Sam Kerr scored her 70th goal for the Matildas as they beat the Philippines 1-0 in the opening match of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
Sam Kerr marked the curtain raiser with a milestone goal at her home ground in Perth. The Matildas were unable to build on the lead that their captain secured in the 14th minute, but enjoyed total control against a conservative Philippines side.
The Philippines will be pleased to have kept the deficit to just one, given the 8-0 defeat that the Matildas handed them in their last meeting at Perth Stadium in 2023.
After a cagey 14 minutes, The Matildas opened the scoring when Clare Wheeler’s lofted cross was nodded back towards Sam Kerr who flicked her header past Olivia McDaniel from close range.
The hosts should have doubled their lead soon after when Hayley Raso picked out Emily van Egmond, but she sent her free header over the bar.
Raso thought she had scored Australia’s second when she was played in by Katrina Gorry after half an hour. She chested the ball down and coolly poked it beyond McDaniel, but VAR found she had strayed narrowly offside.
Steph Catley summed up a slightly underwhelming second half for the Matildas when she was unable to find a finish following some tidy interplay with Amy Sayer and Gorry.
The Matildas will continue their AFC Women’s Asian Cup campaign on Thursday night when they face Iran at Gold Coast Stadium. The Philippines will take on Korea Republic earlier that day.
