The Matildas have sent a huge message ahead of the 2023 Women's World Cup, upsetting tournament favourites England in an emphatic 2-0 victory away from home.
Australia's win in the pouring rain in London subsequently ended the Lioness' 30-game unbeaten run.
It was skipper Sam Kerr who opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, capitalising on a mistake from the England defence.
Advert
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.
“It was a good performance from us, everyone played really well, out of their skin, and it takes a lot to come over here and beat England at home, of course,” Sam Kerr told Channel 10 after the match.
“To be honest we deserved the win because we defended really well and on the counterattack.
“It was just a patient performance and it took everyone to do their part. When you play like that it is worth it.”
Last time these two sides played back in 2018, the clash ended in a 1-1 draw.
Knowing the magnitude of the victory, despite it being a friendly, head coach Tony Gustavsson was full of praise for his Matildas side.
"Proud," Gustavsson said.
"Proud of this team, and all the challenges thrown at us before the game, all the players unavailable, to play the best team in the world, 30 games unbeaten, and to put up that performance, the work rate and how much they showed that they love playing for their country.
"That was amazing. If you look at the lack of players we had, and we might not be the best team, but we can beat the best team on any given day with the heart and soul of this team."
Interestingly, Australia only had 29 per cent of possession compared to England's 71.
And of their 16 attempts on goal, they failed to find the back of the net, while Australia scored with their only two shots on target.
“The Lionesses are the number one in the world at the moment in terms of form, but we had a game plan and we stuck to it and we showed the Aussie spirit,” Ellie Carpenter told Channel 10.
“Every single player gave 110% and that is what we are about, we wanted to put on a show and we cannot wait for the World Cup.”
Topics: Football, Womens Football, England, Australia
Max Sherry