PERTH, Australia (AP) — The stage is set for a hometown star. sam carr Australia scored again and won 1-0 against the Philippines. Women’s Asian Cup Sunday’s tournament opener.
The Chelsea striker scored in the 14th minute with a header from the edge of the box following a cross from Claire Wheeler on the right, where Caitlin Ford headed it across goal.
It was 32-year-old Kerr’s 70th goal for Australia and a welcome return from a long-term knee injury that has kept him from playing for the Matildas since the 2023 World Cup.
The crowd of 44,379 was a tournament record and something of a tribute to Kerr, who grew up in Perth.
The Australian team went into the tournament hoping to recreate the atmosphere at the Women’s World Cup nearly three years ago, when the Matildas broke attendance records en route to the semi-finals.
However, it wasn’t all a one-way street. Australia had 85% possession, taking 15 shots and completing 674 passes to the Philippines’ 118, but were unable to break down the defense.
Hayley Raso seemed to have given Australia a 2-0 lead when she found the back of the net in the 30th minute, but a VAR review ruled her offside.
Goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel was heavily involved for the Philippines, helping them close the gap with a team seen as strong candidates to top the group, which also includes 2022 runners-up South Korea and Iran.
Kerr played the full race and Australia also performed well. mary fowler The Matildas made his long-awaited return from injury in the 68th minute.
“I’m just getting my confidence back again,” Kerr said in a postgame television interview. “I guess that’s for other people to judge, but I still feel like my normal self.
“We have to get more touches in the box.”
Australia has not won a continental title since 2010, losing in the finals to Japan in 2014 and 2018 and in the semi-finals four years ago. This is Kerr’s fifth time participating in the Asia Cup and he is determined to win it again.
“It was a good start today and there’s a lot of confidence within the team,” Kerr said. “But as you can see today, there are a lot of quality teams in the Asia Cup.”
Iranian involvement
Iran will play against South Korea on Monday. At a pre-match press conference scheduled for Sunday on the Gold Coast in Queensland. Iran coach Marzieh Jafari declined to comment. About the military attack and the death of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“I don’t think we should talk about these issues at all at this point,” Jafari said in comments translated into English. “We have a team here for a very important tournament that is important to them. I think that’s the question that should be asked.”
Iranian national team captain Zahra Gambari said the team was staying in Australia with the goal of participating in the Women’s World Cup to be held in Brazil next year.
“The mindset of every player and team is that if God wills, we can break out of the group,” she said. “Our whole focus is to get to the World Cup and have great success there.”
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