The USA and Australian football teams battled out their first World Cup match in front of over 31,000 thousand fans at Winnipeg Stadium on Monday evening.

The vocal USA supporters presented a deafening atmosphere, easily outnumbering the Matildas' fans, but they were quietened early in the match with the Australians dominating possession.

With Lisa De Vanna appearing in her 100th game for the Matildas and Melissa Hudson (nee Barbieri) starting for the first time in three years, the match perhaps carried some extra special importance.

The Matildas came out of the blocks fast and hard, running over the USA in the first five minutes of the match and matching them for the next 50.

Current Asian Player of the Year, Katrina Gorry, was everywhere in the midfield, including competing with Abby Wambach on the ground.

The US moved the ball around carefully and precisely but were well covered by the Australian defenders until the 11th minute when, against the run of play, Megan Rapinoe out manoeuvred the Australian defence.

Rapinoe’s strike caught a fortunate deflection off Laura Alleway, wrong footing Barbieri in goals.

With a goal on the scoreboard, the tempo of the game settled momentarily before Lisa De Vanna capitalised on a brilliantly staged play between Sam Kerr and Michelle Heyman.

The half ended with the teams level on a goal apiece although the Matildas might consider themselves unlucky not to be in front, with two huge saves from Hope Solo keeping the US level.

A diving Solo tipped the ball into the crossbar from an Emily Van Egmond strike. Solo also reacted brilliantly to a superb volley from Sam Kerr, denying the Australians twice.

The second half saw the USWNT dominate possession and goals with player of the match, Megan Rapinoe, causing the most damage and the tiring Matildas struggling to maintain their structure.

In the 61st minute, Christen Press finished off a cutback from Sydney Leroux, with Leroux drawing defenders Alleway and Catley, leaving Press unmarked and able to easily punch through a goal.

Rapinoe continued her dominance and sealed the game in the 78th minute, carrying the ball unchallenged from half line all the way into 18 yard box, her left foot strike beating a diving Barbieri and finding the back of the net.

The USA’s 3-1 victory puts them on top of the table in Group D with Australia on the bottom after Nigeria and Sweden shared the points earlier in the day.

 

USA 3 (Rapinoe 12’, 78’, Press 61’) – Australia 1 (De Vanna 27') at Winnipeg Stadium [HT: 1-1]

USA: 1. SOLO Hope (GK), 2. LEROUX Sydney (13. MORGAN Alex 79’), 4. SAUERBRUNN Becky, 10. LLOYD Carli, 12. HOLIDAY Lauren, 11. KRIEGER Alex, 15. RAPINOE Megan (14. BRIAN Morgan 86’), 19. JOHNSTON Julie, 20. WAMBACH Abby (c), 22. KLINGENBERG Meghan, 23. PRESS Christen (17. HEATH Tobin 68’)

Unused Substitute(s): 3. RAMPONE Christie, 5. O’HARA Kelley, 6. ENGEN Whitney, 7. BOXX Shannon, 8. RODRIGUEZ Amy, 9. O’REILLY Heather, 16. CHALUPNY Lori, 18. HARRIS Ashlyn (GK), 21. NAEHER Alyssa (GK)

Yellow Card(s): Holiday 56’, Rapinoe 64’

Red Card(s): Nil

Australia: 18. Barbieri Melissa (GK), 5. Alleway Laura (3. SYKES Ashleigh 83’), 6. Uzunlar Servet, 7. Catley Steph, 8. Kellond-Knight Elise, 9. Foord Caitlin, 10. Van Egmond Emily, 11. De Vanna Lisa (c), 19. Gorry Katrina (14. KENNEDY Alanna 80’), 20. Kerr Sam, 23. Heyman Michelle (17. SIMON Kyah 69’)

Unused Substitute(s): 1. WILLIAMS Lydia (GK), 2. CRUMMER Larissa, 4. POLKINGHORNE Clare, 12. KHAMIS Leena, 13. BUTT Tameka, 15. POLIAS Teresa, 16. RASO Hayley, 21. ARNOLD Mackenzie (GK), 22. BOLGER Nicola

Yellow Card(s): Nil

Red Card(s): Nil