Matildas coach stunned by ‘mind-blowingly good’ Mary Fowler as Kerr stars in Olympics qualifier
Sam Kerr delivered for her hometown fans with a second-half goal as the Matildas made heavy work of their 2-0 win over Iran in Thursday night’s Olympic Games qualifier in Perth.
Despite dominating their outclassed opponents at a sold out HBF Park, and going ahead thanks to a goal in the 19th minute from Ellie Carpenter, the Matildas needed until the 78th minute to seal their victory when captain Kerr netted her 65th international goal.
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Having started the match on the bench with the majority of Australia’s FIFA Women’s World Cup heroes, Kerr tapped home from close range after being the beneficiary of a delightful build-up that involved fellow substitutes Mary Fowler and Steph Catley.
Tony Gustavsson was full of praise for Fowler post-game and credited Manchester City for using her as a wide forward, something the Matildas experimented with.
“We said: ‘Let’s try that in our environment as well – and Mary’s performance in those minutes on the left side was just mind-blowingly good,” the Matildas coach said.
Chelsea star Kerr should have scored again in stoppage time but wasted another golden opportunity.
It was the story of the night for the Australians, who despite never being threatened by the Iranians, lacked a cutting edge in their attacking third, which ensured there wouldn’t be the blowout scoreline many had predicted.
And while there might be the excuse that the experimental Matildas line-up lacked cohesion, coach Gustavsson will demand more on Sunday when the Australians meet the Philippines at Optus Stadium.
The Philippines, who are coached by Western United’s A-League women’s mentor Mark Torcaso, will go into the match
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