Montemurro era begins with a bang as Matildas secure 3-0 victory against Slovenia
Holly McNamara has scored her first international goal but new Matildas coach Joe Montemurro was left with plenty to ponder after his side scratched out an unconvincing 3-0 win over Slovenia in Perth.
Emily Gielnik's third-minute strike in Thursday night's match at HBF Park got the 15th-ranked Matildas off to a flyer, but it wasn't until McNamara scored in the 86th minute that the win was safe.
Hayley Raso added the icing on the cake in the 87th minute when she waltzed through the midfield untouched before unleashing a strike from outside the box.
Although the 3-0 scoreline looked good on paper, the performance was far from slick in front of a crowd of just 8678.
The under-strength Matildas were error-prone throughout the night, especially in defence where they attempted to play their way out of trouble at every chance.
Montemurro's possession-based game plan was always going to have teething problems, but the sheer amount of errors will be a huge concern.
Things started brightly when Gielnik stayed persistent in a goalmouth scrap to score the opener.
But the Matildas' determination to retain possession at all costs led to numerous sloppy turnovers, many of which should have been punished.
Time and again, the Matildas opted to go backwards instead of finding the gaps further ahead - leading to problems whenever Slovenia were able to pick off the pass.
One such turnover let Spela Kolbl off the leash in the 15th minute, with her floating cross glancing off the crossbar.
The Matildas' best opportunities in the first half generally came when defender Ellie Carpenter found some space to charge forward, with her pace and physicality proving hard to stop.
The Matildas' worst defensive error of the night arrived in the 52nd minute when Clare Hunt was unaware an opponent was bearing down on her as she attempted a short pass.
She got stripped of the ball but was left breathing a huge sigh of relief when Slovenia striker Zara Kramzar fired straight at Matildas keeper Teagan Micah from close range.
It was Alanna Kennedy's turn to commit a horror mistake 10 minutes later when her clumsy attempt to control the bouncing ball while running back to defend resulted in a costly deflection.
Slovenian substitute Nina Kajzba pounced on the mistake, with her strike forcing Micah to make a fine diving save.
McNamara, who has endured three knee reconstructions during her career, was a threat throughout the match.
The 22-year-old, playing her 10th international, finally received her reward when she put away a header at the far post following a sublime cross from Raso.
McNamara's teammates mobbed her as she celebrated her first Matildas goal.
A minute later, Raso went on a run and curled in a precision strike from the edge of the box.
The Matildas went into the international window missing a host of their best players.
Sam Kerr (ACL), Mary Fowler (ACL) and Tameka Yallop (leg) were all out through injury, while Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Katrina Gorry and Cortnee Vine are all on personal leave.
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That led to timid back passes when line breaks were there to be taken, and also some horror defensive errors as players second-guessed themselves at times. Slovenia racked up a whopping 20 shots for the match, and it was only the heroic goalkeeping of Teagan Micah that ensured the visitors didn't score a goal. Montemurro was happy with many aspects his team displayed in game one of his tenure, but he doesn't want them to retain possession just for the sake of it. "It was a perfect game to learn and a perfect game to grow off," Montemurro said on Saturday. "The key message was protecting the ball and just making sure we prepare with the ball a lot better. "We can do it, we showed it. We just need to be more consistent and I suppose more brave with it. "The more we do it, the more we understand the important pass or the important situation with breaking a line. I"m sure they'll be more proactive. 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The Matildas beat Slovenia 3-0 at HBF Park on Thursday night, but it took goals in the dying minutes to Holly McNamara and Hayley Raso to secure the unconvincing win. Montemurro has come into the role wanting to implement a possession-based, fluid game plan. The possession aspect was definitely there on Thursday night, but the fluidity was lacking at times as Matildas players attempted to retain the ball at all costs. That led to timid back passes when line breaks were there to be taken, and also some horror defensive errors as players second-guessed themselves at times. Slovenia racked up a whopping 20 shots for the match, and it was only the heroic goalkeeping of Teagan Micah that ensured the visitors didn't score a goal. Montemurro was happy with many aspects his team displayed in game one of his tenure, but he doesn't want them to retain possession just for the sake of it. "It was a perfect game to learn and a perfect game to grow off," Montemurro said on Saturday. "The key message was protecting the ball and just making sure we prepare with the ball a lot better. "We can do it, we showed it. We just need to be more consistent and I suppose more brave with it. "The more we do it, the more we understand the important pass or the important situation with breaking a line. I"m sure they'll be more proactive. "When you say you want to play possession - and it's a word that's bantered a lot - it's normal they do the safe things to keep possession. "Now we have to be smarter to say, 'OK, we can prepare to go forward and be more proactive and break lines'." After taking on Slovenia on Sunday, the Matildas will face Panama across two matches - one in Perth, and one in the WA regional coastal town of Bunbury. The block of games is an important stepping stone towards next year's home Asian Cup, which kicks off on March 1. Montemurro is without Sam Kerr (ACL), Mary Fowler (ACL) and Tameka Yallop (leg) due to injury for the current block of games, while Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Katrina Gorry and Cortnee Vine are all on personal leave.
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Be bold and brave: Montemurro gives Matildas wings
New Matildas coach Joe Montemurro is urging his players to be braver with the ball when they attempt to make it two wins on the trot against Slovenia in Perth on Sunday. The Matildas beat Slovenia 3-0 at HBF Park on Thursday night, but it took goals in the dying minutes to Holly McNamara and Hayley Raso to secure the unconvincing win. Montemurro has come into the role wanting to implement a possession-based, fluid game plan. The possession aspect was definitely there on Thursday night, but the fluidity was lacking at times as Matildas players attempted to retain the ball at all costs. That led to timid back passes when line breaks were there to be taken, and also some horror defensive errors as players second-guessed themselves at times. Slovenia racked up a whopping 20 shots for the match, and it was only the heroic goalkeeping of Teagan Micah that ensured the visitors didn't score a goal. Montemurro was happy with many aspects his team displayed in game one of his tenure, but he doesn't want them to retain possession just for the sake of it. "It was a perfect game to learn and a perfect game to grow off," Montemurro said on Saturday. "The key message was protecting the ball and just making sure we prepare with the ball a lot better. "We can do it, we showed it. We just need to be more consistent and I suppose more brave with it. "The more we do it, the more we understand the important pass or the important situation with breaking a line. I"m sure they'll be more proactive. "When you say you want to play possession - and it's a word that's bantered a lot - it's normal they do the safe things to keep possession. "Now we have to be smarter to say, 'OK, we can prepare to go forward and be more proactive and break lines'." After taking on Slovenia on Sunday, the Matildas will face Panama across two matches - one in Perth, and one in the WA regional coastal town of Bunbury. The block of games is an important stepping stone towards next year's home Asian Cup, which kicks off on March 1. Montemurro is without Sam Kerr (ACL), Mary Fowler (ACL) and Tameka Yallop (leg) due to injury for the current block of games, while Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Katrina Gorry and Cortnee Vine are all on personal leave.
