Stand-in captain Steph Catley has hailed the Matildas’ ability to move on from losing Sam Kerr to injury and grind out a a 1-0 victory over Ireland in their Women’s World Cup opener.
Australia’s campaign suffered a hammer blow when Kerr was ruled out of Thursday’s night’s clash and the subsequent game against Nigeria with a calf injury suffered in the warm-up of Wednesday’s final training session.
The Chelsea striker will be assessed after the Matildas’ second group B game in Brisbane on July 27 and ahead of facing Canada in Melbourne four days later.
Vice-captain Catley wore the armband and stepped up in the 52nd minute to take a penalty after Hayley Raso was brought down, coolly dispatching the winning spot-kick into the top corner to send Stadium Australia into raptures.
“I’m really proud of the team for handling it the way that we did and obviously, getting a clean sheet and getting the win,” Catley said.
“Losing a player like Sam, probably the best player in the world, we were pretty heartbroken and we had to gather ourselves pretty quickly.
“But I think we used her spirit, and used the fact that she wasn’t able to be out there with us, to help us push on.
“And I think that’s what it’s going to take for as long as maybe she misses.”
Kerr had given no indication at Wednesday’s pre-match press conference she was was under any duress.
“Sam is a massive part of the Ireland game plan, as you understand, and we didn’t want to give that away in advance,” coach Tony Gustavsson said.
“But once we got to the stadium we didn’t play any type of mind games.”
Mary Fowler replaced Kerr in Australia’s starting line-up against Ireland and was the only change to the team that beat France 1-0 in Melbourne in the final warm up.
As expected, Ireland parked the bus, playing five at the back and giving the Australians a green wall of players to get through.
For more than 45 minutes, it worked.
The Matildas struggled to break down the Irish, taking some nervous-looking loose touches and playing some hit-and-hope long balls.
Katrina Gorry was everywhere, controlling the game from midfield, while Raso’s frantic energy kept Ireland on their toes and she had a fiery battle with Irish skipper Katie McCabe.
In the 27th minute, Raso nodded a Catley cross just wide, while Caitlin Foord hit the side netting eight minutes later.
Australia broke through when Kyra Cooney-Cross lifted a diagonal ball into the penalty box and, in the chaos, Marissa Sheva bundled over Raso.
Catley made no mistake with the spot kick.
Ireland pressed for an equaliser late but the Matildas held their nerve, with goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold standing tall.
Arnold made a last-ditch save late in extra time to save Australia’s lead in front of a new record Matildas crowd of 75,784.
“I’m very, very happy to get three points in an opening game at a World Cup,” Gustavsson said.
“I’ve been around tournament football for long enough to know that sometimes it’s those games where you just need to grind through and find a way to win.”
