Ellie Carpenter's Impactful Performance Leads Matildas to Victory
Ellie Carpenter hit a milestone and then went to work.
On the night she collected her 101st cap for Australia, the right-back produced a performance that looked more like a statement than a celebration, driving the Matildas to a 3-1 win and a measure of revenge against opponents who had stung them with a last-gasp defeat only days earlier.
Her runs down the right were relentless, the kind that pin a defence back and slowly drain its confidence. The breakthrough, though, came from a more familiar source. Alanna Kennedy rose to break the deadlock midway through the first half, a goal that settled Australian nerves and reset the tone of a fixture that had left scars the previous week.
Once in front, the Matildas began to stretch the game. Carpenter kept attacking the channel, repeatedly forcing defenders into uncomfortable decisions. The pressure finally cracked. Another of her surges and the ensuing chaos in the box led to an own goal for Australia’s second, a reward for the tempo and intent they had lacked in that late collapse last time out.
The third was pure control.
With 20 minutes to play, Arsenal forward Caitlin Foord finished off a sweeping team move, the kind of flowing attack that starts with composure at the back and ends with a clinical touch in the area. At 3-1, the contest felt settled, but the performance still mattered more than the margin.
Carpenter knew it. The scoreline didn’t erase the lessons from the defeat, it underlined them.
“We had a lot to work on from the last game,” she said afterwards. “Obviously had to work out how to beat their press. I think we dealt with that tonight most of the time; [there were] still some shaky moments, but that’s what friendlies are for.
“[Joe Montemurro] said these are the situations we are going to be put in, so we need to deal with it. Teams are going to pressure us if we want to play the way we want to play, which is with the ball. Just quicker touches, quicker ball movement. I think there’s a lot to improve on, but that’s a good base.”
A good base, and a reminder: when Australia move the ball at pace and Carpenter tears down that right flank with purpose, the Matildas look far closer to the side they believe they can be.
