Key events
45+2 Mins: As she does so well, Carpenter gets forward, twists and turns and wins a free kick on the right flank. Cooney-Cross fires the free kick towards deep past the back post and Raso can’t keep her attempt to send the ball back into the danger zone in.
Goal! Australia 1-2 Brazil (Raso 42′)
Good lord it’s all happening on the Gold Coast. I can’t hardly keep up with it all. But against the run of play, the Matildas have grabbed one back!
Foord seizes upon a ball played down the right, skips past a defender and places a perfectly weighted cross to Raso at the back post, with the Tottenham attacker placing the ball home to halve the deficit.
Brazil will feel they should have had a free kick for a foul by Yallop on Adriana during the buildup but there’s no VAR in this game to bring it back. Amid protests from the Brazil dugout, one of their members of staff is booked.
Goal! Australia 0-2 Brazil (Lauren 40′)
The Matildas are being overrun by a rampant Brazil.
A short-corner routine gets the ball to Gutierres at the top of the box. She rounds Raso and floats in a perfectly weighted ball to the back post where it’s met by Lauren, who bundles the ball over the line for her first international goal and doubles the advantage.
38 Mins: Micah is the only reason this isn’t 2-0. Gutierres is played into space all on her own behind the Matildas’ backline and lashes a shot towards the near-post but the Liverpool keeper is just able to keep it out.
34 Mins: Brazil again come very close to a second. And again it’s Adriana. She and Portilho play a delightful one-two atop the box, the latter backheeling it back into her path, before Adriana places a shot just across the face of goal – Gutierres desperate attempt to slide in at the far post and turn it in just coming up short.
32 Mins: A threat of two goals in quick succession as a corner falls to Adriana at the back of a large pack of players, with the attacker taking a touch before lashing an effort over the bar.
Goal! Australia 0-1 Brazil (Gabi Portilho 29′)
Space behind the Matildas costs them again. A rapid move from Brazil as Duda swings a pass across the pitch to find a wide-open teammate and switch the play from left to right.
With no support around her, Nevin is caught badly out of position as a first-time ball is played in behind for Portilho, who advances into the area and fires home.
28 Mins: A free kick is swung into the box by Brazil and met with a glancing header from Duda, one that bounces just wide of Micah’s near post.
27 Mins: This game is absolutely frantic at the moment, the ball pinging from one end to another like it’s a game of basketball – only both teams are the Seven-Seconds-or-Less Phoenix Suns.
25 Mins: The ball falls to Adriana just inside the Matildas’ penalty area on the right but she can’t get a shot away before she’s closed down and the ball is cleared away by Nevin.
24 Mins: Brazil’s nominal third-choice goalkeeper Cláudia is doing some warm-ups and surveying the scene after Lorena went down. Seems whatever forced Honegger off in Brisbane won’t allow her to be called upon on the Gold Coast.
23 Mins: Brazil clear the initial free kick but the Matildas keep the pressure on, Raso and Foord both having attempts on goal – the latter’s attempt going out for a goal kick.
22 Mins: The Matildas are putting together a period of sustained pressure, here. Carpenter forces a strong save after she lashes in a shot from an angle.
The wingback collects the rebound and finds Cooney-Cross, who is brought down for a free kick in a dangerous area on the right.
21 Mins: Foord with a super ball to spring Yallop into the area, with the resulting left-footed effort forcing a save from Lorena at her near post.
20 Mins: We’ve got out first stoppage of the game as Lorena goes down requiring treatment. Much to the frustration of the crowd, we saw plenty of this in Brisbane, with Honegger eventually being forced off.
Both sides take advantage of the break to re-hydrate and consult with their dugouts.
18 Mins: Some better play by the Australians as they work the ball around before Nevin whips in a lethal looking ball from the left. Lorena can only parry it away as it bounces in front of her and Duda is able to boot it clear just before Raso can get to it.
17 Mins: Lauren is all over the back of Raso as the attacker tries to carry the ball into Brazil’s half to an extent that I can’t be certain she wasn’t attempting to get a piggyback ride.
She becomes the second Brazilian to see yellow.
15 Mins: Brazil still buzzing around the Australian penalty area, Kaka heading an effort straight at Micah after a cross in from the left. Pressure continues to build on the hosts.
14 Mins: van Egmond has her pocket picked in the midfield by Giovana, who carries the ball forward before sliding it across for Portilho. She lashes in a shot toward the near post that Micah puts out for a corner.
12 Mins: Foord and Adriana battle for the ball on Brazil’s attacking right flank, with the former eventually blocking the latter’s attempted cross for a corner.
The dangerous Adriana fires on goal from range on the third phase of that corner but she can’t get it on target.
10 Mins: Signs of life for the Matildas and they work the ball around the area and try to lock it in their attacking half.
The move ends with Hayley Raso lashing a long-range shot in on goal that’s claimed by Lorena.
9 Mins: van Egmond’s long clearance falls to Foord, who almost has her shirt ripped off by Kaka as she tries to get forward.
After the treatment she copped in Brisbane, Foord shoves her rival off her to the ground as the whistle is blown and claps when a yellow card is produced for the Brazilian.
That early caution should serve as a tone-setter. Pull that kind of thing and you’re one bad challenge away from being dismissed.
8 Mins: Kennedy comes up nursing her right ankle after being forced to chase down a ball in behind. Something to keep an eye on.
6 Mins: Australia get the ball forward and while Yallop can’t turn forward, she wins a throw-in.
Brazil soon win the ball back though, Gabi Portilho leaving Hunt in her wake as she streaks down the right. Her cross, however, can’t find a teammate.
4 Mins: The Matildas are being put under some significant pressure early on as Angelina lashes a first time effort just wide of the goal. Micah probably had it covered but as former Matilda Grace Gill says on the coverage “early warning signs”.
2 Mins: Aline Gomes charges down the left flank and puts a cross in but Australia are able to scramble it clear.
Brazil keep the ball in Australia’s half and moments later the ball sits up for Amanda Gutierres to lash a shot at goal, one Micah is forced to parry away. Early pressure on the Matildas.
1 Min: A poor throw-in by Brazil gives Australia an early turnover in their foes half but they can’t make anything from it.
Kick Off
The whistle has sounded and action is underway on the Gold Coast – one wonders how many schoolies are in the stands.
The anthems have been sung and the action is imminent.
Before we get to that, however, Ellie Carpenter will be presented with her trophy as the first-ever AFC Women’s International Footballer of the Year – a gong for internationally-based players – just before kick off.
Football Australia CEO James Johnson will present her with the trophy. He’s a Queenslander, too, played for the Brisbane Strikers and everything. One wonders if that will come up on the broadcast.
The anthems are being and it’s Brazil’s that is up first; Francisco Manuel da Silva absolutely knew how to write a tune.
The A-League Women has opted to play through this international window but, given the host of domestic-based players that have been called up by Tom Sermanni – many of whom will join the squad and shape as likely contributors against Taiwan – the league has split its round five across two weekends – two games taking place yesterday and another four to come next week.
In the first of the two games yesterday, Melbourne City looked much more comfortable than the 2-0 score line suggested as they eased to a win over Western Sydney Wanderers, while the Central Coast Mariners came-from-behind to defeat Canberra United and stay undefeated – 16-year-old Tiana Fuller scoring with her first touch in professional football to spark the comeback.
It’s not just Australia and Brazil in action this week, of course, with plenty of other games taking place across the international window.
Goals from Eugénie Le Sommer and Amel Majri helped France beat Nigeria 2-1 at the Stade Raymond Kopa overnight, Spain and Germany recorded convincing wins over South Korea and Switzerland, and Argentina beat Colombia on penalties.
The marquee match of the window took place at Wembley, where England and the United States played out a 0-0 draw in front of 78,346 fans.
🚨Late change to the starting XI claxon🚨
And it’s a big change, too. Steph Catley has been withdrawn from the XI and is being replaced by Courtney Nevin, with Emily van Egmond now set to captain the side in her 151st game.
Before Arsenal fans go into a panic – well, too much of a panic, at least – the Matildas are calling it a precautionary measure after she felt tightness in her lower leg during the pre-match warm-up.
The email inbox has been hit up by James Paraskevas, who is in a confident mood as Australia prepare to take on the Olympic silver medallists.
“It was expected Brazil would win the first game. Our players are based on Europe/USA and playing more and more minutes these days. The Brazilians got their contacts in for a gig in Europe or the A League Women. I would say most are still playing in Brazil so these games are more important to them than Australia.
All player will be recovered tonight for Australia and the Matildas will win the true test tonight 3-0. Easy.
Goals to Heyman, Raso and Van Edmond.”
After Thursday was understandably all about Clare Polkinghorne, tonight will see Emily van Egmond honoured for reaching 150 caps in that game, just the fourth Australian – man or woman – to play that many senior internationals.
In starting tonight, she will make her 151st appearance moving into equal second with Cheryl Salisbury on the all time caps list for an Australian footballer
Tameka Yallop is interviewed on the Network 10 coverage, with the Brisbane local talking about how special it is to be playing on the Gold Coast.
Steph Catley is almost certain to be headed back to Arsenal after tonight’s game – they’ve got a game against Aston Villa next Sunday – but I wonder if the Melbourne local would have expressed similar sentiment about playing in Geelong next week.
One of the most notable features of Thursday evening’s clash was the physicality that the Brazilians brought to the contest – Tom Sermanni is fielding questions about it on Network Ten’s pre-game coverage.
In combination with an intense press that brought a level of intensity all its own in the humid conditions, As Canarinhas committed 17 fouls – and probably getting away with another few that easily could have been called – and had Vitória Calhau sent off late after she picked up a second yellow card.
It was an approach that frustrated Matildas’ players, fans, and Sermanni, the latter hopeful that the referees adopt a stricter approach in this evening’s game but, at the same time, insisting that his side are ready to match their foe’s physicality.
“I think you have to fight fire with fire. The challenge … is that Brazil have adopted a very different style of football to what we expect Brazil to play and a different style to what most of the top teams play.
“The reality is that you need to be able to match that and to adjust to play effectively against that. You have got to balance that out by looking at where the opportunities are to hurt them. A lot of that is to play a similar kind of game to them when we get the ball forward early and get one-on-one match-ups with their defenders.”
As you might have guessed from her being named on the bench, while there were a few reports circulating that the Brisbane game was set to be the last of her career, that 3-1 loss was Clare Polkinghorne’s send-off game – not her final goodbye.
Both the defender and caretaker coach Tom Sermanni were quick to clear up post-game that she would remain available for selection in this game as well as in the two games against Taiwan that will follow in Victoria next week. Then, she will hang up her legendary boots.
To some observers, Australia’s pace of change isn’t quick enough. Since that famous victory over France in Brisbane the Matildas have mostly stuttered, underlined by their group stage Olympics exit. Ten of the 11 players who started on Thursday were veterans of both last year’s World Cup squad and the group who went to Paris.
Here’s Jack Snape’s deeper look at that Lang Park clash and the Matildas time warp.
Starting XIs
The teams are in and the Matildas made three changes to the side that lost 3-1 in Brisbane.
Teagan Micah starts in place of Mackenzie Arnold in goal – making her first start since facing Canada on December 5 last year – and Queenslander Tameka Yallop and striker Michelle Heyman take their place in the outfield.
Clare Polkinghorne moves to the bench after her send-off game at Lang Park while Winonah Heatley also takes up a position amongst the substitutes after making her first international start in the loss.
It will be interesting to see what kind of shape the team adopts with this line-up. Will they move to a back four? Or will they retain the back five that has been a feature of their previous three games under Tom Sermanni, with Steph Catley kicking inside next to Alanna Kennedy and Clare Hunt and Yallop serving as a wing-back?
Brazil are also making a change in goal, albeit that may have been a forced one given Lorena replaced an injured Natascha Honegger during Thursday’s game, to go along with five changes amongst the outfielders.
Newly crowned NWSL champions Angelina and Adriana as well as Lauren, Kaká, and Gio Queiroz come in for coach Arthur Elias.
Preamble
Joey Lynch
Howdy all and welcome to live coverage of the Matildas international friendly against Brazil at Robina Stadium on the Gold Coast.
It was just 72 hours ago that these two sides were locking horns in Brisbane and it’s safe to say that the hosts will be looking for both improvement and a spot of retribution; a very physical Brazil spoiling Clare Pokinghorne’s send-off game at Lang Park by starting quickly before running out relatively comfortable 3-1 victors.
Taking advantage of the ample early space the Matildas left behind their lines in the opening exchanges, Amanda Gutierres nabbed an early brace in just her third senior international in that one, before Gio Queiroz grabbed one of her own early in the second half after coming on in the 23rd minute for an injured Marília Furiel.
Here’s my full match report to bring you up to speed.
And here’s the full minute-by-minute from Martin Pegan if you want an even more expansive breakdown.
Despite some rainy conditions throughout the day, Football Australia has already announced that the last of the tickets available for this evening’s game have been snapped up, making this the 16th consecutive time the Matildas have exhausted ticket allocations on home soil.
Kick-off time on the Coast of Gold is 6:35pm local / 7:35pm AEDT.