halfway line until the hosts scored two goals in as many minutes to Tash Prior and Sharn Freier. The first A international goals for the pair of emerging players put the Matildas in command and was just reward for their early dominance but they lost a bit of shape and energy in the midfield following a head collision involving Chloe Logarzo. The midfielder was returning for her first run out with the Matildas since October 2022 after being sidelined with a serious knee injury during that time, and was deeply distraught when subbed out of the game moments after the head knock. Taiwan found a goal against the run of play shortly after as Chen Jin-Wen pounced onto a long ball and made the most of some accommodating defending from Charli Grant. The response from Taiwan has set us up for an intriguing second half when it had looked much more likely that we were heading for a blow out. 46 mins: We’ll have a minimum of three minutes added time. Galic finds herself with the ball in dangerous places inside the box with some fancy footwork but twice is unable to pick out a pass. The Matildas will be pleased to see Galic involved in those areas though. 44 mins: Heyman hugs the rare high line and glances a header on for Freier to run on to but the midfielder was too far ahead of the ball and is flagged for offside. 41 mins: Gielnik creates something out of nothing as a long ball finds her in the box as the forward takes a neat touch off the chest then swivels around to cross for Heyman on the edge of the six-yard box. Heyman directs the header goalward but Taiwan keeper Wang Y is perfectly placed to clutch the firm shot. 39 mins: Taiwan work the ball into their attacking half as well as they have all evening but a speculative shot from just outside the box sails high and narrowly wide. 37 mins: The Matildas almost respond immediately as a long ball finds Michelle Heyman and the centre-forward drops it at her feet with an exquisite touch. But just as Heyman angles her body to shoot, a pair of defenders get in the way. Goal! Australia 2-1 Taiwan (Chen J "33) Taiwan find a goal against the run of play and it comes from a sublime solo run from Chen Jin-Wen. Charli Grant allows the ball to bounce and Chen quickly pounces to drive into the box where Mackenzie Arnold is stranded well away from the goalline. A couple of neat touches find a way around Grant and Chen taps the ball into an empty net. 32 mins: A moment of respite as Taiwan sit deep and the Matildas knock the ball around, allowing Chidiac to get her foot on the ball and work her way into the game. 29 mins: Chloe Logarzo is subbed off with Alex Chidiac to come on. Logarzo has been on a long road to return to the Matildas setup after a serious knee injury, and the midfielder is in tears as she takes a seat on the sidelines. 27 mins: A heavy clash of heads between players competing for a bouncing ball leaves Chloe Logarzo looking worse for wear. Chan Pi-Han is soon able to walk to the sidelines, while Logarzo has to undertake a concussion test. The returning midfielder might have to call it a night and that would be a heartbreaking end to her match. 25 mins: Taiwan break and Su Yu-Hsuan, their chief goalscorer, is almost through on goal until Charli Grants closes her down. A first shot is blocked before bouncing out to another attacker where a second attempt is also blocked. A nice little warning shot for the Matildas that this won’t necessarily go all their own way. 23 mins: Sharn Freier is locked into the corner surrounded by a pair of Taiwan defenders but finds an escape route with some dazzling footwork. The Brisbane Roar midfielder is pulled to ground as the Matildas target another free kick towards their towering forwards. Galic is the first to get under it but the ball skims off her head without any direction. 20 mins: Charli Grant and Sharn Freier are working well together down the left. This feels like a fantastic opportunity for both of the emerging-to-fringe Matildas to press their claims for more game time in the future. Both tend to impress whenever called into action. 18 mins: Taiwan bravely play out from the back, after coach Chan Hiu Ming had said pre-match that he was more interested in the visitors stringing passes together than trying to keep the scoreboard in check. Emily van Egmond wins the ball back in the middle of the pitch but overhits the pass down the lift channel to be just out of Freier’s reach. 15 mins: The Matildas are queuing up to get on the score sheet as Taiwan’s defence returns to a compact couple of lines. That has helped the visitors to limit the damage so far but the ball has hardly passed halfway. Goal! Australia 2-0 Taiwan (Freier "12) Sharn Freier takes her turn to score a first Matildas A international goal (she previously has a goal in a B international against Canada) with a shot from close range. This could get ugly. But you suspect that Matildas players and fans won’t mind. Goal! Australia 1-0 Taiwan (Prior "11) Tash Prior has her first Matildas goal after putting away a close-range shot. Logarzo set it up with a short corner that took a fine touch off the head of Gielnik on the way through to the second-game defender. That had been coming and it wouldn’t surprise to now see the floodgates open. 8 mins: Chloe Logarzo takes her turn to pepper the goals with a long range shot that is deflected skyward. That could have gone anywhere. 5 mins: Sharn Freier is the next Matildas player to have a sight on goal as the midfielder breaks clear from a scramble in the box. The chance goes to waste but once again the offside flag is raised. 3 mins: Emily Gielnik breaks the high line and is through on goal until a slightly heavy touch takes the ball deeper than she’d like. The shot from a narrow angle is easily saved by Wang Yu-Ting. The flag belatedly goes up for offside. Replays show it was a very tight call. 1 min: The Matildas lock the ball forward from the kick-off and a Tameka Yallop cross almost finds the head of Michelle Heyman. A bright start. Kick-off Peeeeeep! Here we go. And the Matildas are on the attack immediately. The national anthems are complete, team photos have been taken, Matildas midfielder Chloe Logarzo has shed a tear on her return to the side, and the captains are running through their final instructions. We are about to get underway … A pair of Matildas veterans have a rare opportunity to work together up front in the absence of Caitlin Foord, Hayley Raso and injured skipper Sam Kerr. Emily Gielnik and Michelle Heyman have been on the fringes of the national team throughout much of their careers but can now stake a claim to be the first-choice back up to Kerr, and perhaps first cab off the rank when Australia want to play with two centre-forwards. Their partnership should be an interesting little contest within the broader context this evening. There is a nice local flavour to the Matildas’ lineup this evening with Melbourne Victory forward Emily Gielnik leading the line and Western United midfielder Chloe Logarzo returning to the starting XI. Their own cheer squads have arrived early too. While we wait for the players to get kitted up and make their way on to AAMI Park, take the time to dig into the Guardian’s ever-expansive 100 best female footballers in the world 2024. Players to land in places 41-100 have, at the time of writing, been revealed. Spoiler alert: the list so far includes three Matildas. Let me know which Australia players might make the top 40 countdown? These two friendlies against Taiwan in Melbourne tonight and in Geelong on Saturday are the Matildas’ last matches for the year. Australia’s record this year is middling, in part due to a disappointing Olympic Games campaign, with six wins, five losses and a draw from their official matches. The women’s national squad will be back together in February for the SheBelieves Cup against Japan, Colombia and hosts USA. Who knows, the Matildas might even have a permanent head coach then, but in the meantime third-time mentor Tom Sermanni will take charge for the pair of clashes with Taiwan. The 70-year-old took a thinly veiled swipe at his predecessors for failing to properly balance present-day success with the future needs of the team. One of the key things as a national team coach is you’ve got to play for the present but plan for the future. And I think, in all fairness, I don’t think we’ve planned for the future well enough. Taiwan XI Taiwan: Wang Yu-Ting (gk), Su Sin-Yun, Hsu Yi-Yun, Pu Hsin-Hui, Chan Pi-Han, Wu Kai-Ching, Chen Jin-Wen, Su Yu-Hsuan, Chen Ying-Hui (capt), Lin Hsin-Hui, Huang Ke-Sin. Matildas XI Australia: Mackenzie Arnold (gk); Tameka Yallop, Charli Grant, Clare Hunt, Natasha Prior, Sharn Freier; Chloe Logarzo, Emily van Egmond (capt), Daniela Galic; Emily Gielnik, Michelle Heyman. Veteran midfielder Emily van Egmond will again captain the Matildas in both friendlies against Taiwan after taking the armband at short notice when Steph Catley felt soreness in the warm-up before the second clash with Brazil. Chloe Logarzo returns to the Matildas’ starting XI after a long lay off, while Sharn Freier, Daniela Galic and Natasha Prior each make their starting debuts. The team sheet looks more suited to a 4-4-2, though Tom Sermanni has preferred to line up with a back five since returning as interim coach. That structure was at times exposed by Brazil on the counterattack, when the Matildas paid the price for the wing-backs pushing too far up the pitch, though they are less likely to face the same concerns this evening. Resident football reporter Joey Lynch is at AAMI Park this evening and will be wrapping up all the action later with a match report. Joey has already looked at what we learned from the Matildas’ two matches against Brazil, who were of course continuing their on-field preparations before hosting the 2027 Women’s World Cup. The Matildas know of the benefits that come with hosting the World Cup, but unlike the Seleção, Australia’s own period of rejuvenation comes after hosting the showpiece event. For the Matildas, the years ahead are to be defined by a balancing act struck between the pursuit of an Asian Cup on home soil in 2026 and managing the transition away from a golden generation of players at the twilight of their careers. Premable Hello and welcome to live coverage of the women’s international friendly between the Matildas and Taiwan at AAMI Park in Melbourne. Australia will field a new-ish looking lineup against Taiwan as opportunities are handed to fringe players and emerging talents after a more familiar XI battled out a pair of fiery clashes with rivals Brazil. The Matildas fell short in both of those games against the rapidly regenerating No 8-ranked side and are now out to return to winning ways against Taiwan. Australia will face a different sort of challenge against the world No 41 in the back-to-back matches in Melbourne and then Geelong, with the visitors likely setting up with a low block. Breaking down a deep-lying defence has not always been the Matildas forte, so this looms as a good test for interim coach Tom Sermanni’s outfit even while missing a host of stars. This is the first time that the Matildas have returned to AAMI Park since their 4-0 win over Canada during the 2023 Women’s World Cup, when Hayley Raso scored a first-half double before Mary Fowler and Steph Catley sealed the win that ensured the hosts topped their group. Those four regulars are all missing from the squad to face Taiwan but Sermanni has called the need to use these matches to develop the next generation. Kick-off time in Melbourne is 8pm AEDT. I’ll be back shortly with the lineups and team news. If you want to share any comments, queries, ideas or predictions, shoot me an email, or find me on Bluesky @martinpegan.bsky.social and X @martinpegan. Let’s get into it!

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