Matildas

A second-string Matildas team was destroyed 7-0 by Spain in a firendly on Sunday (AEST), with coach Tony Gustavsson coming under fire again. The…

“She was definitely caught out quite a few times. “That second-half collapse is not a discredit to our team, but by my count there are four or maybe five girls out of the NSW NPL (National Premier League), right. Advertisement

A CommBank Matildas team full of fresh faces and domestic stars have been outmatched 7-0 by a Spanish side primed to dominate the upcoming Women's Euros.

Despite a second-half onslaught, the Australian supporters still recognised Charlotte Grant as their Player of the Match, after an immense defensive shift. Courtnee Vine gained her first start, headlining an all-A-League's front-line alongside the aforementioned Crummer and coupled with Brisbane Roar teammates Katrina Gorry and Emily Gielnik. Getting the ball off the Spanish proved difficult in the opening stanza, with the FC Barcelona and Real Madrid combinations on full display against an Australian side who were particularly fresh-faced, having decided to rest a number of their world-class stars for the June camp.

A Matildas team missing Sam Kerr and an array of stars has crashed to 25-year low in a 7-0 thrashing at the hands of Spain in Huelva.

Meeting Australia for the first time, Spain controlled the game throughout and appeared to beat goalkeeper Teagan Micah for a goal in the 17th minute, but it was ruled offside. The result was the biggest losing margin since the US handed Australia a 9-1 loss in 1997, and equalled a 7-0 rout at the hands of China in 1988. A Matildas team missing Sam Kerr and an array of stars crashed to 25-year low in a 7-0 thrashing at the hands of Spain in Huelva on Sunday morning (AEST).

An experimental Australia slumped to a 7-0 defeat at the hands of Spain in their heaviest loss in 25 years.

“This might have been 20 games ago to start rifling through the options. Esther González added a third before Lucía García scored her first of the game as Spain took a 4-0 lead within 10 minutes of the restart. “You’re playing against Spain away from home a year out from the World Cup. Iron sharpens iron – so this was iron vs wood, with the greatest of respect.

Coach Tony Gustavsson is set to face more pressure after the Matildas were pummeled 7-0 by Spain as...

The Matildas will take on Portugal in the final match of the FIFA window on Tuesday at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota in Estoril. Gustavsson was already under pressure after the Matildas were dumped out of the Asian Cup in the quarter-finals in January, following a poor record since he took over in 2020. The value of the exercise for the Matildas was questioned by commentators, although they defended resolutely in the first half before crumbling in the second.

The day before the Matildas' first-ever friendly match against Spain, head coach Tony Gustavsson appeared to have as many questions as the rest of Australia ...

And we need investments in our programs. And I want to be very clear now: this is not about blaming an individual player for this loss. "When you play Spain, sometimes you're forced to defend in a very, very different way than we are used to. A six-yard box dominated by the fearless young goalkeeper Teagan Micah, whose distribution and positioning had noticeably improved. And so it came to pass; within minutes, Spain had settled into their passing rhythms while the Matildas gathered into two tight defensive banks, oftentimes with five at the back. Nine of them currently play in the state-based National Premier Leagues.

An under-strength Matildas team have been trounced 7-0 by Spain in Hueva, piling more pressure on coach Tony Gustavsson.

And to expect those players to match up to Spain is not fair on the individuals. "But I am ready to take that hit as a coach. These players are more representing a situation we're in right now," he said. "But I think we need these answers. "We finished the game with four players playing in the NPL and one player playing in college. "Not just preparation for the World Cup but investments past that World Cup and I think the answers that we got now is a wake-up call for a lot of people."

As the Matildas slumped to a 7-0 friendly defeat against Spain, many were left wondering why Australia scheduled the game in the first place.

"But I'm ready to take that hit as a coach because I said from day one that we need answers and we need investment in our program. There's a game against Portugal to come on Tuesday to potentially salvage something, and the lower-ranked Portuguese do represent more favourable opposition. I think it was a good variation of playing long and second balls in the transition game but then at times being braver on the ball." Will the Matildas ever set up in this ultra-pragmatic manner when they actually do have access to a full-strength squad? She battled, often in vain, to try to wriggle free of pressure with the ball or to find space without it in positions that would allow her to get her team up the pitch. "These players are more representative of the situation that we're in right now. "We wanted to rotate players, look at players and I want to be very clear now: this is not about blaming an individual player for this loss. In contrast, the Matildas were only able to muster four shots on Sandra Panos' goal with their 24% of possession, and not a single one of these was actually on target. This was a game in which Gustavsson, absent nine ostensibly first-choice players from his squad and forced to further recalibrate after the withdrawal of Alex Chidiac and Angela Beard from the announced 23, went the ultra pragmatist route. Of course, that means there is a narrative to be fashioned that a severely understrength Matildas side being able to hold out the favourites of next month's European Championships for almost an entire half constitutes a strong positive to take from proceedings. Such was Spain's control of the midfield, Australia's attempts to transition were frequently ended by turnovers in their own half, which in turn served to keep the defence under constant pressure as their opponents effectively lined up to attack as if they were at a buffet line. And while the Australian defence can in no way be said to have played well at the Estadio Nuevo Colombino, the amount of constant pressure they were forced to endure throughout the game meant that such a collapse, albeit perhaps by not that great a margin, should have been unsurprising.

Coach Tony Gustavsson is set to face more pressure after the Matildas were pummeled 7-0 by Spain as...

And to expect those players to match up to Spain is not fair on the individuals. "But I am ready to take that hit as a coach. These players are more representing a situation we're in right now," he said. "But I think we need these answers. "We finished the game with four players playing in the NPL and one player playing in college. "Not just preparation for the World Cup but investments past that World Cup and I think the answers that we got now is a wake-up call for a lot of people."

Coach Tony Gustavsson has defended his experimenting but faces more pressure after the Matildas were pummeled 7-0 by...

And to expect those players to match up to Spain is not fair on the individuals. "But I am ready to take that hit as a coach. These players are more representing a situation we're in right now," he said. "But I think we need these answers. "We finished the game with four players playing in the NPL and one player playing in college. "Not just preparation for the World Cup but investments past that World Cup and I think the answers that we got now is a wake-up call for a lot of people."

As the Matildas slumped to a 7-0 friendly defeat against Spain, many were left wondering why Australia scheduled the game in the first place.

"But I'm ready to take that hit as a coach because I said from day one that we need answers and we need investment in our program. There's a game against Portugal to come on Tuesday to potentially salvage something, and the lower-ranked Portuguese do represent more favourable opposition. I think it was a good variation of playing long and second balls in the transition game but then at times being braver on the ball." Will the Matildas ever set up in this ultra-pragmatic manner when they actually do have access to a full-strength squad? She battled, often in vain, to try to wriggle free of pressure with the ball or to find space without it in positions that would allow her to get her team up the pitch. "These players are more representative of the situation that we're in right now. "We wanted to rotate players, look at players and I want to be very clear now: this is not about blaming an individual player for this loss. In contrast, the Matildas were only able to muster four shots on Sandra Panos' goal with their 24% of possession, and not a single one of these was actually on target. This was a game in which Gustavsson, absent nine ostensibly first-choice players from his squad and forced to further recalibrate after the withdrawal of Alex Chidiac and Angela Beard from the announced 23, went the ultra pragmatist route. Of course, that means there is a narrative to be fashioned that a severely understrength Matildas side being able to hold out the favourites of next month's European Championships for almost an entire half constitutes a strong positive to take from proceedings. Such was Spain's control of the midfield, Australia's attempts to transition were frequently ended by turnovers in their own half, which in turn served to keep the defence under constant pressure as their opponents effectively lined up to attack as if they were at a buffet line. And while the Australian defence can in no way be said to have played well at the Estadio Nuevo Colombino, the amount of constant pressure they were forced to endure throughout the game meant that such a collapse, albeit perhaps by not that great a margin, should have been unsurprising.

Coach Tony Gustavsson has defended his experimenting but faces more pressure after the Matildas were pummeled 7-0 by...

And to expect those players to match up to Spain is not fair on the individuals. "But I am ready to take that hit as a coach. These players are more representing a situation we're in right now," he said. "But I think we need these answers. "We finished the game with four players playing in the NPL and one player playing in college. "Not just preparation for the World Cup but investments past that World Cup and I think the answers that we got now is a wake-up call for a lot of people."

The Matildas were left reeling early Sunday morning, after suffering a jaw-dropping seven-nil loss in their game against Spain.

Lynch also added that the game "devolved into a flustercluck." A friendly in the lead-up to the 2023 World Cup, the Matildas were completely overwhelmed by the Spaniards, with their seven-goal tally including a 13-minute span in which Australia conceded four goals. The Matildas were left reeling early Sunday morning, after suffering a jaw-dropping seven-nil loss in their game against Spain.

The largely inexperienced Matildas were pummelled by their Spanish opponents in their latest friendly. This was not unexpected.

Without the outstanding individual quality of Kerr, Foord, Catley and Hayley Raso, it was always going to be a huge ask. None of this is to say the result is good. These are two players who specialise in creating magic moments. Defending in numbers, attacking with world class talent. The opening goal came from a brilliant strike from Amandine Henry. A high pressing game positions a side to be carved up through midfield. That it took an incredible long range shot from Aitana Bonmati to break the deadlock, was a testament to the defensive efforts. Defending deep in numbers is not negotiable. Put simply, this is a powerhouse side, a ruthless winning machine stacked with full time professional players who compete in over 50 competitive fixtures. In their last four internationals they have scored 23 times and conceded once. Spain have only had two draws in two years. Spain is not just a side preparing for a tournament.

The Commonwealth Bank Matildas are back in action against Portugal, playing the FIFA ranked 30th-team for the fourth time in Estoril on Wednesday morning ...

The squad have travelled from Huelva to Estoril, and has begun preperatations for the final match of the June FIFA window. You can catch all the action on 10 Bold from 5:30 am AEST onwards, with kick-off scheduled for 6:00 am AEST. The game will also be available via 10 Play and Paramount+. The Commonwealth Bank Matildas are back in action against Portugal, playing the FIFA ranked 30th-team for the fourth time in Estoril on Wednesday morning (AEST).