Canada 1-0 Australia
By Emma Burke 6/12/23
Above: Clare Hunt for Australia. Photo: Football Australia
Australia have been defeated 1-0 by Canada in their final game of 2023, after a lacklustre performance against the most recent Olympic gold medallists.
Head coach Tony Gustavsson made ten changes to the starting xi used in the first Canada friendly, retaining only Teagan Micah in between the goals.
Following an emotional farewell to Canadian captain and icon of the women’s game Christine Sinclair and fellow stalwart Sophie Schmidt, the game kicked off with an intensity from Australia that looked reminiscent of their Women’s World Cup performance.
It was a marked improvement from the first game they played against Canada, spending a majority of the initial 20 minutes in their attacking half, with Hayley Raso making some blinding runs and getting a shot off and Mary Fowler looking to try and open the scoring for Australia, but it was ultimately short lived.
The Matildas seemed lethargic at best, left chasing after Canadian possession, and eventually conceded a goal after a Canadian corner resulted in Kadeisha Buchanan taking a shot on goal that ricocheted off the crossbar and right into the path of Quinn who had been left unmarked. Micah had dived to try and save the initial shot, leaving Quinn with an open goal to head the ball into the back of the net.
The goal may as well have called half time itself, as the vision of the game for anyone watching at home or on streaming services dropped out almost completely, leaving the last five minutes of the first half unwatchable.
The second half felt much like the first one did, slow.
There were a few moments where Australia had the opportunity to equalise, but efforts from Caitlin Foord and substitute Tameka Yallop both were sent sailing over the bar.
Clare Hunt’s work rate in the defensive line was key to keeping Canada from running away with the game as she was able to chase down Nichelle Prince, who would’ve otherwise been in one-on-one with Micah, and the pair were able to do enough to force her shot wide of the near post.
While two losses in a row for the Matildas is a tough pill to swallow, especially for newer fans and supporters, it does little to mar the exceptional year that Australia has had in Women’s football, and ultimately should encourage everyone to dig a little deeper, whether it be on the pitch or in support of those who are.
Australia (4-4-2): Micah, Catley, Foord, Van Egmond, Fowler, Kennedy, Hunt, Raso, Gorry, Carpenter, Cooney-Cross
Substitutes Used: Yallop
Canada (3-4-3): Sheridan, Sinclair, Buchanan, Quinn, Riviere, Lawrence, Gilles, Prince, Flemming, Lacasse, Rose
Substitutes Used: Collins, Zadorsky, Huitema, Schmidt, Leon, Awujo
Scorers: Quinn 40’
Location: Christine Sinclair Place (BC Place)
Attendance: 48,112
Referee: TBC
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