The Matildas trumped France with a 1-Zero victory of their ultimate warm-up match earlier than the World Cup, however Friday evening’s win was marred by a gutting harm blow.
Lower than every week out from Australia’s tournament-opening conflict with the Republic of Eire, to be performed at Sydney Olympic Park subsequent Thursday evening, midfielder Tameka Yallop hobbled from the sector with a knee harm at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium.
Yallop hyperextended her left leg as she challenged for the ball within the second half, earlier than leaving the sector and wrapping her knee in ice.
READ MORE: ‘Too fast for him’: Ashes villain taunts Aussies
READ MORE: Why Maroons icon believes Tino ‘owes the Titans’
READ MORE: Wimbledon ‘choke’ job opens door for Jabeur
The French additionally suffered an harm blow with defender Selma Bacha spraining her left ankle whereas contesting for the ball within the second half.
As Bacha was stretchered from the sector, Matildas defender Ellie Carpenter — who performs with Bacha at Olympique Lyonnais — was in tears.
The Matildas scored the sport’s solely objective by means of younger gun Mary Fowler, who was substituted on and got here up with an aesthetic end within the 66th minute.
A sequence of passes started with Matildas goalkeeper Clare Hunt and located Hayley Raso on the best wing, with the ahead taking a darting run and firing the ball in to Fowler, who was lurking simply exterior the six-yard field.
Fowler gained management of the ball and rocketed it previous the French goalkeeper, sending a record-breaking crowd delirious.
A 50,629-strong crowd — the biggest attendance for a senior Australian girls’s soccer match — had piled into Marvel Stadium to see Sam Kerr and her teammates tackle France.
“I already knew the whole lot about these women, however it’s good to point out it in entrance of an enormous crowd and get the group behind us earlier than subsequent week,” Kerr informed Community 10 after the match.
Catley, French star conflict heads
“These women each week — we play collectively, it is a tremendous workforce, it is a tremendous feeling and I am so excited for subsequent week.”
Though a record-breaking crowd swarmed to Marvel Stadium on Friday evening, the group set to pack into Accor Stadium subsequent Thursday evening is bound to be even greater.
“We have been ready for this second for a really very long time and it is a dream come true to carry the World Cup residence to (Australia),” mentioned Kerr, who was substituted off about 60 minutes into Friday evening’s match.
“This crowd’s been superb and because of this we do it — for the followers.
“It has been an unbelievable week and hopefully (it is) an unbelievable month to come back.”
The Matildas are grouped with the Republic of Eire, Canada and Nigeria for the World Cup, to be held in Australia and New Zealand.
For a day by day dose of the perfect of the breaking information and unique content material from Broad World of Sports activities, subscribe to our e-newsletter by clicking right here!
