China concluded their first overseas trip under new manager Ante Milicic with a 2-0 loss to hosts Australia in a women’s international football friendly on Monday. The match, held at Sydney’s Accor Stadium, drew a crowd of 76,798 spectators who gathered not only for the game but also to honor Australia’s longest-serving player, goalkeeper Lydia Williams, as she prepares to retire from international football after the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.
The Australian side, energized by the home crowd waving green and gold scarves, dominated the first half with eight shots at goal. However, China’s goalkeeper Xu Huan kept the scoreboard level heading into halftime. The deadlock was broken in the 48th minute when Clare Wheeler’s header found the back of the net. Hayley Raso extended Australia’s lead in the 56th minute with an unstoppable effort, sealing the victory.
Despite the loss, China’s team showed promise under Milicic’s guidance. Prior to Monday’s match, China held Australia to a 1-1 draw in Adelaide on May 31. Star forward Wang Shuang highlighted the team’s progress, saying, “Our manager has been telling us to be brave and dare to play, to make short passes, to dribble, and to go one-on-one. You can see our young players trying to do that in both games. In this mentality, they made the biggest improvements during this camp, and we showed something.”
Milicic expressed his optimism for the team’s future, noting their excellent defensive structure despite limited training time. “In transition, particularly when Wang Shuang and Pipi [Zhang Linyan] get together, we’ll have some good central combinations,” he said. “Now it’s that next phase: can we start hurting the opposition and creating better chances?”
Looking ahead, Milicic emphasized the importance of continued development. “If you look at the 18 months to two-year window, if we can have a good preparation, have a lot more international football, and the girls get those 15 to 20 games under their belt against strong opposition like this, for our girls to play in front of 80,000 against a strong team that is just about to go to the Olympics—that’s where our learnings come,” he said. “With their mentality and their discipline, there’s already a good strong platform, and now it’s up to us to keep working the way we’re going.”
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Australia beat China in women's international football friendly
cgtn.com
