Five quick hits as Matildas beat Chinese Taipei thanks to A-League stars and new faces in front of Melbourne crowd
Bryleeh Henry (left) and Tash Prior (right) scored their first Matildas goals as Chloe Logarzo's (centre) night ended early yet again. (Getty Images)
Interim coach Tom Sermanni gives us a glimpse of the future he promised as two streaks end for the Matildas against Chinese Taipei.
Here are five quick hits from the 3-1 win in Melbourne.
1. The future is now
Bryleeh Henry (second from right) confirmed the Matildas' win five minutes after coming on in the second half. (AP: Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
The day before the game, Sermanni lamented the stability of the Matildas over the past few years had led to a lack of planning for the future.
Well, necessity being the mother of invention, that changed on Wednesday night.
Missing a full starting XI's worth of talent — including Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler, Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Ellie Carpenter, Hayley Raso and many more — Sermanni's team was just about unrecognisable. At least it would have been if some of the players called up to replace the regulars weren't regulars from years past, like Amazing Race teammates and veterans of 50-plus caps Emily Gielnik and Chloe Logarzo.
But by the end of the game, starters Logarzo, Gielnik, Emily van Egmond, Michelle Heyman, Tameka Yallop and Daniela Galic were on the sidelines and the XI on the park gave us a glimpse into the future.
Sharn Freier, Tash Prior and Bryleeh Henry all scored their first international goals with their cap tallies still in single digits, while Leah Davidson came off the bench for her debut.
All told, five rookies and eight players with fewer than 10 caps took the field, and while the 41st-ranked Taiwanese might not have been the toughest opponents, early experience for new blood will serve the Matildas in the long run.
2. A-League of their own
The evening was a win for promoters of the A-Leagues as all three Matildas goal-scorers came from the local stocks, showing the wealth of talent within the domestic competition.
First it was the Newcastle Jets' Prior, who is newly introduced to Matildas fans after debuting for Australia against Brazil on Sunday. It came after an interrupted career, including an early retirement at 21 in the 2019 due to a major concussion.
Tash Prior (left) was mobbed after scoring her first goal for the Matildas 10 minutes into her second game. (AP: Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Sermanni said she slotted into the side seamlessly, similar to how Clare Hunt did.
Then Brisbane Roar's Freier, who roamed free on the wing and back, a position she's used to in the ALW.
"So it is not completely new to me," Freier told Channel 10 post match. "But it is good to get on the ball. It is what I love to do."
And finally, Melbourne City's Henry in her third appearance for the Matildas.
The trio will likely feature prominently again in the Matildas' second game against Chinese Taipei, with Tottenham pair Hunt and Charli Grant, and FC Twente's Daniela Galic, joining the ranks of players returning to their club sides after Wednesday's game.
3. Clean sheets spoiled
Chen Jin-wen (third from left) pounced on a miscommunication between Charli Grant (right) and Clare Hunt. (Getty Images: Daniel Pockett)
The Matildas have now won 10 straight games against Chinese Taipei, but they did do something on Wednesday night that no Australian women's team had done in 17 years.
The Matildas had not conceded a goal to Chinese Taipei in the previous seven matches, dating all the way back to February 2007.
But that ended when Hunt and Grant acted like they'd never met before and failed to shut down a long ball in the 34th minute.
Chen Jin-wen showed no such hesitation as she flew down the right, snuck in behind and snatched the ball, standing up Grant and goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold before slotting home with her right foot.
Seventeen years of clean sheets gone just like that.
4. Luckless Logarzo
Logarzo just can't catch a break.
Chloe Logarzo was in tears after a head clash forced her off in her first Matildas cap in more than two years. (Getty Images: Daniel Pockett)
Called up for her first Matildas cap since October 2022 and her first start since tearing her ACL in September 2021, the 29-year-old started crying as she stood arm-in-arm with her teammates for the national anthem at AAMI Park.
Barely half an hour later, she was back on the bench, crying less joyful tears and nursing a sore head.
Logarzo came together hard in a head clash with Chan Pi-han, in the 25th minute and was left face down on the turf.
While talking to the trainers, Logarzo could be seen say "No. Please, please, please", begging to be allowed to stay on the park.
Alas, she was forced to come off for the rest of the match as a concussion precaution, with Sermanni saying "hopefully she can be in discussions" for the next clash on Saturday in Geelong.
5. Melbourne breaks Matildas' streak
While 26,795 fans coloured the stands of Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in green and gold, it wasn't enough to keep the Matildas' hot streak alive.
After 16 consecutive sold-out crowds on home soil, the Melbourne attendance fell just a few thousand short. The record is broken but the interest is very much still there.
According to Football Australia, the average home attendance for Matildas games has grown by 3,000 from 2023, when the boom of the World Cup saw fandom for the team grip the nation.
In 2024, including current sold-out figures from the current series against Brazil and Taiwan, the average attendances are at 44,000. In 2023, the average was 41,781.