Australia 5-0 Malawi
By Kieran Yap 11/4/26
Above: Leticia McKenna commemorates a first cap for The Matildas. Photo: Football Australia
Australia has defeated Malawi 5-0 in the opening game of The FIFA Series. Emily Van egmond, Sam Kerr scored in the first half, while Alex Chidiac and Holly McNamara added more after the break. Leticia McKenna made her senior debut for Australia in the convincing win.
With several big names missing or rested, Matildas coach Joe Montemurro still managed to name a familiar looking lineup. Emily Van egmond started at the point of a midfield that combined Alex Chidiac and Clare Wheeler. Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso started up front, while the back four consisted of Charlie Rule, Winonah Heatley, Courtney Nevin and Kaitlyn Torpey.
Australia got off to the best possible start, a quickly taken free kick saw Van egmond race behind the Malwai defence and flick the ball beyond the onrushing goalkeeper. Despite going a goal down, Malawi did not look eager to chase the game, sitting back in with all players behind the ball, neither flooding the defence not pressing particularly high.
This made for an open, but slightly slow paced game. It allowed Australia to pass the ball around with relative ease, and dictate the pace and timing of attacks. The game plan looked to get Chidiac and Van egmond near into attack and slip passes behind the defence for the likes of Raso and Torpey to cross.
Malawi’s defence were sometimes isolated but well disciplined, and able to catch Australia’s attack offside on multiple occasions and were able to deal with most of the crosses, until Foord’s ball from the right landed with Kerr who finished on the half volley.
Malawi had a chance to pull one back, when a free kick caused chaos in the Matildas penalty area. Mackenzie Arnold was eventually able to save after initially stopping the first effort with her face, and Australia maintained their advantage.
Deborah Henry’s pace and mobility caused Australia some problems with her introduction in the second half. She was busy on both flanks, but her shots were off target despite getting into some dangerous positions.
Australia’s lead extended on the hour mark. Alex Chidiac, in a best afield performance drove through midfield and took advantage of the retreating defence to score from the edge of the box with her left boot. The popular midfielder last scored for Australia in 2023 and proved her value with an outstanding, performance that allowed her to play in her best position, a rare occurrence with the national team.
With the result secure, Montemurro made more changes off the bench, and the subs made an impact. Jamilla Rankin set up Holly McNamara for a tap in to score Australia’s fourth and Leticia McKenna calmly finished in added time to make the win feel extra special with a goal on debut.
The result was never in doubt, and the match was not a particularly compelling contest, but there were things to be taken from this match.
Montemurro’s game plan continues to evolve, but his ideal style of play is becoming more apparent. While most of his predecessors employed long, often aerial passes to get behind the defence, This version of The Matildas clearly aim to keep the ball o the ground and pass sharply.
Building from the back has always been an ambition of this national side, but in Heatley they have a player who can make quick decisions and hit targets with confidence. It sounds simple, but it helps to break the press when the ball moves quickly through it, instead of cautiously. It also meant that even without Ellie Carpenter on the flank, Australia did not obviously lack pace.
The use of Chidiac and Mckenna after her, also demonstrated that Montemurro not only likes to use a traditional number 10, but knows how to get the best out of them. This has been a role that Australian fans have loved to talk about, but the team has rarely been able to really deploy, with most attacks going down the wings as a first option.
The midfield combinations and the square passing of the fullbacks allowed the likes of Chidiac to receive the ball inboard, and importantly while facing goal, The first half probably contained more crosses than intended, but the second showed a closer version of what this team wants to play.
Mckenna’s debut was a long awaited moment for many A-League Women fans. She has been a promising talent since bursting onto the scene as a 17 year old with Perth Glory, and has developed her game at Brisbane Roar and then Melbourne City where she has become one of the dominant and certainly most complete attacking midfielders in the country.
An outstanding ASEAN tournament where she lifted the trophy with the Australian U23 side late last year and the position the plays for the three time premiers, made her inclusion one of the best stories of this camp. That she scored on debut was great reward for the work she has put in to rise into Australia’s elite category. She is both a player you can build a team around and one that can be brought on to impact games, and this should be the first of many caps.
There was a lot to like about this performance, and while the starting lineup may have been too familiar to many fans hoping to see a more experimental XI, it did ensure that Australia had control early, and then could try to employ different tactics and personnel. It is a hard balance for the coach as he embarks on the unenviable task of introducing the next generation. New faces as a must, but they also have to be able to play alongside the stars. The only way to do that is to put them in the same environment and give them a chance to flourish.
This game did that, and while the match itself was not so compelling, it did give Australian fans reasons to be excited.
Teams: AUSTRALIA (4-3-3): Arnold, Torpey, Rule, Heatley, Nevin, Wheeler, Chidiac, Van Egmond, Raso, Foord, Kerr. Substitutes: Nash, Rankin, Gomez, Lincoln, Kennedy, Sayer, Aquino, McKenna, McNamara, Siemsen.
Goals: Van Egmond 5’ Kerr 41’ Chidiac 60’ McNamara 86’ McKenna 94’
Malawi (4-5-1): Sikelo, Madise, Khumalo, Alufandika, Mkandawire, Chinyamula, Kafzere, Chinzimu, Mulimbika, Thom, Chikupira. Substitutes: V Mkandawire, Chavula, Phikani, Maulidi, Kaonga, Dickson, Nguluwe, Henry, Banda, James, Sani.
Referee: TBC
Attendance: TBC
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