{"id":537514,"date":"2026-03-13T09:49:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T09:49:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/537514\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T09:49:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T09:49:16","slug":"womens-asian-cup-2026-live-updates-matildas-take-on-north-korea-in-blockbuster-quarterfinal-in-perth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/537514\/","title":{"rendered":"Women’s Asian Cup 2026 live updates: Matildas take on North Korea in blockbuster quarterfinal in Perth"},"content":{"rendered":"

2m agoFri 13 Mar 2026 at 9:46am<\/p>\n

What’s on in Perth tonight?\"Amanda<\/p>\n

20,000 capacity , not a sellout ? Seems a bit strange? Anything else on in Perth tonight ?<\/p>\n

– Phillip<\/p>\n

To be fair, looking at the seat map, there are probably only a few hundred seats left.<\/p>\n

But after murmurs from some fans that this game should have been moved to the bigger Perth Stadium (60,000 capacity), it seems organisers made the right call to stay put.<\/p>\n

3m agoFri 13 Mar 2026 at 9:45am<\/p>\n

ICYMI: North Korea refuses to play after offside decision\"Henry\"A(Getty Images)<\/p>\n

In its final group game against China, North Korea provided us with the most sensational moment of the Asian Cup to date.<\/p>\n

After VAR handed China a goal in first-half stoppage time, the North Korean players gathered on the touchline, protesting with the officials and refusing to play the remainder of the first period.<\/p>\n

Eventually, the half-time whistle blew without the game being restarted.<\/p>\n

North Korea has something of a reputation for those types of theatrics, so don’t be surprised if we’re treated to something similar this evening.<\/p>\n

9m agoFri 13 Mar 2026 at 9:39am<\/p>\n

Torpey to turn it on\"Amanda<\/p>\n

With Steph Catley\u00a0out of this game with concussion, there was a lot of intrigue over who would fill the void at left back.<\/p>\n

Coach Joe Montemurro\u00a0has opted for Kaitlyn Torpey, who is an incredibly versatile player that can make an impact up front, or from the back, and is a composed presence.<\/p>\n

\"\"(Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Montemurro told Paramount+ she can get the job done.<\/p>\n

“We felt from a technical, tactical position, she could really fill that void,” he said.<\/p>\n

“She’s played big games before, she knows what it’s all about and we have complete faith in her.”<\/p>\n

10m agoFri 13 Mar 2026 at 9:38am<\/p>\n

Scout report: Well-drilled, physical North Korea up for the fight\"Henry<\/p>\n

Playing its first major international tournament since 2011, three-time Asian Cup winner North Korea has returned to the world stage with serious intent.<\/p>\n

The Eastern Azaleas were aggressive and oh so impressive in the group stage, pressing high in midfield and cramping their opponents for room, especially in the first half of matches.<\/p>\n

The Matildas will need to be composed, well-discipline and have their wits about them if they are to book a semi-final berth.<\/p>\n

Here is our take on what Australia can expect from a full-throttle, well-drilled side this evening.<\/p>\n

18m agoFri 13 Mar 2026 at 9:30amDPRK team news: Finally, a change!\"Henry\"North(Paramount Plus)<\/p>\n

For the first time at the Asian Cup, North Korea coach Ri Song Ho has made a change to his starting XI!<\/p>\n

It’s at left back, where Song Chun Sim comes in for Hwang Yu Yong.<\/p>\n

Otherwise, it’s the same team that earned DPRK second spot in Group B.<\/p>\n

Myong Yu Jong, who has netted four goals at the tournament already, will be the creative hub in midfield, while striker Kim Kyong Yong will undoubtedly be a handful for Australian central defenders Clare Hunt and Wini Heatley.<\/p>\n

The side will set up in a disciplined, high-pressing 4-4-2.<\/p>\n

19m agoFri 13 Mar 2026 at 9:28am<\/p>\n

Quarterfinal schedule\"Henry<\/p>\n

So, tonight’s match between the Matildas and North Korea is the first of four quarterfinals at the 2026 Asian Cup.<\/p>\n

Here’s the full schedule (times in AEDT):<\/p>\n

Today, 9pm, Perth Rectangular Stadium: Australia (A2) vs North Korea (B2)Saturday, 4pm, Perth Rectangular Stadium: China (B1) vs Chinese Taipei (C2)Saturday, 8pm, Stadium Australia: South Korea (A1) vs Uzbekistan (3B)Sunday, 8pm, Stadium Australia: Japan (C1) vs Philippines (A3)<\/p>\n

23m agoFri 13 Mar 2026 at 9:25am<\/p>\n

Tickets still available\"Amanda<\/p>\n

This is a PSA for anyone in the vicinity of Perth Rectangular Stadium – there are still tickets available!<\/p>\n

The smaller venue being used in Perth only seats 20,000 fans, so I’m pretty surprised that it’s not at capacity with kick-off imminent.<\/p>\n

This tournament has smashed all kinds of attendance records, thanks largely to the big turnouts to the Matildas games, but there’s yet to be a sell-out.<\/p>\n

26m agoFri 13 Mar 2026 at 9:22am<\/p>\n

North Korea players to watch\"Henry<\/p>\n

\u00a0Despite being all but absent from international competition for 16 years, North Korea has remained a titan of junior football.<\/p>\n

The country’s world-leading women’s football infrastructure has seen the U17 and U20 teams continue to dominate the global game, combining for three World Cups since 2024 alone.<\/p>\n

The North Korean side at this tournament is very youthful, featuring just a couple players over the age of 26 and boasting a number of the stars from those all-conquering youth sides.<\/p>\n

Choe Il Son is yet to start a game in Australia, but was an impactful second-half substitute against both Bangladesh and China. The 19-year-old attacker was the best player and top scorer at the U20 tournament in 2024, and is undoubtedly one of the most exciting young players in world football.<\/p>\n

\"\"(Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Kim Kyong Yong is the side’s star centre-forward. She’s already netted three times at this tournament, taking her international record to 29 goals from 21 games.<\/p>\n

\"\"(Getty Images)<\/p>\n

And Myong Yu Jong is one to keep an eye on in central midfield. She will see a lot of the ball and will orchestrate many of her side’s attacks, while also pushing forward into the final third.<\/p>\n

\"\"(Getty Images)<\/p>\n

33m agoFri 13 Mar 2026 at 9:15am<\/p>\n

Raso, Catley sidelined\"Henry\"\"(Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The Matildas will be without two of their biggest stars tonight, with both Hayley Raso and Steph Catley sidelined due to concussion.<\/p>\n

Catley copped a ball to the face while defending a cross against South Korea on Sunday, leaving the field in the first half.<\/p>\n

Raso, meanwhile, hasn’t been since Australia’s 4-0 victory over Iran last Thursday, in which the tenacious winger wore two separate stray crosses to the head.<\/p>\n

\"\"(Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Ouch.<\/p>\n

34m agoFri 13 Mar 2026 at 9:14amMatildas team news: Van Egmond, Torpey in from the start\"Henry<\/p>\n

So, a slight reshuffle for the Matildas.<\/p>\n

As expected, there’s a change at left back, with Kaitlyn Torpey coming in for the concussed Steph Catley. That means Courtney Nevin, who had a tough time after replacing Catley against South Korea, is on the bench.<\/p>\n

Clare Hunt and Wini Heatley line up in the centre of defence with the ever-reliable Ellie Carpenter to their right.<\/p>\n

In midfield, Emily van Egmond starts at the point of midfield, making her 169th international appearance and becoming the Matildas’ equal-most capped player. What an achievement.<\/p>\n

Katrina Gorry and four-goal Alanna Kennedy will be doing the running behind her.<\/p>\n

Up front, it’s Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord and Mary Fowler. Not a bad forward three.<\/p>\n

And Mackenzie Arnold, after making her first tournament appearance in the final group game, continues in goal.<\/p>\n

56m agoFri 13 Mar 2026 at 8:52am<\/p>\n

Welcome!\"Henry\"\"(Getty Images)<\/p>\n

I hope none of you are too attached to your fingernails, because they may well be gone by the end of tonight.<\/p>\n

Welcome to ABC Sport’s online coverage of the Matildas’ Asian Cup quarterfinal with North Korea.<\/p>\n

It is bound to be a night of high drama in Perth as the Australians come up against one of the true giants of women’s football.<\/p>\n

My name is Henry Hanson, and I’ll be joined by Chris de Silva and Amanda Shalala to bring you all the action from the imaginatively named Perth Rectangular Stadium.<\/p>\n

Sit down, strap yourself in – we have quite the night ahead of us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"2m agoFri 13 Mar 2026 at 9:46am What’s on in Perth tonight? 20,000 capacity , not a sellout…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":537515,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[563],"tags":[41432,64,63,266572,596,28533,266569,266084,266571,266570,266568,46,266573,81246,44965,85,117713,256521],"class_list":["post-537514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-asian-cup","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-north-korea","tag-football","tag-mary-fowler","tag-matildas-game","tag-matildas-north-korea","tag-matildas-perth","tag-matildas-tonight","tag-matildas-vs-north-korea","tag-perth","tag-perth-rectangular-stadium","tag-quarterfinal","tag-sam-kerr","tag-sports","tag-the-matildas","tag-womens-asian-cup-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=537514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537514\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/537515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=537514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=537514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=537514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}