Matildas beat Jamaica 3-0 to win Cup of Nations undefeated

Updated: Oct 12, 2023, 10:21 am
Alex Chidiac of the Matildas celebrates a goal with Caitlin Foord during the win against Jamaica.
Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

The Matildas will be hoping more silverware is on its way this year after capping an undefeated Cup of Nations campaign with a 3-0 win over Jamaica.

Katrina Gorry got the first-half breakthrough for Tony Gustavsson's side in Newcastle before goals to Alex Chidiac and Caitlin Foord assured them of a seventh straight victory.

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Gustavsson wanted to use this friendly tournament as a dress rehearsal for the intensity of successive World Cup games later this year and, on results alone, his side passed with flying colours.

Three wins and 10 goals across this tournament suggest as much, but Australia were sluggish to start on Wednesday in front of 9,093 fans at McDonald Jones Stadium.

Sunday's 3-2 win over Spain clearly took its toll on a squad that had been afforded little rotation.

They stuck with the 4-4-2 formation that has led to their upturn in form, ahead of their next assignment, an away trip to European champions England in April.

Gustavsson had only made two changes to his starting XI with Courtney Nevin at righback for Charlotte Grant and the injured Hayley Raso vacating her right wing spot for Larissa Crummer.

Australia struggled to dictate the tempo and could count themselves fortunate not to go a goal down due to some enterprising play from Jamaica's Kayla McKenna.

Gorry's opener in the 27th minute proved to settle the nerves, the midfielder receiving the ball from Foord as she dropped into a pocket and unleashed from 25 metres out past the powerless Becky Spencer.

There were more promising signs for the Australians with Kyra Cooney-Cross and Foord threatening to extend the lead just before half-time.

But the real cattle-prod came after the break with the introduction of Chidiac at the expense of Crummer.

The Melbourne Victory midfielder has only seen gametime at this tournament from the bench but was a menace to the Jamaican defence when she came on.

Chidiac got her reward soon after her arrival, weaving her way around the six-yard box before making it 2-0 with a well-taken 56th-minute finish.

The Matildas were on a roll and their third came when Foord and Sam Kerr showed some neat link-up play.

A one-two with Kerr left the Jamaican defence flatfooted and Foord was able to hammer the ball in from the edge of the box to seal the deal.