Key events
Show key events only
Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
But that’s about all that’s needed from me tonight. I’ve been Joey Lynch and thanks for keeping me company as the Matildas saw off 2025 and the last of their fixtures before next year’s Asian Cup with a 2-0 win over New Zealand.
Samantha Lewis’ match-report will be with you shortly.
But for now, let’s sign off by sending one final congratulations to Annalie Longo at the end of a magnificent career.
It’s now the turn of Montemurro to chat with Andy Harper on the broadcast – candid as ever with his thoughts and goals for the game.
I’m proud of the players. They’ve they’ve really taken to the ideas. I asked tonight to take a little bit more risk at times. You saw that we were one-on-one at the back when we were attacking — which didn’t bother me. We’ve got to get used to that if we want to create overloads against teams that that do bank up a lot. They were playing a 4-1-4-1 so they were quite dense and midfield and quite deep. I think we got caught once in the first half [in transition] and once in the second half. But it’s that risk reward, isn’t it? When you when you have a lot of the ball and then you want to be able to be proactive; those things are going to happen. We’ve learned a lot this camp. You could feel that the players have really bought into the ideas. They want to keep the ball, they want find moments. They want to be they want to be proactive. That pleases me leading up into the tournament.
Because [New Zealand was] very, very deep, we probably couldn’t keep them close enough to us and maybe, because we push numbers forward beyond their line, we probably didn’t get [close to goal] quick enough, especially in the middle. But look, I think we control most of the most of the actions. It was a good precursor, because that’s going to be some ideas that we’re going to come up against in the Asian Cup. So it helped us to get some good pictures and some good ideas.
One [thing] tonight that was very, very important; you saw Alanna Kennedy as a deep lying midfielder, sometimes as a centre-back. We want our centre-backs to be proactive. You saw Steph Catley pushing forward, — Clare Hunt, not so much — but when you’ve got that protection in front of midfield, we can rotate it. And it hurts things, because it’s a way of breaking down teams. When you can send centre-backs forward and then it becomes a chain reaction; we can go forward. We ticked a lot of things. We ticked a lot of combinations. I got to see a lot of ideas. And the good thing about it is that the fluidity of the ideas are starting to come out.
It’s nice to control games. It’s nice to come out here and see, see a team in green and gold control the action and control the game — which is something we’ve been talking about a lot.
Looking over at the probably favourites for next year’s Asian Cup, Nadeshiko Japan have made it back-to-back wins over Canada this evening, defeating the North Americans in Nagasaki.
FT | 🇯🇵 Japan 1️⃣-0️⃣ Canada 🇨🇦
Nadeshiko edge their North American opponents at the Transcosmos Stadium Nagasaki! pic.twitter.com/BHez3MZKnq
— AFC Women’s Football (@TheAWCL) December 2, 2025
It’s now the turn of Steph Catley to chat with Harps, providing the insights we’ve come to expect from one of Australian football’s greatest ever.
I think [the two wins were] a result of a lot of things sort of coming together. It was nice after the England game – where we didn’t get to implement any kind of time on the ball or anything that would have been working on in possession, because we went down 10 quite quickly. It’s been nice to put that all together, especially leading into the Asian Cup. We haven’t had long with Joe, but we’ve been working really, really hard on and off the pitch to make sure we’re ready. To score some goals, play some good football, and just have time together was, was really, really important.
We’ve had limited time [with Montemurro] and at times we’ve had players in and out of the squad. But the way Joe coaches and his philosophy is quite… easy to understand and it’s easy to grow into. It sort of allows people to show their strengths as individuals. But the foundations of what we’re doing are very, very clear. I think everyone has settled really, really nicely and there’s a lot of confidence in the squad. Sometimes, I think that’s the most important thing. As long as we believe in what we’re doing and believe in each other, then we can go a long way.
Harps has now moved over to Annalie Longo, whose legendary Football Ferns career has now come to and end.
I’m immensly proud of the girls tonight. To turn around in a few days, and, I think, put in a much better performance today. I’m pretty proud, I’ve given everything to this jersey. I’m excited for the legacy to come. I know there’s a lot of hard work [to come] but I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve done.
I’ve love playing here in Australia and New Zealand. I spent most of my career in A-League. So I appreciate all the support. And thank you to my family. They’ve been immense throughout the whole thing. So, a special thank you to all the support crew back home for giving me for so much.
After scoring in both of the Matildas’ wins over New Zealand this window, Raso is speaking with Andy Harper on the broadcast.
I love playing for Australia. It’s my happy place and I feel like I thrive here. I’m delighted to get those goals but even happier they get the win leading into the Asian Cup.
There’s good feels around the camp. We’re obviously preparing for the Asian Cup; so everything we’re doing now is for that. We’re all working really well together. We’re looking forward and making sure we’re focused on what’s ahead, but we wanted to get two wins in these games in preparation for that.
I’m definitely feeling good. I really like playing here and playing for Australia. I’m fit, I’m in a good training environment [at Eintracht Frankfurt] and getting good games in, week in, week out. So then I come here and I’m ready to go.
ShareFull Time: Australia 2-0 New Zealand
The final whistle rings out and brings to an end the last game the Matildas will play before next year’s Women’s Asian Cup.
It wasn’t quite as overpowering nor as comfortable as it was in Gosford last week but the Australians largely cruised to the win tonight; holding most of the ball and appearing to focus on trying to execute a slower, more deliberate strategy decreed by Montemurro.
After his eighth game in charge, in his third window, has the coach, who was appointed after a year-long search for Tony Gustavsson’s departure, had long enough to nail down what he wants to see and achieve what he wants to achieve? Especially given that he hasn’t really had his strongest squad the whole time? Probably not as long as he would have wanted, to be sure, ‘Pep’ very much a football tragic that loves diving in and out of everything football, but we only find out if he’s had enough next March.
Importantly, after last month’s lowpoint inflicted by England, that makes it two wins from two in this window and ensure that the vibes and confidence will be on an upward trajectory heading into next year’s tournament.
Kerr and Carpenter’s play in the first half, alongside Foord and Raso, carried particular promise, with the striker putting in perhaps her best performance since returning from an ACL injury as the fulcrum of her side’s attack. Add Gorry and Cooney-Cross behind them, with Wheeler holding down the fort behind them, and it presents an intriguing proposition.
That’s now two straight clean-sheets, too, with Catley looking assured marshalling the side from centre-back.
90+6 Mins: With potentially the last attack of the game the Matildas look to get Gorry down the right but she runs out of real estate in her pursuit of the ball. Goal kick.
90+4 Mins: Brown comes back on and is soon back in the action, finding Riley in a bit of space on the right. She opens up an angle as Catley closes in to shoot from outside the box but Micah has it read well and gets behind it with plenty of time to spare.
90+2 Mins: A break in play as Brown goes down requiring treatment. Looks like she’s okay but she has to leave the park as play resumes.
90+1 Mins: Johnson gets the ball to Gorry at the top of the box but there’s not a lot of power behind the midfielder’s resulting shot and Santos makes the claim.
90 Mins: Johnson finds herself out on the right and sends in a cross looking for Nevin at the far post but Bott, once more, is there to get in the way; sending it out for a throw-in.
88 Mins: Longo dances one way and then the other inside the penalty area to lose Catley and set up a shot, going away from goal, but the veteran is denied a goal on farwell.
86 Mins: Cooney-Cross tries to catch Santos napping with a cheeky, high-angle effort from the resulting free kick but the debutant keeper, on the second time of asking, grabs the ball.
85 Mins: The newly introduced Johnson tries to bustle her way past Bott and just as it looks like she’s succeeded, a professional foul from the defender halts her progress. Free kick Australia, Cooney-Cross and Catley standing over it.
84 Mins: There’s been a bit of drive added to the Australian midfield since Gorry was subbed on but ‘Mini’ was left reeling there, sliding in to lay a challenge and copping an (completely unintentional) errant knee from Riley.
83 Mins: Foord has been one of Australia’s best (as ever) across this series but she’s going to have to leave without a goal, replaced by Kahli Johnson.
Emma Pijnenburg, meanwhile, has replaced Taylor for the Ferns.
82 Mins: Foord again goes close! Cooney-Cross is probably fouled on the edge of the area but her teammate plays advantage in grabbing the ball and shooting, only for debutant keeper Santos to get down low and keep it out.
80 Mins: Foord just cannot buy a goal. Despite her throwing money at anything that comes her way.
On this occasion, McNamara and Cooney-Cross combine to get the latter into some space on the left that she can use to fire in a cross to her Arsenal teammate near the far post. The resulting header, though, finds the side netting.
78 Mins: Polar bears in Arlington, Texas and Hunt winding up to try her luck from long-range. The attempt goes about as you’d expect: well over the bar.
77 Mins: The ball comes to Foord, relentlessly chasing a goal of her own, but her effort from the top of the penalty area goes over the goal.
76 Mins: The Matildas have had over 70% of the ball throughout this game but their latest foray forward doesn’t trouble the visitors: McNamara escorted out as she tries to chase down a ball played in behind.
Fresh off her goal, Raso makes way for Kyra Cooney-Cross.
75 Mins: Maybe some signs the game might open up for its final 15 minutes after that goal? A bit of speed is injected into the game as both sides exchange a series of turnovers in the middle of the park, with the ball eventually going out for a Ferns throw in.
ShareGoal! Australia 2-0 New Zealand (Raso 70′)
There’s the two goal buffer that should seal this win for the Australians.
An out-swinging corner is sent in by Catley from the right, triggering a series of unfortunate events for Kitching and the Football Fern backline.
Raso rises to try and meet the delivery but it beats her and smashes Kitching straight in the face – a proper falcon – and as she goes down and her teammates are looking for the ball Raso is pouncing, bending it into the net to make it two-goals in two games.
Kitching has remained down on the surface after the goal and the Sunderland midfielder is going to be forced off, replaced by Maya Hahn.
Updated at 06.26 EST
67 Mins: Foord attempts to find a teammate in the box but as she has done on many an occasion this evening, Bunge is there to block it away.
Catley and Nevin work a short corner routine in the next phase but there are plenty of players wearing black behind the ball and they comfortably see of any hint of danger.
65 Mins: Two changes for the Ferns, as Annalie Longo and Lara Wall replace Foster and Katie Kitching.
It marks the 144th and final time that Longo, an Olympian and World Cup winner, will take the field for New Zealand, with the beloved veteran set to retire at the end of this game. She takes the armband from Taylor as she comes on.
64 Mins: As you may have guessed from the last update, Gorry has come on. So has Yallop, replacing van Egmond and Wheeler.
63 Mins: Almost a second for the Australians! A backpass is left by Bunge for Santos… but the keeper isn’t coming to claim it. Raso swoops and forces Bunge to scramble desperately to see off disaster.
The Matildas swarm the box in response but Gorry’s attempt to deftly chip a shot in from the of of the box goes over the bar.
62 Mins: The Matildas once again spread the pitch and their opponent out as they try to fashion a chance. They eventually work the ball to McNamara but Rennie pounces quickly to snuff out the danger.
60 Mins: Commentator and former Matilda Grace Gill says that the game has started to ‘meander’ as the game hits the hour mark. Have to agree with her, a game that wasn’t quick to begin with has slowed in this second half.
59 Mins: Something has definitely gone out of the Matildas attack since Kerr and Carpenter left the field, the former’s facilitation and hold-up play decidedly absent when they look to combine on the edge of the area and the surging ones of the other notable in their absence as the Kiwi defence maintains its shape.
58 Mins: Looks like Tameka Yallop and Katrina Gorry are preparing to come on.
Torpey lifts a ball towards the far post but it’s too close to Santos, who claims.
58 Mins: The Matildas look to get the ball up the pitch quickly but Foster is once again aware of the danger presented by Raso and marshals the winger’s run to ensure the ball sent forward goes out for a goal kick.
57 Mins: Bott wins the ball of McNamara deep in her own half, before Foord brings down Kate Taylor from behind and affords the Ferns an opportunity to clear their lines with a free kick… one that goes straight out for an Australian throw-in. Womp womp.
55 Mins: Foord didn’t get on the scoresheet in Gosford and you can see how desperate she is to get one tonight, the Arsenal midfielder straying into an offside position before Raso plays her a ball on the counter.
54 Mins: Catley whips in an in-swinging corner and Hunt shapes to fly for it but crashes into a moshpit of players, with the ball sailing over said pack and promptly cleared away.