Sam Kerr has had a welcome return to form heading home the winner in the Matildas solid 1-0 victory in their opening Asian Cup match against a disciplined Philippines side.

In front of 44,379 fans at Optus Stadium in Perth, the Philippines adopted an ultra-defensive strategy after a demoralising 8-0 loss when the two sides last met in 2023.  

It did not take long for the home team to break through, as in the 14th minute, a superb delivery from Claire Wheeler picked out Caitlin Foord at the back post, who expertly headed the ball across goal to an unmarked Sam Kerr. Kerr made no mistake, slotting home the opener in the Group A match.

Speaking after the match, Kerr said it was “extra special” to score in Perth after missing out on the World Cup. 

Having steadily built her minutes following her ACL injury in 2024, the star striker added she was “finding my confidence again”. 

The Matildas nearly doubled their lead in the 30th minute when Katrina Gorry’s incisive pass sent Hayley Raso through on goal, but VAR ruled her marginally offside.

The second half belonged entirely to the Matildas, who consistently targeted the right flank, with Raso and Ellie Carpenter delivering a stream of crosses that stretched the Philippines defence. Australia dominated the Philippines’ final third, entering it 119 times, their most in a women’s international since doing it 121 times against Thailand at the 2018 AFC Asian Cup.

Our goal today was just to get the win and to get the job done, and we did that.

Caitlin Foord

Matildas coach Joe Montemurro said after the match his side had been in control for the entire 90 minutes.

“The aim of the game was to try and dictate the game and we did that,” he said. “They (the Phillipines) stayed very deep at times, making it difficult for us to break the lines.

“It was very obvious what they tried to do to reduce the scoreline. They got the success that they needed.”

With 85 per cent possession in their favour, the Matildas dominated statistically, while the Philippines’ limited 15 per cent share was largely spent defending through clearances and blocks. 

“It’s our first game together in our group for a while,” Montemurro said.

Australia last won the Asian Cup in 2010. 

Foord, who assisted the decisive goal, said the performance was not perfect.

“Our goal today was just to get the win and to get the job done, and we did that,” she added, stressing the importance of securing the result against a disciplined Philippines side. 

Asked if the team could go one step further than their World Cup campaign, Kerr said the squad would “take it one game at a time”.

The Matildas next face Iran on Thursday at Cebus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast. 

Main image screenshot courtesy Channel Ten.