Australia 1-2 Colombia
by Genevieve Henry (26/2/25)
Above: Hayley Raso. Photo: Football Australia.
From the opening minute, the Matildas looked noticeably better than they had in their previous matches in the SheBelieves Cup. Although they managed to avoid conceding right from the get go, Australia once again could not find the back of the net before their opponent and lost 2-1. The Matildas looked to be the stronger side, but Colombia were the ones that made their chances count.
Emily Van Egmond was the player of the first half, working hard in defense and attack. She made multiple vital blocks and steals when Colombia were in promising positions to score, as well as finding and placing the ball in the box for her teammates who could not convert. Van Egmond’s passing was on point and a highlight of the match.
The first ten minutes had a lot of back and forth, with Yallop and Van Egmond both nearly finding the goal and Micah palming away a good shot from Leicy Santos. Colombia kept some possession in the Matildas half, but found their joy largely in transitional play. Although Australia looked promising, they failed to make anything count in their spells of possession.
Colombia took the lead through Wendy Bonilla in her first goal for her country. After a poor pass from Katrina Gorry, Mayra Ramirez played a perfect ball across the field to the winger who found herself free. Bonilla’s shot was perfectly placed to beat Micah who ultimately had no chance.
Australia had two perfect opportunities to put themselves back in it, but took too long in the pivotal moment. Heyman had a golden chance to level the score when Van Egmond nicked the ball at the top of the box and sent it right to her feet in the 21st minute, but Heyman got stuck in indecision.
Just a few minutes later, Gorry stole the ball in prime position as Colombia were once again sloppy in the back, but sent it to Kyra Cooney-Cross whose positioning was uncharacteristically high throughout the match. The midfielder took a second too long to get her shot away and was thwarted by an excellent sliding tackle.
Australia continued to look the stronger of the teams, but couldn’t make anything of it. They connected passes much better, although it was a low bar. There were certainly glimpses of good things, especially in the midfield and defense.
The Matildas continued to have chances to score up until the half when Steph Catley delivered an excellent corner that ended up on the head of Clare Hunt, who had her effort tipped just wide by Giraldo.
Ellie Carpenter, who was finding a lot of joy down the right flank, was unfortunately forced off right before half with injury, allowing Kaitlyn Torpey to make her first appearance of the tournament.
Tom Sermanni made two changes at the half, bringing on Caitlin Foord and Tash Prior in the places of Heyman and Catley. Both proved to be excellent substitutions, providing energy and stability in the second half.
Australia had another big chance missed through Cooney-Cross in the 51st minute, when the midfielder found herself once again in an unfamiliar position and unable to make the hard work of Raso’s run and perfect cross pay off. A few minutes later, Foord had her first opportunity of the match that saw an impressive shot fly just wide.
A theme of this match was the Australian players who needed to prove themselves stepping up and playing well. Hunt looked like the player the country fell in love with during the world cup again, Van Egmond was reminiscent of her younger self, and Charli Grant had her best game in a good while.
Australia finally found the goal they had been chasing through Raso, when she controlled Grant’s cross beautifully and pushed it through a few Colombian defenders. While the goal took a big deflection, it was all the Matildas needed for a brief sigh of relief.
Colombia took the lead again with a lucky goal as Catalina Usme’s shot took a big deflection, leaving Micah powerless. Usme was completely unmarked at the top of the box, with the brief lapse in concentration by the midfield and defense making Australia pay.
The Matildas continued to work away, having several efforts look promising as the clock ticked away. Fowler created a few good chances, finding her feet more in this match than in the previous two.
Ultimately, Colombia were the team that made their chances count. Their game management was impressive as they held on and proved they believed more.
It was not the result Australia wanted to cap off a thoroughly disappointing tournament, but it was a much better game on all accounts. The defense looked much stronger, with Hunt and Micah both having great performances that should cement their roles as starters. The midfield and attack still has work to do when it comes to shots on goal and capitalizing on errors, but the build-up play was far better.
Teams: COLOMBIA (4-3-3): Giraldo, Guzman, Caracas, Alvarez, Quejada, Martinez, Usme, Ramirez, Santos, Bonilla, Caicedo. Substitutes: Agudelo, Tapia, Arias, Montoya, Restrepo, Reyes, Pavi, Torres, Chacon.
Scorers: Bonilla 15’, Usme 73’.
AUSTRALIA (4-2-3-1): Micah, Carpenter, Hunt, Catley, Grant, Gorry, Cooney-Cross, Emily Van Egmond, Raso, Yallop, Heyman. Substitutes: Arnold, Kennedy, Fowler, McNamara, Prior, Murphy, Torpey, Foord, Freier, Galic, Lincoln.
Scorer: Raso 69’.
Referee: Katja Koroleva (USA)
Attendance: 10,072.
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