Germany 1-2 Australia
by Ben Gilby (28/10/24)
Above: Australia celebrate after Kyra Cooney-Cross’s stunning goal. Photo: Football Australia.
Australia produced a performance of grit, determination, and no little skill to pick themselves up off the floor from a nightmare start to claim a stunning win over Germany in Duisburg.
After falling behind just five minutes into the game to Selina Cerci’s header, Tom Sermanni’s charges responded with a sensational long-range goal from Kyra Cooney-Cross on her 50th cap and a back post header from Clare Hunt to record the win.
It was The Matildas at their glorious best – when their backs are against the wall, they come out fighting. Never say die.
It was a night full of emotion as German legend Alexandra Popp played her final international game at a venue less than an hour’s drive from her birthplace. The hosts’ new head coach, Christian Wück made six changes for his first home game.
On the other side of the ledger, Matildas interim head coach Tom Sermanni made only a single change from the starting line-up that faced Switzerland in Zürich on Friday, with Clare Wheeler coming in for Tameka Yallop.
Germany started like the proverbial steam train and laid siege to the Australian backline for the opening quarter of an hour. They were maximising possession and looking to hug the right hand side with the duo of Giulia Gwinn and Vivien Endemann constantly targeting that side of the field, and the visitors were finding it hard to cope.
Gwinn found a hole to play a long ball forward which could only be helped into the path of Endemann with just two minutes on the clock, but the attacker put her shot wide.
With just five minutes on the clock, Germany hit the front. Endemann again drove along the right flank and she delivered a perfectly weighted ball into the box for Selina Cerci to head home at the back post.
It threatened to get worse immediately for the Matildas. They were being pulled all over the place at the back, with Kennedy and Torpey having a torrid time being bypassed by runners and pin-point-through balls.
From one such move, Felicitas Rauch was found by Popp and hit a curling shot that came back off the right-hand post with Arnold beaten all ends up. Seconds later, Bühl was denied by the Matildas’ keeper who pushed her shot away.
On the quarter-hour mark, Popp left the pitch to a rapturous reception. However, it broke the momentum and dominance that Germany had built up. The Matildas were given an opportunity to get a foothold in the game, and they took it.
The midfield, hitherto completely overrun, began to maintain more possession. Mary Fowler, up to now a peripheral figure was able to win ball and feed lone forward Caitlin Foord. With 22 minutes played, the pair combined for a move that ended with the Arsenal attacker hitting a thunderous effort that was pushed away by Stina Johannes.
Three minutes later Cooney-Cross showed what she could do when able to look up with the ball at her feet as she supplied a beautifully weighted ball through to Foord but Johannes denied her once more.
Germany responded with two more half chances either side of the half-hour mark. First, Gwinn supplied a tempting curling ball for Nüsken who couldn’t get her effort on target. Then, Gräwe played in Endermann, who saw a shot go wide of the left-hand post.
Then, with six minutes until half hour – cometh the moment, cometh Cooney-Cross. In possession over 35 yards from goal, the 22-year-old looked up, noticed Johannes off her line, and lifted a nonchalant lob over the German goalkeeper into the net. It was the Arsenal star’s first international goal on her 50th appearance, and it was pure Cooney-Cross at her best.
Australia were much more organised in the second period. They were patient in possession, not allowing themselves to be rushed and harried in the way they were in the early stages.
Foord was an absolute colossus throughout – not just in her attacking play, but dropping back to muddy her shirt in doing the hard yards to support her defence as well as draw the fouls and yellow cards from her opponents. It was a masterclass.
Australian chances coming forward remained few and far between, but their greater grasp on the hosts meant it was not immediately as problematical as it was in the opening half.
In the final 20 minutes, Germany began to monopolise the possession again, with the Matildas pulling all 11 players behind the ball. During this time, Winonah Heatley came on for her debut and produced a mature display in the heat of battle against some of Europe’s best players. A team who were 3-0 up against England at Wembley Stadium just three days previously.
Then, with 13 minutes to go, The Matildas turned what would have been an excellent draw into a sensational win. Catley stepped up to curl a corner in from the right for an unmarked Hunt to direct her header in at the back post.
It still needed Arnold to pull out another incomprehensible save. Endemann received the ball and shot goalwards. The ball flew through a stack of bodies. The Matildas goalkeeper would only have seen it coming at the last possible millisecond, but she dived to the left to push the ball away.
That was it. Teamwork, belief, skill and hard work ethic allied with the famed Never Say Die character was back with a vengeance and the Matildas achieved a result that both they and their fanbase can be hugely proud of.
Teams: GERMANY (4-2-3-1): Johannes, Gwinn, Gräwe, Minge, Rauch, Nüsken, Linder, Endemann, Cerci, Bühl, Popp. Substitutes used: Anyomi (for Popp 15′), Kleinherne (for Minge 46′), Wolter (for Gwinn 58′), Brand (for Bühl 58′), Dallman (for Cerci 58′), Magull (for Linder).
Scorer: Cerci 5′.
AUSTRALIA (5-4-1): Arnold, Torpey, Catley, Hunt, Kennedy, Carpenter, Wheeler, Cooney-Cross, Gorry, Fowler, Foord. Substitutes: Heyman (for Torpey 35′), van Egmond (for Gorry 46′), Heatley (for Wheeler 66′), Freier (for Heyman 66′), Yallop (for Fowler 88′).
Scorers: Cooney-Cross 39, Hunt 77′.
Referee: Maria Marotta (ITA).
Attendance: 26,623.
Follow Impetus on social media –
Twitter (X): @impetusfootball TikTok: @impetusfootball
Instagram: @impetusfootball : @impetusfootball
impetusfootball.org 