Gustavsson applauds gritty Matildas

Sat, 22 Jul, 2023

Gustavsson applauds gritty Matildas

Sydney: Australia head coach Tony Gustavsson praised his team’s mental resilience after kicking off their FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 campaign with a narrow 1-0 win over Group B rivals the Republic of Ireland on Thursday despite the absence of captain Sam Kerr due to injury.

Chelsea striker Kerr was left out of the starting line-up for the Matildas’ tournament debut after sustaining a calf strain on Wednesday, but Steph Catley’s 52nd minute penalty was enough to earn the tournament co-hosts their first three points of the competition.

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Group B: Cool Catley secures Australia victory

Thu, 20 Jul, 2023

Group B: Cool Catley secures Australia victory

Sydney: A penalty from stand-in captain Steph Catley earned Australia a winning start to their FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 campaign on Thursday as the co-hosts overcame the loss of talismanic striker Sam Kerr to hand the Republic of Ireland a 1-0 defeat at Stadium Australia.

Catley scored from the spot seven minutes into the second half for a team shorn of their most recognisable player after regular captain Kerr was ruled out due to a calf injury sustained in training on the eve of the game.

Tears, cheers and hugs as New Zealand celebrate first ever win

Fri, 21 Jul, 2023

Tears, cheers and hugs as New Zealand celebrate first ever win

Auckland: New Zealand head coach Jitka Klimkova described seeing her team claim the country's historic first FIFA World Cup win - men or women - as "an incredible feeling" on Thursday.

The Women's World Cup co-hosts defeated former champions Norway 1-0 to open the tournament in front of a near-capacity crowd at Eden Park in Auckland.

Group A: New Zealand claim historic win in opener

Thu, 20 Jul, 2023

Group A: New Zealand claim historic win in opener

Auckland: Hannah Wilkinson scored the only goal as co-hosts New Zealand recorded a historic 1-0 victory over Norway in the opening game of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 on Thursday.

It was the country's first-ever win at the World Cup and came in front of more than 42,000 in Auckland, the biggest crowd in New Zealand football history.

Japan remain Asia’s best

Thu, 20 Jul, 2023

Japan remain Asia’s best

Kuala Lumpur: Japan will head into the Joint Qualification of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ draw as the continent's highest ranked team.

The Samurai Blue remain unchanged at 20 in the latest FIFA World Ranking released on Thursday.

Vote for your All-time AFC Asian Cup™ Dream XI: Midfielders

Thu, 20 Jul, 2023

Vote for your All-time AFC Asian Cup™ Dream XI: Midfielders

Kuala Lumpur: With less than six months to go until the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™, the AFC invites fans to vote for their all-time AFC Asian Cup™ Dream XI in its latest campaign.

Fans can now view a shortlist of 42 contenders and select their all-time dream squad. The public votes will be combined with those of a panel of football experts to decide the Final Dream XI of the AFC Asian Cup™.
 
The fan whose squad matches the final selected Dream XI will get the chance to win a trip to the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ with a companion.