Matildas v Panama LIVE updates, scores, how to watch, news, team lists
Panama stunned the home crowd when they took a 56th-minute lead through 19-year-old substitute Sherline King in Saturday's wet and windy clash in Western Australia.
Australia's Jamila Rankin is challenged by Erika Arauz of Panama. Credit: Getty Images
Australia pushed hard for an equaliser, and it looked set to arrive in the 96th minute when a goalkeeper's save fell at the feet of Heyman.
But her reflex left-foot strike from point-blank range sent the ball over the crossbar, with Panama's players celebrating wildly upon hearing the full-time whistle just moments later.
It marked the Matildas' first loss under new coach Joe Montemurro, who had led the side to a 3-0 win and 1-1 draw against Slovenia in his previous two matches in charge.
Although the loss to Panama came as a surprise and also marked a big wake-up call, the Matildas fielded a side missing a host of their biggest stars.
Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler, Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Katrina Gorry and Clare Wheeler were all absent from the current international window.
Ellie Carpenter, Mackenzie Arnold, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Sharn Freeier exited the squad following the Slovenia series, while Amy Sayer and Charli Grant were rested.
Montemurro made a whopping 10 changes to his starting side against the Central Americans, with Kaitlyn Torpey the only player in the starting XI who also started in last week's draw with Slovenia.
Panama goalkeeper Yenith Bailey is stretchered off the field after landing awkwardly on her knee. Credit: Getty Images
Panama's day started on a horrible note, with goalkeeper Yenith Bailey lasting less than a minute before hyperextending her left knee while attempting a save.
The Matildas controlled possession and territory in the first half, but there were still danger signs. Defender Natasha Prior had to time her sliding block to perfection to deny Panama striker Riley Tanner a close-range shot on goal.
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Tanner was at it again in the 41st minute, with her powerful strike from a difficult angle slamming into the post. In between Tanner's threats, the Matildas wasted several good chances.
Their best first-half opportunity fell at the feet of Emily Gielnik, who had the goal at her mercy but got her timing all wrong as she attempted to connect with Holly McNamara's dangerous cross.
King gave Panama the lead when she latched on to Matildas goalkeeper Teagan Micah's save to power home a volley.
The Matildas pushed hard for an equaliser, with Montemurro unleashing a number of debutants off the bench, but in the end it was Heyman's missed chance that proved to be the one that got away.
The Matildas enjoyed 66 per cent possession but only unleashed four shots on target for the match.
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Sydney Morning Herald
11 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘You've got to control the game without the ball': The masterminds rebuilding the Matildas
Sam Kerr, Steph Catley, Ellie Carpenter and Caitlin Foord are synonymous with Matildas mania, but behind every famous foot on the field, there's a formidable group, under new coach Joe Montemurro, dedicated to restoring the team to glory. It's no small feat. Hopes were high after the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, but they came crashing down with a disastrous Olympic campaign under Tony Gustavsson. Injury then left interim coach Tom Sermanni to pick up the pieces without Kerr or forward Mary Fowler. In theory, Montemurro has until March to get the Matildas into shape for their next major test. As evidenced by the team's loss to world No.46 Panama on Saturday, in reality, he has no time to waste. Montemurro is well aware of this. He's won league titles with Arsenal, Juventus and Lyon, and could have coached any side in the world. But the coach born and raised in Melbourne chose to come home to Australia and take charge of a Matildas side that has become one of Australia's most popular – and embattled – national teams. Loading One of his first moves as Matildas coach was to revamp his back-room staff, bringing in trusted assistants to set the team up for the AFC Asian Cup in Australia in eight months. Montemurro's Matildas, bolstered behind the scenes by a formidable team with decades in the game and trophy-winning experience in Australia and overseas, is aiming to win the continental title again after Sermanni's Matildas first won it in 2010. On-field talent including Kerr, Catley, Carpenter and Foord are complemented by the appointment of a new video analyst, James Slaveski, who has been a data and scouting guru for A-League clubs and Football Australia, and conditioning expert Emanuele Chiappero, who worked with Montemurro in France and Italy, and will be the key figure keeping the Matildas in top physical shape. The players joined Montemurro and his new coaching staff for the first time in Perth in June for a win and a draw against Slovenia, and two games against Panama in July. We go behind the dressing-room doors to meet the team behind Montemurro's Matildas. 'It's just a natural psyche for footballers that they want to have the ball … you've got to control the game without the ball.' Joe Montemurro Joe Palatsides, assistant coach with 'tactical nous' Montemurro looked to proven lieutenants led by Palatsides, whom he has known since they were young men playing together at Brunswick Juventus in Melbourne's north. Funnily enough, neither is going by Joe in camp. Players call Montemurro by his nickname, 'Pep', (short for Giuseppe) and Palatsides by 'Pala'. The pair linked up as coaches when both were at Melbourne City, and Palatsides was reunited with Montemurro when he took over at French powerhouse Lyon last season before following him back home. 'He was a very good coach back then at Melbourne City but he's gone to another level since he's been involved with these great teams in Europe,' Palatsides tells this masthead from Perth. 'When I saw Joe go to Arsenal, I was wondering how he's going to go?' says Palatsides, who has also worked as technical director for Football Victoria and is known for his tactical nous. 'People don't rate Australian coaches that highly over there but I think that's changed now with Ange Postecoglou and others. Then you see Joe and what he's done since then – in the women's game, I would think he's considered in the top three coaches in the world. 'He could have been in line for every job in the world but he's chosen the Matildas, and he's proud of that fact.' Palatsides, a former Socceroo, relishes the chance to again don the green and gold, even if it is the coaching polo shirt. 'Pulling on that Socceroos jumper gave me goose bumps but I didn't realise how special this was until I got here, talked to the girls and coaches, and that buzz goes through you,' Palatsides says. 'I'm excited for what the future holds.' The video analyst informing Joe Montemurro's Matildas' strategy Former Young Socceroos football analyst James Slaveski will use footage of matches and training sessions to break down the team's performance into smaller parts. A key part of a video analyst's job is to identify areas of strength and weakness in individual player performances and overarching team strategy, as well as help coaching staff develop tactics to address those and improve. Another aspect of Slaveski's job, however, is reviewing footage of an opponent's matches and developing strategies to exploit that team's weaknesses and bolster the Matildas' defensive and offensive tactics against the opponent's strengths. Emily Husband, assistant coach with comeback cred The UK-born defensive whiz played youth football for Leeds United and Manchester City before moving to the American college system. She is fresh from steering Central Coast Mariners to claim the A-League Women's title, in just their second season back in the competition, 13 years after the team's financial collapse. Before joining the Mariners two years ago, Husband had not coached professionally. She recently told this masthead she had initially turned down the A-League job, thinking she wasn't ready. Loading That was despite a dominant record as coach of Sydney University in the NPL NSW league. Husband explains she will play a key role in the Matildas' defensive game. 'Pep loves to have the ball and that's his mantra but I'm quite the opposite,' Husband says. 'I think about the defensive side of the game. We all see the game differently and that's why we are a good group.' Leanne Hall, set piece coach in charge of 'defining moments' The former England goalkeeper has been an assistant manager with both Arsenal, where she worked with Montemurro, and Aston Villa women. She says Montemurro is a transformative coach. His Melbourne City sides dominated the A-League Women in a way few teams have, while at Arsenal, his possession style was different to every team. Once he led the Gunners to the English Women's Super League title, other teams copied it. 'Joe's known in England as the coach that brought the Barcelona style tiki-taka [passing style] to the women's game,' Hall recalled. 'Arsenal was his first gig, and I was there with him and the difference he made in the way that the game is played in the WSL was huge. And now lots of teams try to play that style, and I do think Joe's has a massive impact on that.' Hall's set-piece coaching could prove vital when the clutch games come around. 'In the final stages of major tournaments, one in every six goals comes from set pieces so they are pretty defining moments,' Hall says. Hall will likely help Montemurro monitor the growing number of Matildas playing in England, and says she has developed a newfound respect for Australian players during her first trip Down Under. Despite the jet lag, Hall already feels at home. 'The best thing I can say is that I've been here a week, but I already feel myself within the group and the culture of the team which is amazing,' Hall says. So, what will Montemurro's Matildas look like? There are clues from Montemurro's time at Arsenal and Juventus, where he had to grow the players' belief that they could beat the power clubs. The Matildas will need similar help as they try to beat bogey side Japan in the Asian Cup, potentially without injured superstar Fowler. Palatsides says that belief comes from Montemurro's ability to instil confidence in his players. 'Part of his success is the way the girls react to him,' Palatsides says. 'You don't always see that with coaches. There is always a difference, a small difference, between men's and women's football, but it's very specific and the way Joe has adapted himself and created these cultures has been the secret to his success.' When it comes to the style of play, Montemurro is belligerent in his demands that the team hold possession, connect with smart passing and defend intelligently by forcing the opposition into spaces they won't score from. Matildas sides haven't always had the confidence to back their own passing and movement skills against the world's best sides but Montemurro is determined to change that. This was visible in the two Slovenia games with players like Remy Siemsen, Amy Sayer and Winona Heatley impressing with their passing and ball use. 'It's just a natural psyche for footballers that they want to have the ball, they want to keep possession and keep a proactive mentality with the ball,' Montemurro says. 'That part is the easy sell. The next phase is to identify the moments that you may not have the ball and you've got to control the game without the ball.' The Matildas players are spread across Europe, the United States, Asia and back home in the A-League so building a cohesive unit that can withstand the pressure of the Asian Cup and win the tournament will take something special. Loading 'The big thing to me is consistent messaging,' Montemurro says. 'You don't have much time with players so you hope that they go away with a few things stuck in their heads whether [it's] about positioning or principles they can work on with their clubs.' Montemurro is confident his players will rise to the occasion and that his blend of overseas-based people like Hall and Australian-based coaches like himself can keep all players on the same page. There will be some huge moments to come, including the long-awaited return of Kerr, while several players led by Lyon star Ellie Carpenter have looked perfectly suited to this style of play during the Slovenia friendlies. 'There is an energy and a belief that we are ready to do something special in March,' Montemurro says. 'We're already preparing for that.'
The Age
11 hours ago
- The Age
‘You've got to control the game without the ball': The masterminds rebuilding the Matildas
Sam Kerr, Steph Catley, Ellie Carpenter and Caitlin Foord are synonymous with Matildas mania, but behind every famous foot on the field, there's a formidable group, under new coach Joe Montemurro, dedicated to restoring the team to glory. It's no small feat. Hopes were high after the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, but they came crashing down with a disastrous Olympic campaign under Tony Gustavsson. Injury then left interim coach Tom Sermanni to pick up the pieces without Kerr or forward Mary Fowler. In theory, Montemurro has until March to get the Matildas into shape for their next major test. As evidenced by the team's loss to world No.46 Panama on Saturday, in reality, he has no time to waste. Montemurro is well aware of this. He's won league titles with Arsenal, Juventus and Lyon, and could have coached any side in the world. But the coach born and raised in Melbourne chose to come home to Australia and take charge of a Matildas side that has become one of Australia's most popular – and embattled – national teams. Loading One of his first moves as Matildas coach was to revamp his back-room staff, bringing in trusted assistants to set the team up for the AFC Asian Cup in Australia in eight months. Montemurro's Matildas, bolstered behind the scenes by a formidable team with decades in the game and trophy-winning experience in Australia and overseas, is aiming to win the continental title again after Sermanni's Matildas first won it in 2010. On-field talent including Kerr, Catley, Carpenter and Foord are complemented by the appointment of a new video analyst, James Slaveski, who has been a data and scouting guru for A-League clubs and Football Australia, and conditioning expert Emanuele Chiappero, who worked with Montemurro in France and Italy, and will be the key figure keeping the Matildas in top physical shape. The players joined Montemurro and his new coaching staff for the first time in Perth in June for a win and a draw against Slovenia, and two games against Panama in July. We go behind the dressing-room doors to meet the team behind Montemurro's Matildas. 'It's just a natural psyche for footballers that they want to have the ball … you've got to control the game without the ball.' Joe Montemurro Joe Palatsides, assistant coach with 'tactical nous' Montemurro looked to proven lieutenants led by Palatsides, whom he has known since they were young men playing together at Brunswick Juventus in Melbourne's north. Funnily enough, neither is going by Joe in camp. Players call Montemurro by his nickname, 'Pep', (short for Giuseppe) and Palatsides by 'Pala'. The pair linked up as coaches when both were at Melbourne City, and Palatsides was reunited with Montemurro when he took over at French powerhouse Lyon last season before following him back home. 'He was a very good coach back then at Melbourne City but he's gone to another level since he's been involved with these great teams in Europe,' Palatsides tells this masthead from Perth. 'When I saw Joe go to Arsenal, I was wondering how he's going to go?' says Palatsides, who has also worked as technical director for Football Victoria and is known for his tactical nous. 'People don't rate Australian coaches that highly over there but I think that's changed now with Ange Postecoglou and others. Then you see Joe and what he's done since then – in the women's game, I would think he's considered in the top three coaches in the world. 'He could have been in line for every job in the world but he's chosen the Matildas, and he's proud of that fact.' Palatsides, a former Socceroo, relishes the chance to again don the green and gold, even if it is the coaching polo shirt. 'Pulling on that Socceroos jumper gave me goose bumps but I didn't realise how special this was until I got here, talked to the girls and coaches, and that buzz goes through you,' Palatsides says. 'I'm excited for what the future holds.' The video analyst informing Joe Montemurro's Matildas' strategy Former Young Socceroos football analyst James Slaveski will use footage of matches and training sessions to break down the team's performance into smaller parts. A key part of a video analyst's job is to identify areas of strength and weakness in individual player performances and overarching team strategy, as well as help coaching staff develop tactics to address those and improve. Another aspect of Slaveski's job, however, is reviewing footage of an opponent's matches and developing strategies to exploit that team's weaknesses and bolster the Matildas' defensive and offensive tactics against the opponent's strengths. Emily Husband, assistant coach with comeback cred The UK-born defensive whiz played youth football for Leeds United and Manchester City before moving to the American college system. She is fresh from steering Central Coast Mariners to claim the A-League Women's title, in just their second season back in the competition, 13 years after the team's financial collapse. Before joining the Mariners two years ago, Husband had not coached professionally. She recently told this masthead she had initially turned down the A-League job, thinking she wasn't ready. Loading That was despite a dominant record as coach of Sydney University in the NPL NSW league. Husband explains she will play a key role in the Matildas' defensive game. 'Pep loves to have the ball and that's his mantra but I'm quite the opposite,' Husband says. 'I think about the defensive side of the game. We all see the game differently and that's why we are a good group.' Leanne Hall, set piece coach in charge of 'defining moments' The former England goalkeeper has been an assistant manager with both Arsenal, where she worked with Montemurro, and Aston Villa women. She says Montemurro is a transformative coach. His Melbourne City sides dominated the A-League Women in a way few teams have, while at Arsenal, his possession style was different to every team. Once he led the Gunners to the English Women's Super League title, other teams copied it. 'Joe's known in England as the coach that brought the Barcelona style tiki-taka [passing style] to the women's game,' Hall recalled. 'Arsenal was his first gig, and I was there with him and the difference he made in the way that the game is played in the WSL was huge. And now lots of teams try to play that style, and I do think Joe's has a massive impact on that.' Hall's set-piece coaching could prove vital when the clutch games come around. 'In the final stages of major tournaments, one in every six goals comes from set pieces so they are pretty defining moments,' Hall says. Hall will likely help Montemurro monitor the growing number of Matildas playing in England, and says she has developed a newfound respect for Australian players during her first trip Down Under. Despite the jet lag, Hall already feels at home. 'The best thing I can say is that I've been here a week, but I already feel myself within the group and the culture of the team which is amazing,' Hall says. So, what will Montemurro's Matildas look like? There are clues from Montemurro's time at Arsenal and Juventus, where he had to grow the players' belief that they could beat the power clubs. The Matildas will need similar help as they try to beat bogey side Japan in the Asian Cup, potentially without injured superstar Fowler. Palatsides says that belief comes from Montemurro's ability to instil confidence in his players. 'Part of his success is the way the girls react to him,' Palatsides says. 'You don't always see that with coaches. There is always a difference, a small difference, between men's and women's football, but it's very specific and the way Joe has adapted himself and created these cultures has been the secret to his success.' When it comes to the style of play, Montemurro is belligerent in his demands that the team hold possession, connect with smart passing and defend intelligently by forcing the opposition into spaces they won't score from. Matildas sides haven't always had the confidence to back their own passing and movement skills against the world's best sides but Montemurro is determined to change that. This was visible in the two Slovenia games with players like Remy Siemsen, Amy Sayer and Winona Heatley impressing with their passing and ball use. 'It's just a natural psyche for footballers that they want to have the ball, they want to keep possession and keep a proactive mentality with the ball,' Montemurro says. 'That part is the easy sell. The next phase is to identify the moments that you may not have the ball and you've got to control the game without the ball.' The Matildas players are spread across Europe, the United States, Asia and back home in the A-League so building a cohesive unit that can withstand the pressure of the Asian Cup and win the tournament will take something special. Loading 'The big thing to me is consistent messaging,' Montemurro says. 'You don't have much time with players so you hope that they go away with a few things stuck in their heads whether [it's] about positioning or principles they can work on with their clubs.' Montemurro is confident his players will rise to the occasion and that his blend of overseas-based people like Hall and Australian-based coaches like himself can keep all players on the same page. There will be some huge moments to come, including the long-awaited return of Kerr, while several players led by Lyon star Ellie Carpenter have looked perfectly suited to this style of play during the Slovenia friendlies. 'There is an energy and a belief that we are ready to do something special in March,' Montemurro says. 'We're already preparing for that.'
West Australian
20 hours ago
- West Australian
Matildas superstar Sam Kerr joins training session in Perth as she continues road to recovery
Fremantle-born Matildas superstar Sam Kerr has stepped out to train with the squad in Perth for the first time during the national side's four-game stint in Perth. Kerr has not played a competitive game since rupturing her ACL during a Chelsea training camp in Morocco in January 2024. Her road back to the pitch has been long and full of hurdles, including a second round of surgery earlier this year and a UK court battle. However, fans will be buoyed by the star Aussie's inclusion during training at a wet HBF Park on Monday afternoon. The Matildas will face Panama in their final clash of the four-game stint on Tuesday, eager to make amends for the shock defeat to the No.56-ranked visitors in a historic Bunbury clash. The Matildas' captain is not part of the 33-player squad for the four friendlies, but the West Australian has been making the most of her homecoming. During Australia's first match against Slovenia at HBF Park, Kerr sent fans into a frenzy, and for their running shoes, with a pre-game signing session. The striker was the darling of the game's youngest fans as she gave everyone a taste of Sam-Kerr time with kids packing the eastern terrace and clamouring for their soccer hero's coveted signature, calling her name from the moment she entered the arena. Over the weekend, the 31-year-old also stepped out with her fellow soccer star partner Kristie Mewis and their new baby Jagger. The pair were spotted enjoying a relaxed brunch with Kerr's parents on Sunday morning, with Mewis pictured holding their two-month-old in a carrier. Kerr and Mewis began their relationship around 2020 before confirming they were a couple on social media in August 2021. They got engaged in September 2023, announcing it publicly two months later. Their engagement was followed by the news that they were expecting their first child in November last year. Kerr announced the arrival of Jagger Mewis-Kerr in May, writing 'Our little man is here' alongside a picture of the family of three. The proud mums have both shared pictures of the newborn on social media, including one that featured him in a onesie with a Vegemite print on it.
