The Matildas and Lionesses joined forces in their friendly fixture to raise awareness and funds to those impacted by dementia.
The two football powerhouses went up against each other in a warmup match ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in July.
Australia ended England’s 30-game winning streak in an upset victory on foreign soil with a 2-0 victory.
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However, despite the clear rivalry on the field, both teams came together for an incredibly important initiative.
The fixture was dedicated to UK-based charity Alzheimer’s Society, aiming at raising awareness of the one in three of UK-based residents who will develop dementia.
Fans would’ve noticed a bit of an anomaly in the lineups of the two teams, with three players from each squad lining up without a name on their jersey.
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For the Matildas Tameka Yallop, Katrina Gorry, and Charlotte Grant all went to the field with a blank name above their jerseys.
The action was reflected in the announcement of the team list with the Tilly’s lineup leaving those three players’ names blank.
Similarly, Keira Walsh, Lucy Bronze, and Chloe Kelly took to the pitch without their names on the back of their kits for the Lionesses.
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Both teams sent out a link to the Alzheimer’s Society donation page to raise money on top of the awareness they were raising for the issue.
The two international teams were praised online for the initiative.
Alzheimer’s Society’s Twitter account wrote: “Thank you so much for supporting our message and raising awareness.”
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One user said: “A brilliant gesture, so important to raise awareness, it's tough seeing someone you love suffer with dementia.”
Another commented: “Amazing gesture - brilliant way to raise awareness. Too many people have been touched by this dreadful disease.”
The game was a brilliant preview for the major tournament later this year.
It was skipper Sam Kerr who opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, capitalising on a mistake from the England defence.
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And 21-year-old Charlotte Grant bagged her first international goal in the second half to seal the win on foreign soil for the Aussies.
With the World Cup less than 100 days away, the Matildas looked seriously strong as they toppled the European champions with relative ease.
As for England, they struggled to convert in front of goal while also looking pretty careless in defence – perhaps their worst performance under Sarina Wiegman.
Featured Image Credit: @TheMatildas/Twitter. @Lionesses/Twitter.Topics: Australia, England, Womens Football
