South Korea v Australia report by FFA

South Korea 0 - Australia 0


The Qantas Matildas have played out a scoreless draw overnight in the first of two international matches against Korea in Jeonju.

The Australians created a number of goalscoring opportunities with acting captain Jo Peters coming closest to scoring with a shot that struck the upright.

"We had more possession than our opponents and I felt we deserved to win in terms of quantity of chances created but once again we couldn't quite finish off in front of goal," said Qantas Matildas coach Tom Sermanni.

"I was pleased overall with our game, especially given it was our fifth game in 12 days which of course means we were fatiguing a little towards the end. As a result of the match schedule we have been changing the line-up giving everyone some match time but that of course means it takes the players time to adjust and fit in with each other.

"The Koreans played a totally different game to what we experienced in China and Japan, in that they dropped off completely when we took possession, and it took us a little while to adapt to that. This kind of exposure against different styles of football is another reason why these tours are so important."

The new striking partnership of Caitlin Munoz and Sarah Walsh combined in the very first minute with the latter firing over the crossbar. Peters and Walsh also came close to breaking the deadlock in the first half with shots that went narrowly wide.

Three minutes after the interval Peters saw her shot hit the frame of the goal with the home side doing likewise with a long-range strike that was tipped onto the crossbar by Australian goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri.

The Qantas Matildas will take on Korea again tomorrow in the final outing of their six-match tour. Captain Cheryl Salisbury is hopeful of returning to action after being injured in the first international against China however midfielder Sally Shipard is likely to be absent with a thigh strain.


written by Football Federation Australia