Matildas 2-0 Iran: Australia secure first win of Olympic qualifying campaign – as it happened | Matildas

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Well, that’s enough of my stream of consciousness pretending to be a minute-by-minute account. Thank you for following along tonight, and stay tuned for Jo Khan’s report.

Updated at 15.46 CEST

Alan Hughes expresses his discontent with the match: “That is the last ‘football’ match that will be watched in this house. What on earth was the referee doing allowing all that blatant time-wasting by the cynical Iranian team? A travesty.”

Perhaps it’s an overreaction to dismiss an entire match based on one result, Alan. Maybe you should give your local A-League Women’s side a try when they return to action and see if that suits your taste better.

Tony Gustavsson shares his thoughts with Network Ten: “Football is also about building relationships and getting time together to synchronize and understand each other. You could see there wasn’t much training time and a lot of new combinations out there.

“But I appreciate the bravery that our team displayed tonight. Comparing this game to the Ireland game, where we played with a low-block 5-4-1 and lacked the courage to play through. Today, we focused on combination play, which I was happy with.”

The post-game punditry panel praises Clare Wheeler, stating that she’s giving Gustavsson a tough decision and putting pressure on Cooney-Cross and Gorry.

It’s a bold move to replace one of those two, but the Everton midfielder performed well tonight.

It seems like both men’s and women’s Australian football teams, whether at senior or junior level, struggle to break down opponents who sit deep and defend.

This is rarely an issue against top sides in major tournaments, but it becomes a recurring problem against lesser-known opponents from Asia.

Maybe we’re being overly critical here. After all, the Matildas emerged victorious. They didn’t have much time to train together before the match, although most of the squad members have played together for a while. But perhaps these are the discussions we need to have in the coming years to see if this team can take the next step.

Of course, the solution to this issue, like most tactical and technical problems, lies in youth development.

Updated at 15.27 CEST

Andy Harper aptly describes it as a “frustrating night” for the Matildas. They ended the game with 79% possession, 19 corners, and 25 shots (six on target), while Iran only managed two shots. However, they struggled to break down Iran’s deep defense.

Iran defended with desperation, numbers, and some unsportsmanlike behavior, frustrating the Matildas. They were never going to win, but they didn’t want to lose by a large margin. We questioned before the game if the experimental Australian team would be able to overcome a stubborn low-block, and for the most part, they couldn’t.

Granted, not many opponents will defend as deep and abandon their attacking ambitions like Iran did. Better opponents should present more opportunities. However, this was still an opponent that the Matildas should have dispatched more ruthlessly.

Then came the substitutions of Fowler, Catley, and Kerr. The fresh legs, skill of the former two, and goal-poaching instinct of the latter broke down Iran’s resistance. Australia has many more players to add to this squad—Caitlin Foord and Katrina Gorry, their best World Cup performers, didn’t even play tonight—and they’ll be ready for future games.

But are these struggles against lesser opponents due to lack of talent or systemic issues? What do all these observations really mean? The answers to these questions will require more data. Philippines coach Mark Torcaso will undoubtedly have been watching this game closely, and we’ll have to see what conclusions he, as well as Gustavsson, draw ahead of their meeting on Sunday.

Updated at 15.18 CEST
Full time! Australia 2-0 Iran
The Matildas have done it! Carpenter and Kerr scored in each half to secure a victory over a resilient Iranian team in their first AFC Olympic Qualification match.

90+12: Zolfi attempts a break down the wing, but Carpenter stops him in his tracks.
90+10: The commentators note that it’s past midnight on the Eastern seaboard of Australia. Indeed it is, Robbie Thompson, and some of us have an early press conference with Melbourne Victory men’s coach Tony Popovic in the morning.
90+11: More corners and desperate defending from Iran. Kerr’s header is cleared off the line, although it appeared to come off van Egmond.
Updated at 15.02 CEST
90+8 Mins: Fowler delivers another incredible cross to Kerr, but her header goes wide. Fowler has an amazing ability to deliver pinpoint crosses.
90+7 Mins: Space is opening up now, and Iran tries to launch a rare move forward, but they can’t penetrate the penalty area.
90+5 Mins: The corner is cleared, only to result in another corner. Catley’s 16th set piece delivery finds Kennedy’s open header, but the shot goes wide. It should have been 3-0.
90+4 Mins: Kerr receives a ball from Vine and passes it to Carpenter, but Mohammadi intercepts the cross. Corner for Australia, their 15th of the game.
Updated at 14.57 CEST
90+3 Mins: Micah comes out to claim a loose ball. The Matildas quickly counterattack, and Fowler plays a fantastic ball to send Kerr through on goal. However, her chipped shot hits the roof of the net.
Updated at 14.58 CEST
90+1 Mins: We’ll have 11 minutes of extra time! That’s the downside of Iran’s liberal use of the dark arts, I suppose.
90 Mins: Catley makes another run down the left and sends in a cross, but Carpenter sends it just wide.
89 Mins: Now, Twitter users are pointing out the historical significance of Australia’s 2-0 lead over Iran. Thanks, I hate it.
87 Mins: Late substitutions for Iran. Forouzandeh and Chahkandi come on, while Hamoudi and Sarbali come off.
86 Mins: Vine slides a pass for Kerr on the right side of the penalty area, but her cross finds no one in the box.
84 Mins: Kerr’s goal may have broken the backs of Iran’s defense. The Matildas’ attacks have gained energy and a sense of menace.
83 Mins: Another substitution for Australia. Sayer’s last contribution is an attempt saved by Khajavi. Cooney-Cross replaces her.
82 Mins: Sayer tries to get on the scoresheet with a through ball, but Khajavi produces a tremendous save. Fowler then has a shot, but it goes straight to Khajavi who collects it.
80 Mins: And it had to be Kerr, didn’t it? Goal! Australia 2-0 Iran. Kerr scores in the 78th minute. Catley and Fowler combine with a one-two pass, allowing Catley to send a pinpoint cross into the goal for Kerr to finish.
Updated at 15.14 CEST
Chris Paraskevas shares his thoughts via email: “Arguably, a no-win situation for Tony G and his…”

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