“The way Sam led the team tonight. Even though she was in pain it was one of those she pushed through,” Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson said. “The way she leads this group in the locker room,back in the hotel,on the buses,it’s a huge reason why we are winning this game.”
The Matildas were at their clinical best,converting four of their five shots on target to overcome haphazard defending and a sluggish start. The Matildas began poorly,courtesy of an overly cautious approach that should have been punished. They rode their luck,relying on the woodwork and the fingertips of Micah to keep Great Britain at bay amid a flurry of chances.
Australia struggled to create anything meaningful from open play but delivered a sucker-punch from a set piece in the 35th minute. Steph Catley delivered a curling corner and centre-back Alanna Kennedy rose highest to place a powerful header into the corner of the net.
There was far more intent and aggression from the Matildas in the second half as they began to play more expansively,using width and committing numbers to attack. Just as they began to find their momentum,Great Britain struck back. A glancing header from Ellen White flew past Micah into the net in the 57th minute.
A defensive error then gifted Britain the lead just after the hour. The Matildas botched a clearance from a long throw and the ball fell into the path of White,whose curled shot made it 2-1.
With the Matildas staring down the barrel,Kerr came to the rescue. Australia’s captain pounced on indecisive marking inside the box,brought down a long ball,opened up space and then calmly slotted past Ellie Roebuck to snatch an equaliser in the 89th minute.