Australia slipped to an unlikely 1-0 defeat to Scotland in London, after Nicola Docherty’s stunning goal proved the difference.
Despite having the majority of the chances, the Matildas couldn’t beat Lee Gibson in the Scottish goal, who had an outstanding game between the sticks.
The Matildas had the first sight of goal after Hayley Raso won a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area. Raso was then able to get on the end of Katrina Gorry’s delivery at the back post, but Lee Gibson denied her from close range.
Scotland then had a good chance of their own to take the lead when Fiona Brown’s crunching challenge allowed Kirsty Hanson to find Martha Thomas in space in the penalty area. The Manchester United forward stung the palms of Mackenzie Arnold with a right-footed shot, but really should have done better.
A minute later and Scotland had two more chances evade Arnold’s right-hand post. First, Thomas had an effort loop just wide, before a few moments later Claire Emslie was afforded the space to shoot from outside the box, but again the shot was dragged off-target.
The Scots took the lead less than a minute after the half-time break. Nicola Docherty’s attempt looked speculative, but the ball looped over the outstretched hand of Arnold and dipped just in time to nestle in the postage stamp-sized area between crossbar and goal.
Australia almost responded immediately. Charlotte Grant found Cortnee Vine in space, and her left-footed effort beat Gibson, but bounced off the bottom-edge of the crossbar and was headed behind to safety by a Scotland defender.
The Matildas kept pressing, with the move of the day unlocking the Scottish defence via a few intricate passes between Raso and Larissa Crummer. Fowler was given a clear run at goal, but Gibson did well to get off her line quickly and smother the effort. Then it was Clare Hunt’s turn to rattle the crossbar, with an effort that would have beaten Docherty’s for most spectacular had it just kept a few inches lower.
Every time the Matildas surged forward, Scotland were struggling to handle them. Raso made ground on the right hand side before cutting the ball back to Crummer on the edge of the six-yard box, but her effort was skewed well wide.
Raso then had an effort of her own from distance, which intially looked comfortable for Gibson to catch, but she fumbled the ball and had to flap it away from goal in a panic, and Carpenter couldn’t get her feet sorted to turn in the following chance.
Gibson’s lapse in concentration proved to be only a minor blip, as when she was next called into action she narrowed the angle that substitute Alex Chidiac had to work with, got down well to her left to palm the shot wide of the post.
The game then dipped into another lull, before Scotland had a brilliant opportunity to double their lead. Three-on-three on the counter, Weir played Hanson through on goal, but her effort was tipped over the crossbar by Arnold.
Australia pressed further for a leveller, but ultimately Scotland stood their ground to claim a famous win in London.
Friendly? Yeah, right.
A feature of the first half was the amount of full-blooded tackles both teams were putting in on each other, drawing ‘Oohs’ and winces from those in the crowd. In fact the first yellow card of the match arrived after just 10 minutes, when Raso was unceremoniously pulled back just as she looked set to glide into the penalty area.
Although Scotland haven’t qualified for this summer’s World Cup, they were determined to clinch a strong result as a team who seem to be growing in confidence and ability. They were quick to close down, nip at the heels and concede a few momentum-halting fouls, and Australia struggled to play through this at times.
Crummer struggles to lead the line
Four goals in 33 caps for Larissa Crummer is not the best of goalscoring returns, and whilst Sam Kerr is the leading candidate to start for Australia at the World Cup, the Brann forward is likely to find herself further down the pecking order following recent performances.
Today, she was given the opportunity today to work in partnership with Mary Fowler – who played just behind her – but struggled to offer much during her time on the pitch. She was well-martialled by the Scottish centre-backs, who proved too physical for her when she tried to hold the ball up.
The Matildas had better success at creating chances when Vine moved more centrally to partner Fowler, with the partnership looking far more dynamic and troublesome.
Carpenter shines on return
360 days after her last cap, Ellie Carpenter made her return to the Matildas’ XI, after suffering a long-term injury with Lyon in their Champions League Final in May 2022, and immediately she added some spark to Australia’s attack.
It took just nine minutes for her to single-handedly create a good chance for the Matildas as she surged past a number of Scottish midfielders and into the penalty area, a sight that would have been pleasing to Tony Gustavsson.
She managed just over an hour before being given a well-earned rest, during which time she proved how vital an asset she is to the national team.
International Friendly: Cherry Red Records Stadium, London
Matildas 0
Scotland 1 (Docherty 46′)
Matildas: Arnold (GK), Polkinghorne (C), Vine, Fowler, Raso (Yallop 82′), Gorry, Carpenter (Nevin 62′), Grant, Cooney-Cross, Crummer (Chidiac 27′), Hunt
Unused: Williams (GK), Micah (GK), Whyman (GK), Luik, Kerr, H McNamara, Wheeler, Sayer, M McNamara
Image Credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images