Summary
Time for me to take my leave, but don’t worry, we’ll be back to do it all again on Wednesday for the final match of the Cup of Nations when Australia take on Jamaica. I’ll leave you with an early match report but stay tuned for more from Parramatta and reaction during the week.
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Tony Gustavsson’s just had a quick word and I like what he said, noting that the first half wasn’t a 3-0 performance, nor was the second a 0-2 showing, so not to get carried away by either. He will have learned a lot tonight, from both halves. Perfect world cup preparation.
A little word on Spain too. They are a very good football team and on another night could have won this game comfortably. Hopefully the situation in Spanish football is resolved before the world cup so they’re able to return to Australia with their best XI.
Nobody in gold suffered any reputational damage tonight, but a few players stood out. Hayley Raso’s pace and energy makes her a menace of world class standing. Mackenzie Arnold was brave and inspired. And for all Spain’s possession they rarely got the better of Clares Polkinghorne and Hunt in the heart of Australia’s defence. After months of searching, a World Cup partnership appears to have been found. Polkinghorne celebrating afterwards with a commemorative jersey marking her 150th cap; Hunt making her starting debut.
Things you absolutely love to see 💛@clarepolks89 @TheMatildas #AUSvESP #CupOfNations pic.twitter.com/mN9yVDuaVO
— Paramount+ Australia (@ParamountPlusAU) February 19, 2023
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Analysis of tonight’s match will be fascinating. There was enough in the 90 minutes to confirm all manner of biases.
The bottom line is Australia won, so everything has to follow from that starting point. But it cannot be overlooked that Mackenzie Arnold deserved to be named player of the match, and that Spain dominated possession and created the greater number of chances.
Playing with such speed and directness on the counterattack is a risk-reward strategy. Against good opposition it means the Matildas might not see a lot of the ball, so they have to make the most of it when they do. In the first half they did exactly that, scoring three times and looking dangerous in every transition. But in the second half they struggled to get a foothold and relied on Spain misfiring in the final third.
Tony Gustavsson then gets his squad into a huddle and revs them up, telling them to celebrate an important victory, even if they were under the pump most of the second half.
Hayley Raso – who was superb in the opening half – has just had a few words on the telly. The main takeaway was how the Matildas have been treating this series like a World Cup warm-up and they’re delighted with their ability to secure results against strong opposition.
Full-time: Australia 3-2 Spain
The Matildas hang on!
GOAL! Australia 3-2 Spain (Redondo 90+4)
With barely a minute left Spain get a second! It’s a slow build-up down the right but Marta Cardona digs out a good cross that Redondo smashes home first time on the volley at the near post. That was a blistering finish.
90+2 mins: Australia are defending their box with great determination. Nevin shows plenty of spunk pressing Hermoso and getting in the Spanish veteran’s face.
90 mins: Spain have lost composure in the last ten minutes or so, failing to string those combinations together in the final third to unlock the Australian defence. Too often the ball has been delivered vertically, only to find the unflappable Polkinghorne.
Five minutes of stoppage time.
88 mins: Spain have a corner on the right, Hermoso swings it in, and Mackenzie Arnold plucks it out of the sky like Atlas holding up the world. the Matildas keeper has been outstanding tonight.
That 5-3-2 is now a 5-4-1 with more substitutions.
86 mins: Kerr has worked hard all night, but she’s lacked an element of decisiveness in the final third, and it’s on display again when she runs onto a van Egmond throughball but instead of driving for goal tries to play the ball across to Foord, only to see a weak pass intercepted.
84 mins: Spain continue to probe and that ball on the inside left channel works a treat. Paralluelo’s cross is dangerous, but Arnold is brave and first to a 50-50 with Redondo and earns a free-kick, as well as a couple of bruises for her troubles. The Spanish forward is harshly booked for what was a legitimate contest for the ball.
82 mins: Great hustle from Foord to close down space on the right. Polkinghorne is then too strong in the air in the box, but the attacks keep coming from Spain. Another cross is stabbed clear, but only as far as Hermoso – who shoots harmlessly over the bar. Spain’s 18th shot of the night (to Australia’s 14).
80 mins: Australia are now set up in a 5-3-2 formation, happy to absorb whatever Spain throw at them.
78 mins: ANOTHER GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY GOES BEGGING! Spain, dear oh dear. Turnover in midfield, Salma Paralluelo, just on as a substitute, has only one defender in front of her, who she turns inside out, only to then smash a shot wide of Arnold’s goal. Vilda will wonder how his side is not at least level.
One final drinks break as the teams prepare for the final 15 minutes. Gustavsson must be imploring his side to push further out and avoid being suffocated by Spain’s relentless passing. Australia have been second best this half, relying on some inspired goalkeeping and a resolute rearguard action to retain their first half advantage.
GOAL! Australia 3-1 Spain (Olga Carmona, 73)
Finally Spain hit the scoreboard. A corner from the right is headed to the edge of the box where the Spanish left-back executes a technically brilliant half-volley, angling her body, striking her foot through the ball with power to send it through a forest of legs and beyond Arnold.
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72 mins: And now the Matildas break! And they have the ball in the back of the net again – only to see the offside flag raised. It’s another very tight call with Gorry and Grant hitting the line at different phases in the counterattack.
Nevin and van Egmond come on for Vine and Cooney-Cross.
71 mins: Play is almost at walking pace 25m out from Australia’s goal as Spain pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, waiting for an opening that never comes. A cross comes in for the left but it’s blocked behind off the boot. The corner comes to nought and it’s back to the pass clinic.
69 mins: Excellent defending from Polkinghorne, reading the space superbly to block Redondo and intercept the throughball. Australia are now fixated on defence, closing down Spain’s wide players and stepping out to block or disrupt with maximum intensity.
A huge thanks to the 17,333 fans supporting us at @commbankstadium during tonight's #CupOfNations clash v Spain 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/QGXqTGQLLa
— CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) February 19, 2023
67 mins: A rare long ball to Hermoso demonstrates some frustration on behalf of the visitors, and the ball just ricochets away allowing Australia to take some sting out of the game.
65 mins: The advantage of all those gold shirts in defence means Spain have less room in which to manoeuvre and a couple of trademark balls inside the fullbacks are cut out allowing Australia to move downfield.
63 mins: Australia are now being sucked into a low block and short of numbers on the counter. This is becoming an attack v defence training exercise.
61 mins: HOW ARE SPAIN STILL GOALLESS!? Another superb build-up through the lines, brilliant ball on the inside-right for the overlapping fullback who cuts the ball across for Hermoso who cannot beat Arnold from five metres out. That had to go in. Credit to the goalkeeper for another magnificent save, but that is a dreadful miss.
@JPHowcroft agree with you about the performance of both teams so far. A little more composure and finesse in attack by Spain, and we have a different match altogether.
— phil withall (@phil_withall) February 19, 2023
59 mins: A drinks break for both teams while Arnold is down receiving treatment. Williams is on the touchline warming up, but Arnold is good to continue.
58 mins: Spain get a corner on the right but Australia rise to clear. The second ball is dealt with by Kerr and the Matildas can break in numbers and at speed. The ball is slipped through for Gorry behind the line… but the flag goes up. It’s been all Spain this half, but those moments show just how dangerous Australia can be on the counter.
56 mins: Spain are relentless, keeping the ball moving, working their way through the lines, but when they hit the penalty area they run out of inspiration. Again they look to fashion a chance on the left, but this time they keep the ball moving and a shot is drilled in from the right of the box that’s deflected behind.
Raso, and her injured left hand, is replaced by Crummer. Another excellent shift from the ponytailed speedster.
54 mins: Another half-chance chance for Spain. Hermoso’s corner is helped on but Arnold is first to the ball in a decisive duel with Esther. Arnold has been a major contributor despite the one-sided scoreline.
52 mins: Australia try to control the tempo but fail to retain possession in midfield. The combinations don’t look anywhere near as slick in close when play is not fast. That’s bread and butter for Spain though who cut through for the umpteenth time, create enough space on the left for Olga Carmona to cross and her ball is dangerous but somehow ends up in Arnold’s hands after a sliced clearance. The Matildas have been riding their luck in the penalty box all night.
50 mins: Kerr does well to hold up the clearing ball for Australia but Cooney-Cross’ shot is straight at Rocío Gálvez.
48 mins: Hermoso has the first shot of the half but it’s straight at Arnold from just inside the box. She had time and space to pick her spot as Spain picked up from where they left off in the first half by dominating the ball in their final third.
46 mins: Back underway in Sydney. Two changes for Spain with Marta Carro and Oihane replaced by Fiamma Iannuzzi and Sheila Garcia.
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See you in a bit. Here’s Sam Kerr.
"To wear the Australian jersey is always a massive honour, but to wear the rainbow colours, something that I've always been really proud is really special,"@samkerr1, who donned the Pride Progress Captains' Armband, was excited to promote a message close to her heart! pic.twitter.com/AjKEfXDmuu
— CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) February 19, 2023
So much to like about Australia’s performance. The pace and directness of Vine and Raso, the passing of Cooney-Cross, the quality on the ball of Catley, the fortitude of Grant, the reflexes of Arnold…
It was an energetic, confident half, that demonstrated perfectly how to combat a side, like Spain, that likes to dominate possession and build up slowly.
It wasn’t a half without concern though. Spain bypassed Australia’s press time and again and overwhelmed the Matildas in midfield. A more even scoreline would not flatter them on the balance of play, and on another day, with more decisive finishing, they might have two or three goals of their own at the break.
Half-time: Australia 3-0 Spain
A clinical display of counterattacking football from the Matildas against a very skilful Spain. Is this the high-water mark of the Gustavsson reign?
45+2 mins: Excellent one-on-one fullback defending from Grant keeps Spain in their build-up phase. When the ball finally gets into the box Polkinghorne and Hunt are on hand to mop up.
45 mins: Concern for Raso who is receiving treatment to a couple of fingers on her left hand. She’s ok to continue, for now.
44 mins: Kerr has to make it four but she drags her shot wide! Cooney-Cross has excelled with her long throughballs from deep and the latest hits Kerr on the run in behind but bearing down on goal with only Misa to beat the Australian skipper fluffs her lines.
GOAL! Australia 3-0 Spain (Foord, 42)
Foord makes it three! Catley with the free-kick, floated in towards the six-yard box, nobody takes control for Spain and Foord steals in to direct her header into the back of the net. Delight for Gustavsson on the bench. The second soft defensive goal for Spain.
40 mins: Spain don’t hang around and in the space of a minute Esther and Hermoso both test Arnold but Australia survive. Foord then carries the ball 60m out of defence, resisting about half-a-dozen fouls along the way before she finally earns a whistle on the right corner of the penalty area.
38 mins: Some rare territorial advantage for the home side. The ball is recycled two or three times around the Spain box before Raso plays a pass back to Cooney-Cross who lofts a cross into Kerr who plants a magnificent header beyond Misa! That was exceptional! And it counts for nothing because the flag’s up for offside. Replays show that was very very tight, perhaps even an incorrect call.
36 mins: The Matildas clear and Vine almost has a sniff on the counter but Spain get a toe to the ball, and in broken play, are soon back on attack down the left. Grant does well to deny Redondo.
35 mins: Spain get the ball into the final third quickly but Australia have more bodies behind the ball than before that drinks break and the Matildas clear. Spain come again, passing, passing, passing, playing what Ronnie Moran at Liverpool used to call “find the dope”, looking for the opposition player who hasn’t tracked a run or been caught ball-watching.
33 mins: Australia have done well getting their bodies between the ball and their markers tonight, drawing free-kicks to take the sting out of Spain’s possession game.
31 mins: There’s a brief pause for players to have a drink and take on some instructions. Presumably Gustavsson will be appealing for more security in defensive transition, Vilda more intent in the final third.
30 mins: Spain continue to probe. Hermoso dinks a lovely left-footed ball into the box but Vine is alert to cover at the far post. Australia can’t clear their lines as Oihane squeezes up on the right, but there’s one pass too many and the offside flag is raised.
28 mins: More pressure from Spain, knocking the ball about in the final third with supreme composure. Eventually Esther pulls the trigger but her effort form the edge of the box is well wide.
26 mins: The past few minutes have demonstrated the challenge perfectly for both teams. Spain dominate possession in two phases without creating a clear chance. Australia fail with their first use of the ball when Cooney-Cross fails with a Hollywood pass, but then Vine’s pace draws a tactical yellow card from Marta Carro in transition.
24 mins: Australia are well-suited to this ballistic game-plan and when it works like this it’s easy to see the merits. Vine and Raso have been hard to handle for the Spanish defence. However, Spain have bypassed the forward press with ease on a number of occasions and the movement of the front three has continually troubled the Matildas back four.
22 mins: Cooney-Cross does well in midfield and Australia stream forward. Vine accepts possession on the left, looks inside for Foord but her effort is weak, then Cooney-Cross has a shot blocked and Spain clear. The visitors will dominate the possession stats, but the Matildas are all business when they get the ball.
20 mins: From the resulting corner Spain earn a free-kick, and this is worked cleverly to Hermoso but she skews her first-time effort from the edge of the box well wide.
19 mins: Esther must equalise! More delightful ball progression from Spain, space down the left with Redondo and she picks out Esther unmarked on the penalty spot but her shot is blocked by Catley and rebounds to safety. Esther should not have given the Matildas any chance there.
GOAL! Australia 2-0 Spain (Polikinghorne, 16)
Raso’s trickery on the right earns Australia the first corner of the night. Catley’s delivery is good but Australia have to recycle outside the box. The ball eventually goes back in towards Kerr, Marta Carro fails to deal with it and Clare Polkinghorne is on the spot to drill home from five metres out and continue her scoring streak. The Matildas are flying!
13 mins: The chances keep coming at both ends of the pitch, first Foord drags an effort wide then Hermoso is denied at the near post.
GOAL! Australia 1-0 Spain (Vine, 11)
Australia get the ball quickly to Raso in space down the right, she carries downfield with purpose, cuts inside, spots Vine in space on the left corner of the box, and the Sydney FC star does the rest, curling a perfect right-footed shot right where the owls sleep. Superb finish.
10 mins: Close for Redondo! Spain are cutting though Australia’s press and midfield at will with great composure on the ball and clever runs off it. The latest move sees Redondo fashion space on the inside left channel where she spins away from her marker and shoots across Arnold’s goal.
8 mins: The pattern is set. Spain will dominate the ball and look for neat interplay to get in behind in the final third. Australia will look to capitalise on the pace of Vine on the left and Raso on the right. The latter has her first burst of the night but her first cross is blocked and the second straight at Misa.
6 mins: Vine gets a third look at the ball in the final third of the field after a delightful long cross-field diagonal. This time she squares the ball early across the top of the box but there isn’t a finishing touch to the move. Spain go down the other end and just as Australia look to snuff out the danger there’s a turnover coming out of defence and Hermoso is through one-on-one, but Arnold saves! The flag was up in any case, but that’s a great confidence boost for the Matildas No 1.
4 mins: Vine again gets in a dangerous position on the inside-left channel following a quick free-kick in midfield but the cross – while looking threatening at first glance – is poor and drifts out of play. The Matildas are looking fast and positive.
2 mins: Spain immediately commandeer the ball and spray it around confidently, building through the lines until space is closed down on the edge of Australia’s box. As if just to prove a point on aesthetics, the Matildas go direct quickly and Vine gets free in behind but checks back before getting a shot away and Spain clear. Styles make fights, right?
Kick-off!
Can the Matildas continue to build momentum towards a World Cup on home soil, or will Spain spoil the party in Parramatta?
The anthems have been sung, the Welcome to Country observed, kick-off is seconds away.
Out come the two sides onto the Commbank Stadium turf.
Australia are in green shorts, sandwiched between gold tops and socks. The names and numbers on the backs of the shirts are coloured with a rainbow design in celebration of Pride Week.
Spain are top to toe in traditional red.
"Everyone should feel comfortable in whatever skin they're in, whoever they want to be, whoever they want to love."
— CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) February 19, 2023
Wearing our colours with #Pride tonight 🇦🇺 x 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️#WeAreMatildas #CupOfNations @samkerr1 pic.twitter.com/Y4IVafRHMI
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It’s hot and dry and sunny in western Sydney this evening.
In today’s earlier match, the Czech Republic scored at the death to snatch a 3-2 victory over Jamaica.
Spain XI
Even with 15 possible squad members unavailable for selection, La Roja still look formidable on paper.
🔴 𝗢𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 I Esta es la alineación de España para el partido contra la selección anfitriona.
— Selección Española Femenina de Fútbol (@SEFutbolFem) February 19, 2023
🇦🇺🆚🇪🇸
📺 Lo puedes seguir en directo en @teledeporte y @rtveplay a las 8:00 (hora española).#JugarLucharYGanar I #CupOfNations pic.twitter.com/8SqwoP8NJj
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Australia XI
Defender Clare Hunt is rewarded for her impressive debut earlier this week with a place in the starting XI. She is one of two inclusions, Caitlin Foord the other, from the side that handled Czechia. Aivi Luik and Mary Fowler miss out.
STARTING XI 🗒
— CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) February 19, 2023
Here's how we line up for our second game of the Cup of Nations! 👊
⏰: 6:00pm AEDT
📺💻📱: 10 Bold#WeAreMatildas #CupOfNations #AUSvESP pic.twitter.com/pRRhbBkXCf
Here’s more from Emma on the Cup of Nations and what it means for Australia coach Tony Gustavsson in a world cup year.
Five months before a World Cup for which Australia is still not convinced his national team is adequately prepared, he is in dress-rehearsal mode. “Everything we do now is like a World Cup rehearsal,” Gustavsson said on Wednesday, the eve of the Cup of Nations tournament.
Emma Kemp cast her eye over Australia’s 4-0 victory against Czech Republic, and she’s not getting carried away with the Matildas’ good run of results.
What a 4-0 win means for the Matildas in the next six months is completely open to interpretation, so difficult is it to glean meaningful takeaways from friendly tournaments such as the Cup of Nations. This one, being in a World Cup year, has been dressed up as a practice run for the real thing in July. Tony Gustavsson will not stop saying “rehearsal” and “tournament mode” – he may well have been muttering these words into his ever-present headset on the sideline.
Preamble
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of Australia v Spain in the 2023 Cup of Nations. Kick off at Commbank Stadium in Sydney is 6pm AEDT.
This is the marquee fixture of the six-game round robin tournament, featuring the two highest ranked teams in the competition, each entering buoyed by comprehensive victories a few days ago.
Spain are seventh on FIFA’s standings, and come into tonight’s match with six victories in their past seven outings, a run including wins over the USA and Japan, and featuring the concession of only one goal. Their last defeat came at the European Championships, an extra-time heartbreaker at the hands of eventual champions England.
The last time they faced Australia, in June, they scored six second-half goals to run away 7-0 winners. But a repeat scoreline seems unthinkable given the inexperienced squad at Jorge Vilda’s disposal. Top scorer Jennifer Hermoso is one of only two players on tour with over 30 caps, with the list of absentees including superstar Alexia Putellas as she continues her recovery from an ACL injury.
Quite why Spain are so depleted is a long and complicated story. Condensed, in September of last year 15 players declared themselves unavailable for selection, alleging that the “situation” within the national team was having a negative impact on their “emotional state” and their “health”. More from Sid Lowe here:
The Matildas finally appear to be gelling under the stewardship of Tony Gustavsson after a long period of acclimatisation for the Swedish coach. Five wins on the bounce have raised expectations at the start of the biggest season in the history of women’s football in Australia. Victory tonight, against fellow World Cup contenders, will turbocharge the nation’s hopes, just five months away from the defining tournament of this generation.
That’s enough from me for now, but you can join in by sending me an email or fly a tweet to @JPHowcroft.
