Matildas bring difficult year to an end with uplifting win and sense of revival

Clare Polkinghorne at the end of the game in Geelong. The Matildas finished the year with eight wins from 15 games. Photograph: Rob Prezioso/AAP

In a place known by some as Pivot City, the Matildas finally turned a corner. Australia’s favourite football team came alive in Geelong on Saturday in their final match in 2024, marking the end of a difficult year during which the dressing room felt like a “funeral” according to coach Tom Sermanni.

Their entertaining 6-0 domination of Taiwan on Saturday in Geelong was full of freshness, an uplifting upgrade to an uncertain 3-1 win in Melbourne on Wednesday. Kardinia Park rocked on a warm evening with a crowd of 30,000 that beat expectations, and which was treated to flashy attacking play, a glimpse at eager debutants and goals from a mix of veterans and Sermanni’s generation next.