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Veteran Lisa De Vanna scored a double as the Matildas warmed up for their Asian Cup campaign with a thumping 5-0 win over Thailand in Perth on Monday night.
De Vanna scored either side of halftime, with Chloe Logarzo, Alex Chidiac, and Larissa Crummer also getting on the scoresheet in front of 7549 fans at nib stadium.
Hometown hero Sam Kerr came close to scoring on several occasions, but couldn’t quite find the finishing touch before being subbed off in the 55th minute.
The match was predominantly played in the Matildas’ attacking half, with Kerr and De Vanna wreaking havoc.
De Vanna missed two golden chances from point-blank range in the opening 40 minutes, but she finally got on the scoresheet in the 42nd minute when she volleyed home from close range.
She also set up Logarzo’s headed goal two minutes later with a whipping cross.
De Vanna scored the goal of the match in the 52nd minute when she combined with Kerr for a beautiful one-two pass before firing home.
“There’s some pleasing things. Every player had a run. No injuries. Good scoreline,” Matildas coach Alen Stajcic said of the team’s performance.
“But I just know we’ve got so much more in us. If we play to our capacity, I think we would have created another seven, eight, maybe even 10 chances with the quality we’ve got on the pitch.”
The win gave the Matildas a timely confidence boost as they attempt to win the Asian Cup for the second time, following on from their 2010 success.
They will enter the upcoming tournament in Jordan as favourites following a stunning 12 months that saw them rise to as high as fourth in the world.
The Matildas slipped to sixth over the weekend following a rankings update.
They will face arch rivals Japan, Korea Republic, and Vietnam during the group stage of the Asian Cup.
The Matildas need to finish in the top five at the Asian Cup in order to earn a place at the 2019 World Cup in France.
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