Key events
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22 mins: All the damage is being done down the right as Carpenter is again involved this time picking out Amy Sayer running ahead of her. The attacker chooses to cross rather than take a shot with two players open in the box and she almost picks out Heyman but for a lunging leg from the desperate Slovenian defence.
20 mins: A moment of calm for Slovenia as the visitors get a foot on the ball and play with caution while taking a breather after a sustained period of Matildas attack.
17 mins: The ball is parked in the Slovenian half with the Matildas searching for a way through the gritty defence. A sublime through ball finds Carpenter charging into the box but at pace the captain is unable to control the cut back and it ends up behind Heyman. A lot of half chances being created, but the Matildas need to find a killer blow.
15 mins: The corner from Cooney-Cross picks out Kennedy standing alone at the top of the six-yar box but the defender can’t keep her header down. The Matildas are pushing hard.
14 mins: The Matildas move the ball through the midfield at pace again as Carpenter races down the right. The cross into Heyman running into the six-yard back is only barely blocked by the Slovenian defence.
11 mins: Slovenia transition at speed but the final ball is wasted and allows the Matildas to stream forward into the gaps that have opened up. No surprise to see Carpenter leading the race but after taking a moment to pick out her pass the cut back is intercepted. Australia’s pace and energy a huge part of the difference so far.
9 mins: A looping shot from Michelle Heyman is comfortably grasped by Slovenian keeper Melania Pasar. The Matildas are piling on the pressure with sharp passing and a bustling front line.
Updated at 06.20 EDT
7 mins: The Matildas open up Slovenia with ease as Amy Sayer finds room on the right but fails to hook the shot far enough around her body and it sails wide of the net.
5 mins: Slovenia lock the ball forward with the Matildas unable to play through their press. A moment of panic in the box with Clare Hunt clearing while on her back and the ball ends up with Dominika Conc. After a neat first touch the Slovenian skies her shot. A let off for the Matildas and their first error of the night.
3 mins: The Matildas are on the attack down the left side as Michelle Heyman finds space in the box but is rightly called for being offside.
1 min: Slovenia play the ball all the way back to their keeper for a cagey opening.
ShareKick-off
Peeeeeep! Slovenia get us underway for the second women’s football friendly against the Matildas at HBF Park in Perth.
Slovenia’s national anthem Zdravljica and Advance Australia Fair are complete and the players are making their way to their starting positions.
Joe Montemurro wants the Matildas to be bolder and braver with the ball after their cautious performance against Slovenia on Thursday night. The new coach has named an attacking lineup with an experienced pair up front that should be looking to create space as much as holding up play.
“It was a perfect game to learn and a perfect game to grow off,” Montemurro said on Saturday. “The key message was protecting the ball and just making sure we prepare with the ball a lot better. We can do it, we showed it. We just need to be more consistent and I suppose more brave with it.
“The more we do it, the more we understand the important pass or the important situation with breaking a line. I’m sure they’ll be more proactive. When you say you want to play possession – and it’s a word that’s bantered a lot – it’s normal they do the safe things to keep possession.
“Now we have to be smarter to say, ‘OK, we can prepare to go forward and be more proactive and break lines’.”
The Matildas claimed a 3-0 win over Slovenia in coach Joe Montemurro’s first match in charge despite missing the likes of Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler and Tameka Yallop through injury, while Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Katrina Gorry and Cortnee Vine are all on personal leave. Emily Gielnik, Holly McNamara and Hayley Raso put their names on the scoresheet on Thursday but Matildas keeper Teagan Micah was just as critical to the win with a clean sheet despite the performance being riddled with defensive errors and Slovenia having 20 shots on goal.
Catch up on more from the see-sawing encounter between Australia and Slovenia with the match report from Thursday night.
Emily Gielnik made a scintillating start with a goal in the third minute against Slovenia on Thursday night. The Matildas veteran was made to bide her time before returning to the squad but is now out to make the most of her latest opportunity.
ShareSlovenia XI
Melania Pasar (gk); Lana Golob, Sara Agrez, Sara Gradisek, Kaja Korosec, Nina Kajzba, Mateja Zver (capt), Dominika Conc, Lara Prasnikar, Kaja Erzen, Izabela Krizaj.
ShareMatildas XI
Australia: Mackenzie Arnold (gk); Ellie Carpenter (capt), Clare Hunt, Alanna Kennedy, Charlotte Grant; Winonah Heatley, Kaitlyn Torpey, Kyra Cooney-Cross; Amy Sayer, Michelle Heyman, Remy Siemsen.
Joe Montemurro swings six changes from the starting lineup on Thursday night as the auditions continue. Mackenzie Arnold takes the gloves, while Charlotte Grant Kaitlyn Torpey, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Michelle Heyman and Remy Siemsen also get their opportunity from the kick-off.
Ellie Carpenter will lead the side again in the absence of Sam Kerr and Steph Catley.
SharePreamble
Martin Pegan
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the second women’s football friendly between Australia and Slovenia at HBF Park in Perth. The Matildas will be out to build on their winning start to coach Joe Montemurro’s highly-anticipated tenure that began with a 3-0 victory over the same opponents at the same venue on Thursday night.
Striker Holly McNamara joined the celebration with her first international goal that all but sealed the win in the dying stages before Hayley Raso put the icing on the cake just a minute later. But between Emily Gielnik’s opener in the third minute and the one-two punch that landed 83 minutes later, it was a shaky Matildas performance under their new boss.
The teething problems stood out but the long-term plan for Montemurro was also peeking through as the Matildas looked to control the game by playing out from the back and holding onto the ball in the midfield more than they have in recent times. That meant a lot of time in possession in their own half, as well as more errors than their coach would have liked, but should also lay a foundation to build on in the follow up with Slovenia tonight, before the Matildas take on Panama in Bunbury on 5 July and in Perth three days later.
Kick-off is at 6pm AWST in Perth / 8pm AEST. I’ll be back shortly with the line-ups and team news.
In the meantime, get in touch with any questions, thoughts and predictions. You can shoot me an email, or find me on X @martinpegan and Bluesky @martinpegan.bsky.social. Let’s get into it!