The CommBank Young Matildas kicked off their 2024 AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup Round 2 Qualifiers with a 5-0 victory over Lebanon.
Australia got off to the perfect start in the match, opening the scoring in the opening 10 minutes when DanJulia Woodsiela Galic found Kahli Johnson’s run behind her defender, with Johnson scoring the Young Matildas’ first.
Defender Gemma Ferris doubled Australia’s lead, heading home a corner that the Lebanon defence was unable to clear – scoring her first of the qualifying campaign.
Both sides settled into the game after the two early goals, with temperatures in Vietnam pushing 40°C the teams took a cooling break on the half-hour mark.
Leah Blayney’s side was unable to increase their lead heading into the break, with the head coach making one change to start the second half with Emilia Murray making way for Claudia Cicco.
Back Row (L to R): Chloe Lincoln, Alana Murphy, Gemma Ferris, Alexia Apostolakis, Kahli Johnson and Zara Kruger.
Front Row (L to R): Emilia Murray, Jessika Nash, Daniela Galic, Sienna Saveska and Naomi Chinnama
Australia had a number of chances to go begging in front of the goal to score the third goal, with Balyney opting for another change in the front three to look to find goal number three, with Jynaya Dos Santos coming on for goalscorer Kahli Johnson.
Another cooling break beckoned, with Blayney making two more substitutions, with Tijan McKenna coming on and Indiana Dos Santos making her Young Matildas debut, playing alongside her sister in Australia’s attack.
Blayney made her fifth substitution, with Maya Lobo coming off the bench to replace Naomi Chinnama in defence.
Jynaya Dos Santos added her name to the scoresheet, collecting the rebound after an initial attempt at goal from Maya Lobo was saved by the keeper, with the number 9 scoring her third of the whole campaign.
Chloe Lincoln was called into action late in the game, smothering a long-range attempt to keep her clean sheet intact. Sienna Saveska and Claudia Cicco added their names to the scoresheet to finish the game 5-0.
Australia now takes on the Islamic Republic of Iran in their second game of qualifying on Monday night, with the two top nations in the group progressing to the 2024 AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup.
Rewatch the full match replay.
Match Details
Australia U-20: 5 (Johnson 10′, Ferris 15′, J. Dos Santos 80′, Saveska 90′, Cicco 93′)
Lebanon: 0
Tournament: 2024 AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup Round 2 Qualifiers – Group A
Date: Saturday 3 June 2023
Venue: Việt Trì Stadium, Việt Trì
Kick-off: 4:00 pm (Local) / 7:00 pm (AEST)
Referee: Yu Hong (China PR)
Assistant Referees: Bao Mengxiao (China PR) & Uvena Fernandes (India)
Fourth Official: Ranjita Devi Tekcham (India)
Australia U-20 XI: 1. Chloe Lincoln (GK), 4. Gemma Ferris, 5. Jessika Nash (c), 7. Sienna Saveska, 8. Alana Murphy, 10. Daniela Galic (20. I. Dos Santos 71′), 11. Kahli Johnson (9. J. Dos Santos 55′), 14. Zara Kruger, 15. Alexia Apostolakis (2. McKenna 71′), 21. Naomi Chinnama (3. Lobo 75′), 22. Emilia Murray (16. Cicco 45′)
Substitutes not used: 6. Shay Hollman, 12. Tahlia Franco (GK), 13. Peta Trimis, 17. Ella O’Grady, 18. Grace Wilson (GK), 19. Ava Briedis, 23. Sasha Grove
Yellow Card: Cicco 89′
Red Card: Nil
Iran v Australia
Date: Monday 5 June 2023
Time: 4:00 pm (Local) / 7:00 pm (AEST)
Venue: Việt Trì Stadium, Việt Trì
Australia v Vietnam
Date: Wednesday 7 June 2023
Time: 7:00 pm (Local) / 10:00 pm (AEST)
Venue: Việt Trì Stadium, Việt Trì
