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The goals flowed quickly, easily, and then – when the hosts needed just one more – not at all. Their 4-0 victory over a brave Iran side leaves the Matildas facing an uncertain path to Asian Cup glory, even if they have now booked a place in the quarter-finals.
It was a night that began with fireworks but dissolved in the Gold Coast rain to a turgid trial. Initially there was promise for Matildas fans, but then tiring frustration, made worse by a pair of horror head impacts for substitute Hayley Raso.
The winger was unfortunate to receive two point-blank balls in the face from Iranian defensive clearances. The first left her stunned and lying with her back on the turf. The second left her crumpled in a foetal position before she slowly rose in tears. Based on her reaction and departure from the field, she is in serious doubt for the match that will decide the group.
Sunday’s opponents, South Korea, had earlier beaten the Philippines 3-0 to lead Group A with two wins and a goal difference of six. It had created a target score for the Matildas: beat the Iranians by six and go into the final game knowing a draw would be enough to top their pool. A five-goal win would have left Sunday as a straight shootout, a de facto knockout match. But the Matildas ended with just four, failing to score in a torturous final half hour interrupted by injuries – actual and feigned.
Given the crisis in the Middle East, Matildas coach Joe Montemurro said during the week he wanted the match to “showcase how beautiful this game is”. Yet only 22,398 – several thousand short of capacity – attended on the Gold Coast on a night of pouring rain and only intermittent quality.
The Iranians began the evening by saluting while singing the national anthem, a clear contrast to their more muted approach before their first match on Monday. The wide grins of the child mascots standing in front of each player only amplified others’ pain.
While conflict hovered, humanity persisted. After the anthems, Iran’s forward Shabnam Behesht stood with her hand over the young Queenslander in front of her, shielding the blond head from the rain.
And there was comedy, too. At the start of the second half, Iran’s flurry of substitutes appeared to confuse the squad, and there was a wait of minutes before Mona Hamoudi finally ran out of the tunnel. It drew even a smile from coach Marziyeh Jafari, who has appeared with a weight on her shoulders all week.
With 10 minutes to go, all that weight seemed to land on the right shoulder of substitute goalie Raha Yazdani when she acrobatically dived towards a header floating harmlessly wide. After writhing in agony for close to three minutes, she popped back up and played on.
Hindered by interruptions of this ilk, and despite 11 added minutes at the end of the 90, the Matildas failed to find the net again. Despite those frustrations there was also progress, precious given their limited preparation for the tournament.
Mary Fowler started for the first time in almost a year, and scored the second goal before being substituted. “It would have been nice to have extra goals,” she said. “But at the end of the day if we get the win [against South Korea] we’re sweet.”
Given the Matildas were eliminated by the Koreans in the previous iteration of this tournament, in India in 2022, the match on Sunday becomes an exercise in redemption. “In the back of our minds that’s always there,” said two-goal scorer Alanna Kennedy of that haunting upset. “But at the forefront is us building into this tournament, and we want a better performance than we had tonight.”
Kennedy and Fowler were among the five changes coach Joe Montemurro made to the team that started against the Philippines. Midfielder Amy Sayer was the other goal scorer, and another player who didn’t start the opener. Montemurro said the match showed Australia had “more attacking options”, even if he admitted his side was yet to be tested defensively.
This contest ended 30 shots to one in favour of the hosts, but the clash against South Korea – ranked just six places below Australia, at No 21 in the world – will be far closer. If the Matildas can’t win, they will travel back to Perth for the quarter-final, likely to be against either North Korea or China, both tournament contenders. It means the warm-ups for the Matildas are over, and the hosts now face an intense two-week, four-match gauntlet if they wish to again lift the trophy they won in 2010.
