In her first international start in almost a year, Mary Fowler netted Australia’s second goal in Thursday’s convincing 4-0 win over Iran in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.<\/p>\n
Cameron Spencer\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Mary Fowler<\/a> marked her first start for Australia<\/a> in nearly a year with a goal as the Matildas thrashed Iran<\/a> 4-0<\/a> in a dominant Women’s Asian Cup win.<\/p>\n There were fears Manchester City<\/a> star Fowler would miss this year’s tournament on home soil when she suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury last April.<\/p>\n But after making a rapid return, Fowler showed she has lost no sharpness to grab a goal as Australia raced out to a 3-0 halftime lead on the Gold Coast on Thursday.<\/p>\n Alanna Kennedy<\/a>, who grabbed a brace, added to the Matildas’ goal tally after the break, in front of a crowd of 22,398.<\/p>\n The only downside to the night for the Matildas was that Hayley Raso<\/a> failed to finish the match due to a suspected concussion.<\/p>\n The result keeps Australia in second place in Group A, behind South Korea<\/a> by just one goal’s difference.<\/p>\n Those two sides meet in Sydney on Sunday to determine who will top the group and the Koreans look set to provide a much sterner test of the Matildas’ credentials than Iran.<\/p>\n Australia dominated from start to finish in a game for which all the build-up had focused on Iran’s political uncertainty and the tears of 21-year-old forward Sara Didar<\/a>.<\/p>\n Unlike their group game against South Korea earlier this week, Iranian players sang and performed a military salute during their national anthem after anti-regime protesters held a pre-game rally outside of the Gold Coast Stadium.<\/p>\n But their hopes of frustrating Australia into submission were quickly put to bed when Amy Sayer<\/a> gave Joe Montemurro’s side the lead after eight minutes.<\/p>\n Sayer unleashed a cross from deep on the right but Iranian goalkeeper Maryam Yektaei<\/a> misjudged the ball’s flight as it sailed over her head and into the back of the net.<\/p>\n Caitlin Foord<\/a> then had a goal ruled out for offside before providing the spark for Fowler’s first of the tournament.<\/p>\n Yektaei was unable to deal with a Foord delivery with the rebound falling kindly for Fowler to tap in with a 27th-minute finish.<\/p>\n Kennedy further strengthened Australia’s advantage when the reinvented defensive midfielder made a charge into the Iranian box and smashed home a Sam Kerr<\/a> lay-off.<\/p>\n Kerr, like Foord, had a first-half goal chalked off and looked set to get on the scoresheet when Australia was awarded a penalty early into the first half following a handball by Golnoosh Khosravi<\/a>.<\/p>\n