The Matildas earned a gutsy draw with Denmark in their first ever Algarve Cup appearance last night, rallying to dominate the second half after the unwarranted sending off of fullback Bridgette Starr at Estadio St Luis in Faro, Portugal.
Australia's first match against 7th ranked Denmark since the heavy 5-0 loss in the 1995 World Cup was played on a very heavy pitch after several days rain.
A lacklustre first half from the Matildas proved costly and in the 19th minute Denmark claimed the lead. A well worked corner saw the tall Danish stack the far post and the header was won by the last playerinto the fray. Denmark went on to completely control play until halftime.
Soon after the break, a stunning long-range freekick by Australia's Sharon Black whistled just past the post. Teammate Lisa Casagrande was then unlucky in the 57th minute, her strike on goal denied by the save of the match by veteran keeper Dorthe Larsen. Casagrande had also cracked a shot against the inside of the post in the first half.
Then in the 61st minute Starr was given her marching orders under sensational circumstances. An Australian throw-in was signalled and Starr grappled for the ball from the clutches of Denmark's Lene Jensen but was thrown against the fence. Jensen continued to hold up proceedings, chesting up to Starr off the field of play as she tried to take the throw. Starr tapped Jensen on the head with the ball and the shoving continued. The referee first showed Jensen a yellow card and after consulting the linesperson Starr was then given a red card.
The injustice of the incident seemed to galvanise the Matildas into producing a remarkable fightback with just ten players on the field. Concurrently, the Danes seemed content to defend their narrow lead, and it became evident that they were out on their feet, nowhere near as fit as the Australians. The Matildas dug deep and equalised thirteen minutes from time during a final thirty minutes in which they completely dominated.
A Trademark long throw-in by Cheryl Salisbury set up the chance for Julie Murray. Shielding the ball from her opponent, Murray was knocked to the ground but managed to get back on her feet still with possession, keeping her head to sneak her shot into the corner of goal from 6 metres.
Joanne Peters shone as the best player on the field returning to her more familiar central midfield role before being switched back to left fullback after the send off.
"It's a result that looks good on paper but we were a bit despondent afterwards", said National Coach Greg Brown. "We didn't start off as well as we'd hoped to - we just didn't look the part out there. Not until the sendoff did we start playing. Under the circumstances the draw was probably a fair result."
The Matildas put in a disappointing performance to record a 0-0 draw against underdogs Portugal in the second Algarve Cup match played this morning in Olhao, Portugal.
A poor first half showing was followed by a better second stanza, but not enough to break the dogged Portuguese combination.
The Matildas tried every path to goal and came closest when striker Lisa Casagrande hit the inside of the post with nine minutes remaining. The pitch resembled a casualty ward for the final half hour as almost every Portuguese player fell to the ground for treatment in order to quell the siege on goal.
The small consolation from this unexpected stumble is that Australia's unbeaten streak in 90-minute play extends to 14 internationals since November 1997.
The failure to beat Portugal has ended the Matildas chance of lifting the Algarve Cup. The team now needs to defeat Olympic silver medallists China to progress to the Bronzemedal match. China has already secured first place in Group B and therefore a berth in the final.
One sure positive to emerge from the day was the international debut of 17-year-old Peita Claire Hepperlin who showed the composure and class of a World Cup veteran.
The result was a sour one for Casagrande who was denied the chance to celebrate her 50th full international cap with a victory. Casagrande is now the youngest player to reach the half century for Australia at the age of just twenty, the tally achieved in just four and a half years. Those already in the 'fifty club' are veterans Anissa Tann-Darby, Sonia Gegenhuber and Julie Murray.
The Matildas laboured though the first half, gaining only four corners and creating two goalmouth scrambles of any note. The Portuguese came prepared to battle, conceding space on the flanks and marking tightly in the back third. However the Australians, with everything to play for, seemed unusually disinterested.
Midfielder Kelly Golebiowski got in behind the home sides defence regularly but the support from her teammates was sadly lacking. Forward Angela Iannotta was the Matildas' best in the opening period, bustling into dangrous positions. Overall however this is one match the team would rather forget.
The Matildas displayed heir best form of the Algarve Cup but were defeated 2-0 by the Olympic silver medallists China in this mornings final preliminary round match played in Lagos, Portugal.
In a match bristling with pace and energy, China's two first half goals went unanswered by Australia to continue China's dream run into the final.
A moment of madness ended the contest in the 28th minute when Australian defender Bridgette Starr picked up the ball in the penalty box. Jin Yang converted the resultant penalty as the Matildas continued to protest, arguing that Starr handled the ball a metre over the byline. The assistant referee had appeared to raise a flag but was not prepared to support Australia's plea.
China had taken the lead after 17 minutes when a long range freekick surfed off the wall and onto the underside of the crossbar. With the goalkeeper stranded, three defenders shielded the ball inches from the line, but their failure to clear proved costly as Liu Ailing bustled the ball into the net.
The two goals were a tragedy for the Matildas who had started purposefully in contrast to the earlier matches against Denmark and Portugal.
The best passing team in the world, China was tested to the limit by underdogs Australia who won every statistic except for the one which mattered. China could boast no more than 4 shots on target and a handful of corners for the duration. The Matildas twice hammered the crossbar with the keeper beaten - once from the luckless Casagrande, and another from Joanne Peters, a curler from 30 metres.
Julie Murray missed a one on one with the Chinese keeper with 30 minutes remaining, whilst Casagrande beat the offside trap in the first half only to blast straight at the keeper.
The Matildas now must deliver a psychological knockout blow to World Cup finals Group D opponent Sweden on Saturday. The winner will finish the prestigious 8-nation Algarve Cup in 5th place.
China meets the USA in the final after the Americans came from behind to defeat Norway 2-1 today. he Saturday clash will be a rematch of the Olympic Games final.
Australia's Matildas placed 5th in the prestigious Algarve Cup in Portugal, last night defeating Sweden 7-6 in the deciding penalty shootout after the score was laocked at 1-1 at the end of ninety minutes.
The victory is especially significant as the Matildas will next meet Sweden in the World Cup finals in June. Today's result will have the traditional European power worried as they have now gone down twice to the Australians, the last meeting between the two ending in an upset 1-0 win to the Matildas in August 1997.
Goalkeeper Joanne Butland, in only her 3rd international, made a fantastic diving save to stop Sweden's eighth penalty attempt, sealing the win for Australia.
But the day belonged to Matildas striker Julie Murray, adding to her collection of priceless goals with the equaliser in the 71st minute. The Australian captain burst into the penalty box, blocked two desperate clearances before firing a low bullet past the unsighted Swedish goalkeeper. Apart from the goal, Murray's patient, clever play was a feature.
Sweden had snatched the lead on the stroke of halftime when Malin Gustaffson pounced on an angled cross and slotted the ball home across the body of keeper Butland. The Matildas felt aggrieved as Butland had sportingly put the ball out of play to allow an injured Swede to receive treatment, but the ball was not given directly back to the Aussies and a mistake led to the goal.
The match ignited in the last twenty minutes as both teams pressed for the winner. Matildas' coach Greg Brown threw three players forward in the final stanza, but Sweden's class keeper Ulrika Karlsson helped force the match into penalties. The end to end action would likely have resulted in a goal had the game gone to extra time.
20-year-old 186cm goalkeeper Butland will grow in confidence after todays performance, making a fantastic save in normal time. before her two telling saves in the shootout. Teammate Anissa Tann Darby missed with Australia's third penalty before Butland stopped Sweden's fourth to keep the Matildas in the game. Successful from the spot were Murray, Peters, Ferguson, Salisbury, Black, Revell and Bartlett.
The Matildas now enjoy a fortnight's break from full training before then embarking on a concentrated eight weeks work at their Canberra base at the AIS. The 3rd FIFA Womens World Cup will be held in the USA, 19 June to 10 July 1999.