The Matildas have suffered their first loss because the FIFA World Cup, happening 5-0 in a humiliating defeat to Canada in a pleasant on Saturday afternoon (AEDT).
Having already progressed to the following stage of Olympic qualification with dominant wins over Chinese language Tapei, Iran and the Philippines, the stakes had been decrease in opposition to Canada and Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson opted for an experimental facet.
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Sam Kerr and Mackenzie Arnold had been unavailable as a result of damage, and Gustavsson picked a second string beginning XI, blooding two debutants in Sarah Hunter and Charlie Rule.
However the Matildas B-team had been thrown to the wolves on a chilly night time in British Colombia on an artificial pitch that didn’t swimsuit Australia’s fashion of play.
Canada’s Nichelle Prince scored a primary half double however the Matildas struggled, not managing a single shot or perhaps a nook within the opening 45 minutes.
The Matildas defeated Canada 4-0 within the group stage of the World Cup earlier this 12 months in arguably their finest efficiency of the match, however it was a special story this time round.
Gustavsson was criticised in the course of the World Cup for not turning to his substitutes, and former Socceroo Andy Harper mentioned the Matildas coach missed a trick by not together with no less than a few skilled gamers within the beginning XI.
Harper mentioned on Channel 10: “It begs the query when you go for an experiment, what precisely is the purpose of the experiment?
“Very clearly a lot of the gamers within the first half of been utterly uncovered. Is that what he needed out of this? Who’s going to return via.
“And then you definitely run the chance of somebody who could also be feels a little bit poorly after their 45 minutes and also you drag them and also you compound the issue.
“In some way we’ve hung women out to dry within the driving rain.
“I don’t know why we needed to go down this path. It’s terribly disappointing.
“I don’t perceive why Clare Wheeler couldn’t play subsequent to Kyra Cooney-Cross, or Sarah Hunter couldn’t play alongisde Katrina Gorry.
“It’s virtually like cannon fodder. Use the 2 video games to combine and match.”
The Canadians added three extra targets within the second half via Simi Awujo, Cloe Lacasse and Adriana Leon, utterly humilating the Matildas defence.
It took till the 74th minute for Mary Fowler to get the Matildas their first shot on the right track after she got here off the bench.
Fowler, Katrina Gorry, Alanna Kennedy, Hayley Raso, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Emily van Egmond got here on within the second half, however by then the injury was executed.
It was the Matildas’ heaviest loss since a 7-0 defeat to Spain in a 2022 pleasant, when Gustavvsson additionally blooded an inexperienced facet.
The Matildas will play one other pleasant in opposition to Canada on Wednesday earlier than turning their consideration to their subsequent Olympic qualifier in opposition to Uzbekistan in February.
