Australia v South Korea: women’s international football friendly – live (2025)

72 Mins: Wheeler steals the ball in the middle of the park and bursts forward before whipping a ball in. It’s cleared away but only goes as far as Cooney-Cross, who has a long-range effort blocked away.

71 Mins: The Koreans win a series of corners on the left but Ji’s delivery eventually strays too close to Micah and she takes a big grab.

70 Mins: Another change for the Matildas, as Tash Prior comes on in place of Nevin. Catley will push out to left back as the newly introduced sub partners with Hunt in the middle.

68 Mins: Caitlin Foord is really good at football. She’s very good at football. She’s better at football than most people think, and most people already think she’s pretty good.

On this occasion, she’s somehow able to make her way through the Korean backline to create an attempt out of nothing, shooting just wide.

65 Mins: Unfortunately, Lim seems to have properly hurt herself as she looked to get back to defend. She’s being stretchered off the park and will be replaced by Ko Yoo-jin.

The Matildas huff, puff and eventually blow the South Korean’s doors off. And it’s Foord that plays an integral role.

Fowler whips a ball in from the right and Foord scratches and claws her way to three attempts on goal -- two blocked and one coming off the bar -- before Torpey wallops an effort towards the far post.

The attempt was actually going off target but Lim was limping back to defend and inadvertently redirects the ball into her own net.

59 Mins: Her shiner… well… shining under the lights at McDonald Jones Stadium, Kennedy makes way for Clare Hunt. The other party in that heavy first half collision, Yallop has also come off and been replaced by Kaitlyn Torpey.

A couple of changes for the Koreans, too, as Mun, who went down hurt to provide the stoppage in play for these subs to be made in, is replaced by Jung Da-bin and and Kang comes off for Lee Eun-young.

57 Mins: Yallop gets out into space on the right but she’s forced to wait for teammates to arrive. In the end, with red shirts getting back in greater numbers, she opts to go it alone and whips in a shot from a tight angle that Kim claims at her near post.

55 Mins: Catley is able to jog back off the field and looks like she’s going to be ok to come back on. And she does.

54 Mins: Ruh-roh, Catley is down holding her knee. She was in the right spot at the right time to see off a Korean cross from the right but seemingly jarred it as she cleared the ball away.

53 Mins: The halftime break and presumably some orange slices (or sports drink and other assorted bits of sports science) having rejuvenated their legs, the Matildas are pressing high to start this second half. On this occasion, though, the Koreans have played through it and shifted field position.

51 Mins: Foord continues to flash danger as she gets familiar on the park, coming under heavy pressure as he attempts to dart in front to receive a cross from the right and just unable to turn it on goal.

50 Mins: So despite their heavy coming-together, Kennedy and Yallop have remained out there for Australians – one imagines with the former having been cleared of any kind of concussion after collecting a new shiner.

Assumedly, Sermanni wants the duo – especially Kennedy alongside Catley at centre back – to continue to build up familiarity and comfort with each other but it feels a needless risk in a friendly.

49 Mins: Danger flashed by the Koreans! A free kick is swung in to the back post and then looped back to the top of the six yard box.

Forced to go through a big pack of players to get to the ball, Micah isn’t convincing with her punch but fortunately for the hosts Kang’s resulting header bounces wide.

47 Mins: Round up of the halftime subs for both sides:

Australia: Caitlin Foord on for Holly McNamara
South Korea: Lee Geum-min and Choi Da-kyeong on for Ji So-yun and Choi Yoo-jung.

46 Mins: Foord flashes danger within moments of coming on! A fantastic first touch from the attacker steers a Nevin pass around her marker and sees her break in on goal, with her shot just charged down by Kim.

Looks like Caitlin Foord is coming on for the Matildas at halftime, replacing Holly McNamara.

One thing that’s been very noticeable about the Matildas work in possession is that, especially when denied transition, pretty much everything is going down the flanks. If it’s not there on one side, they’ll reset back to the backline and look to go again, rendering the middle of the park mostly for direction.

Now, the ‘midfield is lava’ is something of a recurring motif for Australian national teams of all stripes so that’s nothing new. But it will be interesting to see if that changes as the game opens up a bit as changes are thrown in during the second half.

Going out on a limb here but with Kennedy’s NWSL season with Angel City just begun and Yallop key to Brisbane Roar’s efforts to secure a place in the A-League Women finals, Sermanni may bring both off after their heavy collision.

The first 45 minutes comes to a close in Newcastle, and the Matildas will head into the sheds with a one goal advantage thanks to Fowler.

It was a stanza that started with both sides showing energy, intent, and a willingness to press high – especially from the visitors – without much in the way of actual tangible threats on goal. Inevitably, energy began to fade and, not helped by a heavy clash between Kennedy and Yallop that stopped play for several minutes, the sting began to go out of the contest as the main break approached.

But then, in one moment of incisiveness launched from the left, Nevin and van Egmond combined to tee up Fowler to secure the lead.

On the balance of play, the Matildas can’t be said to be underserving of their lead but the Koreans would have been equally good value had we gone into halftime at 0-0 or, given their hot start, leading themselves.

Still plenty to play for in this one.

45+3 Mins: The ball has been locked into the area surrounding the Korean’s left corner flag for the past few exchanges. That will likely do this half.

45+1 Mins: The Matildas are getting the ball forward once more in an attempt to double their advantage before the half, working the ball around the Koreans shape in an attempt to find some space on the wings to whip a ball in.

And just like that, a moment of inspiration arrives! And it’s delivered by the Matildas stargirl!

In possession on the left, Nevin drives a ball centrally to van Egmond at the top of the box and the veteran slides a well-weighted ball through for Fowler’s darting run towards goal. The Manchester City attacker’s sublime first touch combines with good strength to muscle away the attempted challenge from Kim and she fires into the net to give the Matildas a late first-half dagger.

41 Mins: I’m sort of padding here as there’s not been much on-field action to write about in these last few minutes. Unless something changes, we look set for a scoreless opening stanza.

38 Mins: Sam Kerr, enveloped in a big puffer jacket to ward off the cold, is shown on the big screen and draws big cheers from the fans in the stands.

Kerrwatch: I

37 Mins: Both Kennedy and Yallop have made their way back onto the park and look set to continue.

Meanwhile, in news that I’m sure will be taken with trademark calmness by Arsenal fans with eyes on the tail end of WSL and UWCL campaigns, Foord, who herself copped a head knock in Sydney, is up and warming up in case she’s needed.

36 Mins: Both players are now back on their feet. Kennedy has just seen the damage on the big screen and looks none-too-impressed.

Both make their way off the park to receive further treatment; the concern for Yallop will be that she’s doing so very gingerly.

33 Mins: Yallop looks like she’s holding onto her left knee after that collision, while Kennedy’s face is already starting to swell and bruise as a golf-ball sized lump emerges. Good lord that thing is huge. And it’s angry!

32 Mins: A heavy collision in the middle of the park sees Kennedy and Yallop remain on the turf as the Koreans break quickly. The move ends with a Mun shot that is comfortably saved by Micah – it was on target, though – but now focus turns to the two injured Matildas.

31 Mins: Kennedy is just able to slide in and get a touch on a pass sent in behind for Mun and while the Korean attacker is able to collect, her momentum is broken and the visitors are forced to reset.

29 Mins: The Koreans are outshooting their opponents three to two across the opening half an hour but, for now, Fowler’s long-range effort is the only shot of the game that’s been on target.

28 Mins: The Koreans do a good job of working the ball into the final third but Mun’s attempt to head the ball down to a teammate is wayward and goes out for a goal kick.

27 Mins: A smart switch of play finds Lee in a bit of space on the left but she’s quickly closed down by Yallop and the Koreans are forced to reset.

26 Mins: The corner is headed away by the Matildas, as is the subsequent ball whipped in from the right when the Koreans win the second ball. Cooney-Cross is clipped from behind as she attempts to sprint out with the ball, earning Kim a yellow card.

25 Mins: Cooney-Cross gets caught in possession and the Koreans look to pounce quickly but their denied by Grant rapidly getting back to snuff out a cross. Nonetheless, the visitors have a corner.