Key events
Three changes to the Matildas XI from Sermanni, as Nevin, Fowler and Wheeler come into the team for Jamilla Rankin, Winnie Heatley, and Caitlin Foord.
Probably not a surprise to see Foord make way; she suffered a blow to the schnozz on Friday night and is in the middle of a packed WSL season with Arsenal.
Starting XIs
Australia XI: Teagan Micah (GK), Courtney Nevin, Clare Wheeler, Steph Catley (C), Emily van Egmond, Tameka Yallop, Alanna Kennedy, Holly McNamara, Charlotte Grant, Kyra Cooney-Cross
Subs: Heatley, Torpey, Davidson, Heyman, Hunt, Foord, Rankin, Prior, Lincoln (GK), James (GK)
South Korea XI: Kim Min-jung (Gk), Lim Seon-joo, Shin Haye-ong, Kim Shin-ji, Choi Yoo-jung, Ji Soy-un, Lee Young-ju (C), Kim Hye-ri, Choo Hyo-joo, Kang Chae-rim
Subs: Kim (GK), Jeong, Bae, Ko, Lee, Choi, Lee, Jung, Lee, Phair, Kim, Jeong
𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬 𝗢𝗡 𝗮𝘀 𝗢𝗡𝗘, 하나되어 빛나는 순간!✨
4월 원정 친선경기 호주전에 출전하는 🇰🇷여자축구국가대표팀의 선발명단을 공개합니다!📌Non-playing 류지수, 이유진, 최유리
✔여자축구국가대표팀 친선경기
🇰🇷v🇦🇺#호주 04.07(월) 18:30 📺TV조선2, tvN Sports , 쿠팡플레이
⏰한국시간 기준 pic.twitter.com/mF8MYjtYkx— theKFA (@theKFA) April 7, 2025
Preamble
Joey Lynch
Howdy one and all! Welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the second game of this two-game friendly series between the Matildas and South Korea. My name’s Joey Lynch and I’m set to take you through all the action this evening.
After a Lim Seon-Joo own-goal was enough for an injury-hit Australian side to earn a 1-0 win in the first clash between the two sides in Sydney last Friday, our belligerents this evening have headed up the highway to Newcastle for their re-match, to the home of the Jets (and Knights too, I guess) at McDonald Jones Stadium.
After a winless SheBelieves Cup campaign at the start of 2025 laid bare the state of purgatory the Matildas have been placed in without a permanent coach, that win over the Taegeuk Ladies served as an important stabiliser for the side; providing a much-needed boost in morale for team and fans alike. It also provided some deserved respite for interim boss Tom Sermanni, who was tasked with righting the ship and getting the team enjoying their football again after last year’s Olympics but, in the face of Football Australia’s turgid search for a permanent coach, has been left in place long after he accomplished this task.
There were some positive footballing signs from that game, too, with the deployment of a fluid frontline of Mary Fowler, Caitlin Foord, and Holly McNamara giving the former the scope to affect the game from where she does her best work out wide when she came off the bench. Katrina Gorry a late withdrawal from the squad with injury, Kyra Cooney-Cross also drew praise for her work leading the midfield and Charli Grant – getting some much-needed game time after logging just 285 cumulative WSL minutes at Spurs this season – was also one of Australia’s best.
With load management an important factor in addition to the numerous injuries that have hit the team, Sermanni will once again be forced to reshuffle his XI and substitutes for this one. We’ll have line-ups for you shortly. Invariably, there will also be plenty of shots of Sam Kerr in the stands to attract the attention, too.
Kick-off is at 7:30pm AEST / 10:30am BST / 2:30am PT.
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