Matildas defeat Spain on back of first-half blitz to take pole position in Cup of Nations

The Matildas have claimed their second win of the Cup of Nations, defeating Spain 3-2 in a mostly commanding performance at CommBank Stadium on Sunday in front of 17,333 supporters. The result keeps them at the summit of the ladder and in pole position to take out the Cup of Nations.

Australia’s defence looked resolute and held out for 73 minutes before being breached in good signs as the home Women’s World Cup looms large.

Tony Gustavsson made two changes to his starting 11, with 23-year-old Clare Hunt coming in for veteran Aivi Luik in a changing of the guard, while Caitlin Foord was handed a start in place of the seemingly out of form Mary Fowler.

It was almost the perfect start for the home side when Cortnee Vine and Foord linked up after Sam Kerr’s flick on, but the Sydney FC winger dawdled and let the opportunity pass.

The Matildas seemed determined to start brighter than they did in Thursday night’s win over Czechia, playing with greater intensity and showing more hunger to take the game to their opponents.

Mackenzie Arnold was called into action early, getting down low to deny Olga Carmona, who was potentially in an illegal position as she received Jenni Hermoso’s deft pass but the play was allowed to continue.

Australia capitalised on their good start, opening the scoring in the 11th minute thanks to Vine’s rocket from outside the box. Hayley Raso started the move with a run down the right, before squaring to Vine who unleashed a perfect strike, giving Misa Rodriguez no chance.

Before long the home side extended their advantage to 2-0 through Clare Polkinghorne, the Matildas’ all-time appearance record holder capitalising on a mistake from the Spanish defence to double her Cup of Nations tally.

With the match less than 20 minutes old, the visitors found themselves in a bit of a hole thanks to the Matildas’ excellent start.

Vine was causing chaos down the right wing, with her teammates looking to exploit the winger’s pace with cut-out balls at every opportunity.

Spain remained in the contest, taking a bit more control in midfield, and maintaining possession but failing to find much cutting edge. The clearest path to goal would be through the nifty Hermoso, who always looked threatening when she managed to get on the ball in advanced areas.

Sam Kerr had the ball in the net in the 37th minute with a bullet header, but the assistant’s flag was immediately raised for offside and it would not count. Replays confirmed the Chelsea forward was just barely in an illegal position as the ball was delivered.

The Matildas would have their third goal just minutes later, however, as a perfect set-piece delivery found the unmarked Foord, who easily dispatched her header from close range.

(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

It should have been 4-0 soon after as Kerr found herself one-on-one with Rodriguez but she could only drag her shot wide.

Raso sustained an injury to her finger just before the break and was helped off the pitch, but returned to the field for the start of the second half.

There were no changes from Gustavsson at half-time, ostensibly a sign the Swede was content with his side’s opening 45 minutes, and with good reason – it was the Matildas’ most polished start to a match in a long time.

“I’m gonna be the boring coach and say I wasn’t that excited by that first half,” he told reporters post-game.

“I think it was unfair that we were 3-0 up. I think they could have scored once or twice if it wasn’t for (Arnold). So, we need to be humble, and not get carried away.”

Chasing the game now, the Spaniards started to show more intent, targeting the right side of Australia’s defence. The corners started to pile up but the Matildas defence remained resolute under pressure.

Raso, clearly feeling the effects of the finger problem, was subbed off in the 58th minute, replaced by Larissa Crummer. The Brisbane Roar forward would have just over 40 minutes to impress Gustavsson.

With Spain bearing down on goal in a two-on-one situation, Arnold pulled off her best save of the match – making herself big to deny Hermoso, who really should have scored.

The home side’s hopes for a clean sheet were dashed in the 73rd minute when Carmona unleashed a powerful strike from outside the area, giving the unsighted Arnold no chance.

As solid as the backline had been it was a blow to be undone late in the piece.

Just minutes later Salma Ayingono got in behind and cut back on to her right foot, but could only sky her effort high over the crossbar. Some worrying signs for the hosts as the clock ticked down into the final 10 minutes.

In stoppage time Spain reduced the deficit to one through Alba Redondo from Marta Cardona’s cut back. It was almost the last kick of the game, however, so there were few truly nervy moments for the Matildas.

Asked about whether there could be more changes to the starting 11 in the final Cup of Nations clash on Wednesday, Gustavsson explained that he needed to review the whole squad, not just the starting team, as he looks towards the World Cup.

“As (coaches), we’re paid to try to find answers before we know if it’s right or wrong,” he said.

“Tonight, for example, I need to look at timing, some of the things I did in the second half and take ownership of that. Also some communication issues from the bench to the players tonight.

“Consistency and cohesion is one of the reasons why you’ve seen this growth. We’re going to recover now and see how the players are physically, then we go from there.

“I always try to plan for the team that can be the best team for 90 minutes, not just the best starting line-up. Meaning, ‘how can we play 90-minute football against each opponent’, so that’s going to come into consideration.”

It was another important result for Gustavsson and his side, and crucially, a mostly dominant performance. However, the manager will surely be concerned with the lapses of concentration late in the second half.

The Matildas take on Jamaica at Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium on Wednesday night to round out their Cup of Nations campaign, where a draw will guarantee the title for Australia.