Japan celebrated its 1-0 win<\/a>, the Matildas slumped to the Stadium Australia turf at full-time wondering how on earth that was the final scoreline.<\/p>\nSome shook their heads in disbelief; others shed a tear. <\/p>\n
How else can you feel when a performance like that ends in losing the final of an Asian Cup on home soil?<\/p>\n
They\u2019d emptied the tank. Effort, heart and desire. They were all there. The only thing missing was the finishing.<\/p>\n
Wonder strike seals Asian Cup for Japan | 00:37<\/p>\n
Another major tournament ends in a near miss for the golden generation and Japan are crowned Asian Cup champions – they have been magnificent to watch \u2013 but there\u2019s also a sense of the Matildas still being at the start of a journey rather than the end.<\/p>\n
Joe Montemurro has been in charge for just nine months. The decider was his 13th match at the helm of the national side. Six of those fixtures have come in tournament football where winning at any cost is more important than how you win. It\u2019s not an environment conducive to forging an identity.<\/p>\n
Montemurro now has 15 months to do that on the road to the Women\u2019s World Cup in Brazil next year. This tournament has provided plenty of learnings.<\/p>\n
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 21: Matildas Head Coach Joe Montemurro walks past the AFC Women’s Asian Cup trophy after accepting his runners-up medal following the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 match between Australia Matildas and Japan at Stadium Australia on March 21, 2026 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
A MOMENT OF CLASS BUT MATILDAS NOT OUTCLASSED<\/p>\n
In the 17th minute, Maika Hamano received the ball in the tightest of spaces near the edge of the box, turned and through a gap that only momentarily existed in between<\/p>\n
Alanna Kennedy and Kyra Cooney-Cross sent the ball flying past the outstretched arms of Mackenzie Arnold and into the net. It was like a runaway helium balloon; constantly out of reach and floating away.<\/p>\n
It was Japan\u2019s 29th goal in their sixth game of the tournament. What followed was not an easy march towards goal number 30, 31 or 32. Instead, Japan was met with a<\/p>\n
fierce Matildas fightback and although it ultimately didn\u2019t lead to the result they were after it did show there wasn\u2019t the expected gulf between the two sides.<\/p>\n
The newly crowned Asian Cup champions are now the fifth best side in the world on the latest FIFA rankings. They looked calm and composed on the ball as usual and<\/p>\n
there\u2019s certainly some room for improvement on that front for the Matildas, but if this was a boxing bout the Aussies might\u2019ve got knocked down in the second round but<\/p>\n
certainly had claims to have won every round on the judges\u2019 scorecard from that point on.<\/p>\n
Asked post-game what the difference between the two sides was, Montemurro put it simply.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey scored a wonderful goal in the first half and we didn\u2019t,\u201d he told Ten.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe probably needed that little bit of final pass in the first half; second half we found it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe probably played better football in the second half.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re one of the best in the world so credit to the girls, credit to the performance it just wasn\u2019t our night.\u201d<\/p>\n
The stat sheet saw the Matildas end the match with 54 per cent of possession and 16 shots with six on target. Japan had 12 shots and four on target.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything more we could\u2019ve given that game,\u201d Mary Fowler said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think on another day we would\u2019ve put one of the shots in the back of the net so I\u2019m just proud of the effort and output the girls put in.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s mixed feelings because I think there\u2019s a lot of positives to take out of tonight. Obviously, it hurts being so close to winning and then not getting it in the end<\/p>\n
– especially in a game where it felt like we really could\u2019ve won that – but I think we\u2019ve just got to regroup and take out the positives from this tournament because it has<\/p>\n
been a really good tournament for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 21: Mary Fowler of the Matildas watches on during the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 match between Australia Matildas and Japan at Stadium Australia on March 21, 2026 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
AUSTRALIA MISSING CLINICAL TOUCH<\/p>\n
Football can be a cruel game.<\/p>\n
The Matildas have played worse and scored at this tournament but failed to find the back of the net in what was their best performance so far.<\/p>\n
Australia almost hit the front inside 90 seconds. Sam Kerr\u2019s shot was turned behind for a corner. Chances for Caitlin Foord, Hayley Raso, Kaitlyn Torpey and Kennedy<\/p>\n
followed.<\/p>\n
Several of those were good chances too. Japan had three really dangerous looks at goal and scored with their first.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they beat us off just one moment,\u201d skipper Sam Kerr told Ten.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think for most of the game we had the better chances and definitely in the second half most of the possession. It was just one moment and unfortunately that\u2019s what<\/p>\n
football is decided on.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just moments. The last few games we\u2019ve had the moments and we\u2019ve taken them and tonight they just had an amazing goal. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s a missing part, I<\/p>\n
think this is just part of football, it just happens like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Montemurro spoke during the tournament about this part of the game. Seizing moments is not an exact science.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s one that leaves a manager feeling slightly helpless.<\/p>\n
He can build patterns of play that lead to goal scoring opportunities, but putting them away? That\u2019s where the magic dust is. Only the individual player can truly control<\/p>\n
that.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the big question in world football, isn\u2019t it?\u201d Montemurro said post-game.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou create chances and the players put them away.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn other games we had two and three chances and we scored two.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, I think we created more chances than we probably had the whole tournament and didn\u2019t score so how do you fix that efficiency?<\/p>\n
\u201cThe moment, the situation, having the coldness to put the ball in the back of the net.<\/p>\n
\u201cTonight, it didn\u2019t fall for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 21: Sam Kerr of the Matildas reacts during the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 match between Australia Matildas and Japan at Stadium Australia on March 21, 2026 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
FOORD FEELS THE WEIGHT OF THE DEFEAT<\/p>\n
Caitlin Foord was particularly harsh on herself after full-time; fighting back tears when asked about the missed chances by the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI take a lot of responsibility. I had three really, really big chances and I need to do better there so, yeah, it definitely hurts,\u201d she told Ten.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s the best we\u2019ve ever played against Japan. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s many games where we\u2019ve kind of dominated them in areas like we did tonight and it was just the end product that wasn\u2019t there tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 21: Mary Fowler and Caitlin Foord of the Matildas look dejected after losing the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 match between Australia Matildas and Japan at Stadium Australia on March 21, 2026 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
CATLEY\u2019S HEARTBREAKING POST-GAME INTERVIEW<\/p>\n
Steph Catley\u2019s post-game interview was particularly hard to watch.<\/p>\n
The defender, who made her debut for the Matildas in 2012, has spoken passionately in the past about the desire to achieve something tangible with the<\/p>\n
national team before this group is broken up.<\/p>\n
The accolades about being game changers, role models and history makers sit close to their hearts, and the side takes an immense amount of pride in what will be their<\/p>\n
eventual place in Australian football history. However, they want silverware to sit alongside the memories.<\/p>\n
This second-place finish now lies alongside back-to-back defeats in the Asian Cup final to Japan in 2014 and 2018. There are fourth place finishes at the Tokyo Olympics and 2023 FIFA Women\u2019s World Cup as well a group stage exit at the Paris Games in 2024.<\/p>\n
Opportunities are running out. Barring something incredible happening at the World Cup next year this might\u2019ve been the final chance.<\/p>\n
Asked on Ten moments after full-time to digest the defeat Catley said, \u201cprobably one of the hardest\u2026 oh I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m going to be able to do this,\u201d she stepped away slightly before composing herself and continuing.<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably one of the hardest of my career. I just think we did everything we could of, we did everything we set out to do and we played against an amazing side and we were brave and created chances and it just again wasn\u2019t to be, but so proud of this team, so proud to be part of this team and to represent what we do and yeah, it\u2019s a really tough one.\u201d<\/p>\n
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 21: Steph Catley of the Matildas reacts during the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 match between Australia Matildas and Japan at Stadium Australia on March 21, 2026 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
KENNEDY NAMED TOURNAMENT MVP<\/p>\n
Given the desire for collective honours an individual one will be cold comfort for Alanna Kennedy.<\/p>\n
The defender has transformed into a defensive midfielder under Montemurro and scored five goals on her way to being named the 2026 Women\u2019s Asian Cup MVP.<\/p>\n
It seems Kennedy and Montemurro were just about the only ones not surprised by her success.<\/p>\n
The switch has been seamless and it\u2019s a role she has performed regularly at club level despite being a centre back for most of her time in the international arena.<\/p>\n
Her inclusion in the middle of the park also lets Montemurro be tactically flexible.<\/p>\n
Kennedy can slot into her former position if the coach wants to substitute a defender for a midfielder while it also allows adventurous wing backs to push on in the<\/p>\n
knowledge that Kennedy can also cover the space left behind.<\/p>\n
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 21: Alanna Kennedy of the Matildas is presented with the MVP award following the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 match between Australia Matildas and Japan at Stadium Australia on March 21, 2026 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
HOW MANY OF THE GOLDEN GENERATION WILL MAKE THE 2027 WORLD CUP?<\/p>\n
Generational change is looming for the golden generation but it\u2019s highly unlikely to take place prior to next year\u2019s World Cup in Brazil.<\/p>\n
Mackenzie Arnold, Steph Catley, Emily van Egmond and Sam Kerr are 32, Alanna Kennedy, Hayley Raso and Caitlin Foord are 31 while Katrina Gorry is 33.<\/p>\n
These are not retirement numbers and our previous understanding of when athletes might decide to hang up the boots could need a rethink.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve still got the core group that are at the top level themselves so it\u2019s very hard to say bye bye because they\u2019re all playing Champions League, they\u2019re all playing top<\/p>\n
level football,\u201d Montemurro said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe, in my time when you were over 28 or 29 or 30 you were too old, but now days with our sport science and with our recovery and with our processes and our<\/p>\n
load management players can still play on.\u201d<\/p>\n
28-year-old Clare Wheeler, 26-year-old Kaitlyn Torpey, 25-year-old Ellie Carpenter and 24-year-old Kyra Cooney-Cross, Wini Heatley and Amy Sayer are in the next<\/p>\n
bracket down. Mary Fowler is still only 23.<\/p>\n
Carpenter, Fowler and Wheeler have already been exposed to plenty of pressure situations both internationally and domestically but as for the others and those coming behind, Montemurro wants them provided with the toughest tests in the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore regular, top international competition,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSimple as that.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to play top games, allowing the next group if you want to call it that to really be given the opportunity to feel what playing against the big crowd, playing in<\/p>\n
difficult conditions, what that means.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis sort of tournament football, at this level, is really about understanding and adapting to the situation and we just need that next generation \u2013 if you want to call it<\/p>\n
that \u2013 to be playing high level football.\u201d<\/p>\n
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 21: The Matildas look dejected after losing the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 match between Australia Matildas and Japan at Stadium Australia on March 21, 2026 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
CAN THIS TOURNAMENT PROVIDE A LASTING LEGACY?<\/p>\n
Professional Footballers Australia (PFA), the union representing players, called for the semi-professional A-League Women (ALW) to be relaunched as a fully professional competition after the Asian Cup.<\/p>\n
It was hoped something similar would happen after the World Cup in 2023. It didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
A PFA player survey from the 2024-25 season ranked the ALW as the \u201cleast preferred league among its own players, with concerns spanning remuneration, mental wellbeing, facilities and governance.\u201d<\/p>\n
A report entitled \u201cReady for Takeoff\u201d was then launched just months before the Asian Cup starting.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt shows how the league can become a thriving, fully professional competition that achieves its potential. The title reflects that the A-League Women is Australian sport\u2019s biggest opportunity,\u201d PFA Co-President and current Matilda Tameka Yallop said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy acting now, the game can capitalise on the success of the Matildas, the global rise of women\u2019s football, and the generational opportunity of this year\u2019s Women\u2019s Asian Cup.\u201d <\/p>\n
This, alongside negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement, has become a key topic of discussion between the PFA and the Australian Professional Leagues who run the men\u2019s and women\u2019s domestic competitions.<\/p>\n
A fully professional women\u2019s league would be a highly visible marker of legacy after hosting two major tournaments.<\/p>\n
At a grassroots level there\u2019s also work to be done.<\/p>\n
On the morning of the final Football Australia released a statement calling for \u201csustained, long-term investment\u201d to ensure New South Wales \u201ccan meet the rapidly increasing demand for female participation.\u201d<\/p>\n
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 21: Amy Sayer of the Matildas signs autographs for fans following the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 match between Australia Matildas and Japan at Stadium Australia on March 21, 2026 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
FA highlighted the 31% increase in female participation in New South Wales that occurred after the Women\u2019s World Cup in 2023.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis momentum emphasises the need to bridge the \u2018facilities gap\u2019 across the state between the current condition of community infrastructure and the standards required to ensure playable facilities,\u201d the statement goes on to say.<\/p>\n
\u201cInvestment is essential, including in female friendly changerooms, lighting, drainage capacity and new amenities\u2014all of which provide a safe, equitable and year-round environment for women and girls.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndependent analysis undertaken for Football Australia, Football NSW and Northern NSW Football determined that the state requires a ten-year infrastructure plan, costing $343 million to adequately address the facilities gap at the grassroots level.<\/p>\n
\u201cFootball Australia, Football NSW and Northern NSW Football are therefore calling on the NSW Government to establish an NSW AFC Women\u2019s Asian Cup 2026 Legacy Fund, consisting of annual grant rounds of up to $34 million over ten years, commencing after the tournament. The fund would be administered by the NSW Office of Sport in collaboration with Football NSW and Northern NSW Football.\u201d<\/p>\n
Montemurro was also asked about legacy in his post-game news conference. His focus became a plea for planning around the pipeline.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we have a tendency in this country to try to something, doesn\u2019t work, we try something else,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to decide who we are, what we want to be and where we want to be in 10, 15 years\u2019 time and stick to it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re chopping and changing and then this and that.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve either got to believe in an identity of who we want to be and where we want to go and it has to start at youth levels and we now just have to keep that<\/p>\n
consistency going.\u201d<\/p>\n
These are only a few of the areas that need attention too.<\/p>\n
Tournaments are great and hosting them provides unforgettable memories, but the benefit can be more than memories if key stakeholders are willing to capitalise on<\/p>\n
them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It just wouldn\u2019t go in. Australia threw punch after punch after punch, but it just wouldn\u2019t go in.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":555774,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[274432,177784,274461,2095,274466,1724,41432,64,63,689,274438,31549,274433,12273,5749,11308,43256,30195,6257,274453,24572,274459,145150,153132,274450,9239,132254,274441,274464,274443,232353,13201,122421,64031,78649,6246,77346,267877,2105,274442,274446,274448,274456,274463,274449,274444,274452,941,270712,194153,274440,274457,274435,174548,28533,12412,274465,673,44,274447,677,254251,260520,274460,255849,252667,274462,274467,99681,274445,274434,108968,11298,274436,43245,670,274454,274458,274451,274439,274455,274437,21418,61620],"class_list":["post-555773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-adventurous-wing-backs","tag-alanna-kennedy","tag-amazing-goal","tag-america","tag-annual-grant-rounds","tag-asia","tag-asian-cup","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-australian-football-history","tag-australian-sport","tag-back-to-back-defeats","tag-bargaining-agreement","tag-boxing-bout","tag-brazil","tag-caitlin-foord","tag-cameron-spencer","tag-champions-league","tag-coach-joe-montemurro","tag-cold-comfort","tag-community-infrastructure","tag-defensive-midfielder","tag-domestic-competitions","tag-drainage-capacity","tag-eastern-asia","tag-ellie-carpenter","tag-end-product","tag-facilities-gap","tag-female-friendly-changerooms","tag-female-participation","tag-fifa","tag-final-chance","tag-final-pass","tag-final-scoreline","tag-football-news","tag-game-changers","tag-generational-change","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-goal-number","tag-goal-scoring-opportunities","tag-golden-generation","tag-grassroots-level","tag-history-makers","tag-immense-amount","tag-incredible-goal","tag-independent-analysis","tag-japan","tag-kaitlyn-torpey","tag-key-topic","tag-legacy-fund","tag-level-football","tag-load-management-players","tag-luke-doherty","tag-mary-fowler","tag-matt-king","tag-momentum-emphasises","tag-new-south-wales","tag-news","tag-nsw-office-of-sport","tag-oceania","tag-player-survey","tag-post-game-interview","tag-post-game-news-conference","tag-pressure-situations","tag-professional-competition","tag-professional-women","tag-retirement-numbers","tag-role-models","tag-runaway-helium-balloon","tag-seizing-moments","tag-signs-autographs","tag-south-america","tag-statement-calling","tag-steph-catley","tag-sydney","tag-ten-year-infrastructure-plan","tag-thing-missing","tag-tournament-ends","tag-tournament-football","tag-tournament-mvp","tag-visible-marker","tag-world-cup","tag-world-football"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555773","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=555773"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555773\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/555774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=555773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=555773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=555773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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