In perhaps the Matildas biggest match ever played, stand-in captain Steph Catley slotted the game winner from the spot in the absence of Sam Kerr, who was a late withdrawal after she sustained a calf injury at training the day before.
After Marissa Sheva brought down Hayley Raso in the box, the pressure fell on Catley in 52nd minute, but it didn’t appear to phase her as she cooly dispatched the spot-kick. With no Kerr, the fullback was the natural choice; she scored Australia‘s lone penalty in their Round of 16 loss to Norway in 2019.
The Republic of Ireland refused to relent though, with goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold forced to keep out a multitude of attacking raids on her goal for the final 20-minutes of the match.
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In front of a sold out, 75,784 strong crowd at Stadium Australia, the Matildas looked strong early, taking control from the opening whistle as they constantly pushed into Ireland’s back third, repeatedly putting the defensive line under pressure, but the absence of Kerr saw a lack of finishing polish.
While Catley was rightly named Player of the Match for her match-winning effort, Katrina Gorry was everywhere for the Matildas, controlling the game from midfield, while Raso drew in Ireland’s defence and won her side several penalties, including in the box.
In the end Catley’s effort proved decisive as Ireland failed to break Australia’s gold wall.
Rapid reaction
1. Foord-Fowler duo struggle to open up Ireland
The Matildas had to contend with the absence of Kerr up top and did so by injecting Mary Fowler into the front line.
While Kerr and Caitlin Foord have the ability to swap roles, playing both side-by-side and able to withdraw when needed — a dynamic honed over four World Cups and countless matches together — the same fluidity didn’t translate to this pairing. More often than not, Foord played the role of the central striker while Fowler was tucked in behind as a No. 10, occupying the space between the lines. While this formation makes sense with the personnel available, and Fowler’s specific strengths, it’s a system which requires speed of movement. That becomes even more of a necessity when playing against a well-drilled defensive machine like Ireland and that is what the Matildas lacked in the first half.
