The Matildas overcame a spirited South Korea – and some self-inflicted friendly fire – to complete a clean sweep of their two-match international friendly series with a 2-0 triumph in Newcastle on Monday night.
A bumper crowd of 28,019 was stunned into silence in the 33rd minute when Australian defender Alanna Kennedy and midfielder Tameka Yallop clashed heads in a high-speed collision.
Both players stayed down for treatment for several minutes, and Kennedy was sporting a massive shiner under her right eye when she finally regained her feet. But after heading to the sidelines for further assessment, both opted to play on, providing an inspirational boost for their teammates.
Ten minutes later, the Matildas opened the scoring when veteran midfielder Emily van Egmond dissected Korea’s defence with a sweet pass that Mary Fowler controlled and then banged into the net with a classy right-foot finish.