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Australia vs Brazil |
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|---|---|---|
2018 Tournament of Nations, July 27. Fulltime |
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| Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City, USA | ||
| Australia | Brazil | |
| 3 | SCORE | 1 |
| 6 | Shots | 12 |
| 5 | Corners | 2 |
| 3 | Yellow Cards | 2 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
The Matildas have beaten Brazil for the fourth straight time, putting in a dominating performance to pick up a 3-1 victory in Kansas City to open the Tournament of Nations.
The Australian side dominated the first half, an own goal putting them onto the scoreboard first after just nine minutes.
They had 60 per cent possession at halftime though and fully deserved their goals, forcing Brazil to do a lot of defensive work.
Their other goal before halftime came off another corner, with Tameka Butt being in the right place at the right time to head one into the back of the net.
Sam Kerr would put the game beyond doubt in the 50th minute, putting home a wonderful strike after burning the defenders.
Brazil came up with a consolation goal and some good pressure at the end of the game, but were never going to pull back the three-goal lead of their opponents.
Australia will now play the USA on Friday, while Brazil continue their tournament of nations against Japan.
Final score
Australia 3
Brazil 1
The 2018 Tournament of Nations gets underway with the Matildas looking to make a strong start to their title defence when they take on Brazil in Kansas. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 6:15am (AEST).
Australia were the surprise winners of this tournament last year. After beating hosts the USA, then going past Japan, they smacked Brazil 6-1, moving through the three games undefeated.
With the same four teams, the Aussies need to get off to a flying start, given the USA are the top-ranked team in the world and Japan are still a very strong outfit.
The Matildas, ranked eighth in the world, have only lost two of their last 17 matches in the last 12 months, with just three draws among those fixtures.
It’s been an impressive run, although they heartbreakingly lost the recent Asian Cup to Japan 1-0. That came after a draw with the same team in the group stages and a win on penalties over Thailand in the semi-final.
Before that, Australia were strong at the Algarve Cup, beating Norway and China, before losing to Portugal in the third-place play-off.
So, while the Matildas have lost some big games, they have displayed great form since last year’s Tournament of Nations.
They will again be led by one of the world’s best players in Sam Kerr, who scored four goals here last year, while Lisa De Vanna will add a stack of experience as the Matildas’ most capped player.
Brazil, on the other hand, only came away with a draw in this competition last year. After a promising start against Japan, they were beaten convincingly in their final two games.
The South Americans are ranked seventh in their world and, unlike their male counterparts, have never won the World Cup or Olympic gold.
Brazil might be one slot above Australia in the word rankings, but haven’t found a way past the Matildas in any of their last three fixtures.
They have, however, turned their form around since those friendlies in Australia to win 11 of their last 12 matches, with the only blip on the radar a draw against China away from home. Otherwise, they have been dominant in qualifying for the 2019 World Cup, only conceding two goals in seven matches.
Still, Australia are a cut above all those nations.
Prediction
Australia go into this match as favourites and rightfully so. After beating Brazil twice at home earlier this year in friendlies, they should do the job again.
Australia 3-2 Brazil.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of the opening match at the Tournament of Nations from 6:15am (AEST) and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below.