10 hours ago
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6.28am
The Matildas back line, of which there were four but are now three, are very loud tonight as they scramble to reorganise. There are so many England shirts pressing high up making it tough for Australia to do anything but try to stop another goal from going in.
Hopefully they can find a way to get back in the game; otherwise it looks like we’re in for 55 minutes of target practice for England.
Australia 0-0 England, 25 minutes
6.24am
Oh dear, oh dear. Oh dear. Referee had no choice to show Alanna Kennedy a red card there – but that just sums up the Matildas so far in this match, a completely unforced skill error creates something out of absolutely nothing for England. They’ve been very nervy in general and until now had been lucky to get away with it.
Now they have to see the remaining 70-odd minutes out with 10 players, against probably the best (or second-best) team in the world. Gulp. And now they’re a goal down, which in retrospect... maybe Kennedy shouldn’t have made that foul? It’s a long road back from here. Lift, Matildas.
6.22am
I told you Beaver-Jones wasn’t going to let another chance go. She takes the penalty and it’s blocked by the backline, Lucy Bronze recovers it, passes it back to Beaver-Jones only for her to plant it in the top left of the goal.
Uhoh.
Australia 0-1 England, 21 minutes
6.20am
Disaster for Australia as a foul on Russo at the edge of the box has sent off veteran defender Alanna Kennedy. The referee is fumbling with the cards in her pocket as we wait to see what colour it is but no, it’s a red.
Australia 0-0 England, 19 minutes
6.16am
Consider that a third and possibly final threat from Beaver-Jones before one goes in and counts. Midfield mastermind, who Kyra Cooney-Cross has the difficult task of trying to mark, passes to Alessia Russo who slips the ball past Clare Hunt and to the feet of Beaver-Jones who curves it over Arnold into the goal. Luckily, she’s ruled off side.
Australia 0-0 England, 14 minutes
6.13am
Katrina Gorry finds a long pass to Sam Kerr who is immediately closed in on by two of England’s defenders. It’s flattering to know that even after two years out, the opposition’s best chance at winning is to find any way to stop Kerr from scoring.
Australia 0-0 England, 12 minutes
6.09am
England are winning many of these one-on-ones with Australia looking uncharacteristically fragile in the combat department. These games are typically very aggressive between England and Australia, so we’ll see if Australia sticks to this good behaviour for much longer.
Beaver-Jones is looking very threatening but heads the ball just wide of the goal.
Australia 0-0 England, 8 minutes
6.05am
England is putting some early pressure on Mackenzie Arnold with Alessia Russo and Aggie Beaver-Jones very high-up in the box. A cross from Beth Mead could have been converted had Beaver-Jones made it in time, even so, Australia may have been redeemed by a possible off-side call.
England love to keep possession which should challenge Joe Montemurro’s goals for his own team.
Australia 0-0 England, 4 minutes
6.01am
The game is underway at Pride Park Stadium in Derby.
Australia 0-0 England, 0 minutes
6.00am
Sam Kerr’s strike-rate against former England goalkeeper Mary Earps was remarkable. Kerr was the only Australian to find a way past Earps during the World Cup semi-final. She’d also scored against her in Australia and England’s previous meet up in 2023, and in almost every meeting between the pair during the Women’s Super League when Earps still played for Manchester United.
Kerr v Earps is over.Credit: AP
This is no small achievement considering Earps had won the World Cup’s Golden Glove and was ranked fifth in the 2023 Ballon d’Or Feminin awards – the highest a goalkeeper has ever reached.
But now, with a new first-choice goalkeeper for England in Hannah Hampton and subsequent retirement from international duty by Earps, Kerr’s spell over England may be over.
Instead, Hampton and Kerr are teammates at Chelsea. It’s one of several club reunions taking place across the field as a majority of players from both teams play in the English league.
Here’s a reminder:
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