5 THINGS LEARNED: AUSTRALIA V PORTUGAL

A windy and frustrating match left the Matildas with a goalless draw against the host nation, Portugal.

1. THEY NEED TO ADAPT

It was evident from the start of the match Portugal were going to pressure the Matildas to make mistakes.

There were two main issues. They spent too much time holding on to the ball, inviting Portugal to swarm. This then forced Australia to make panicked passes under the pressure and ultimately missing some important chances.

This Portuguese team can certainly play. A different sort of game to what the Matildas are used to. #AlgarveCup2018 #PORvAUS
— Bryn (@voyeuristicvole) March 2, 2018

So Australia needs to learn to adapt to the tactics of the opposition and make quicker decisions on the ball.

2. “FAME - REMEMBER MY NAME… PLEASE?”

It seems the commentators from the Tournament of Nations are back.

For a world ranked number four team, you would expect commentators to know the names of the players they are calling. Just ask “Elise Kellond”, “Katarina Gorey”, “Chloe Logizard”, “Lisa Le Vanna”, and “Steph Cateley” who have all been mentioned throughout round one and two of the Algarve Cup.

But hey, at least they haven’t said ‘female Socceroos’ again.

3. SOMETIMES THE ODDS (AND REFEREES) WILL BE AGAINST US

One major talking point of the game was the game-changing opportunities which were denied to the Matildas. Early in the game, Australia was denied a seemingly clear penalty when Chloe Logarzo was ‘cleaned up’. The referee ruled that the foul was outside the area and Australia’s disagreement was widespread on social media.

That was a penalty but whatever. It's fine. #PORvAUS
— Marissa Lordanic 🤷‍♀️ (@marissalordanic) March 2, 2018

Very comforting that there's so many of us on this website at 2am ready to avenge Logarzo's death #PORvAUS #AlgarveCup
— Angela (@CaptainAngelo) March 2, 2018

Not happy that Logarzo got cleaned up like that and that was 400% a penalty #PORvAUS
— Chloe Lau (@chloelaulaulau) March 2, 2018

Some further tough calls from the referees, along with a rough pitch didn’t help the Matildas chances against Portugal. Windy weather sending free kicks away from the net and injuries to Australia’s key players also made things difficult.

4. LYDIA WILLIAMS WAS THE KEY

Yet again Lydia Williams showed Australia why she is one of the best in the world and why goalkeepers are probably the most underrated players on the pitch.

With Williams snuffing out goals from Vanessa Marques and Diana Silva, it meant that Australia was able to finish the game in a draw and collect that one point keeping them on top of the ladder in Group A.

5. NAPS ARE A MUST

It was another early morning for Matildas fans and some felt like a nap would have helped before the match.