Key events
Matildas XI
Australia: Mackenzie Arnold (gk); Ellie Carpenter (capt), Clare Hunt, Alanna Kennedy, Charlotte Grant; Winonah Heatley, Kaitlyn Torpey, Kyra Cooney-Cross; Amy Sayer, Michelle Heyman, Remy Siemsen.
Joe Montemurro swings six changes from the starting lineup on Thursday night as the auditions continue. Mackenzie Arnold takes the gloves, while Charlotte Grant Kaitlyn Torpey, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Michelle Heyman and Remy Siemsen also get their opportunity from the kick-off.
Ellie Carpenter will lead the side again in the absence of Sam Kerr and Steph Catley.
Preamble
Martin Pegan
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the second women’s football friendly between Australia and Slovenia at HBF Park in Perth. The Matildas will be out to build on their winning start to coach Joe Montemurro’s highly-anticipated tenure that began with a 3-0 victory over the same opponents at the same venue on Thursday night.
Striker Holly McNamara joined the celebration with her first international goal that all but sealed the win in the dying stages before Hayley Raso put the icing on the cake just a minute later. But between Emily Gielnik’s opener in the third minute and the one-two punch that landed 83 minutes later, it was a shaky Matildas performance under their new boss.
The teething problems stood out but the long-term plan for Montemurro was also peeking through as the Matildas looked to control the game by playing out from the back and holding onto the ball in the midfield more than they have in recent times. That meant a lot of time in possession in their own half, as well as more errors than their coach would have liked, but should also lay a foundation to build on in the follow up with Slovenia tonight, before the Matildas take on Panama in Bunbury on 5 July and in Perth three days later.
Kick-off is at 6pm AWST in Perth / 8pm AEST. I’ll be back shortly with the line-ups and team news.
In the meantime, get in touch with any questions, thoughts and predictions. You can shoot me an email, or find me on X @martinpegan and Bluesky @martinpegan.bsky.social. Let’s get into it!
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