It was the first time the Matildas had returned to Brisbane in almost five years with their last match coming in April 2014 against Brazil. 

There were six changes from the starting XI which faced New Zealand the most notable being Gema Simon coming into the side while Korea Republic also made a host of changes.

It didn't take long for the Matildas to open the scoring against their 2018 Asian Cup opponents after Sam Kerr was pulled down inside the box.

It was the captain who took it from the penalty spot, a good decision because strikers should take penalties, and Kerr hit it sweetly past Kim Jung Mi, who almost got a hand to it. 

While it appeared to be all one-way traffic, it was a break on the counter for Korea Republic which helped them level the match.

Moon Mi-ra received a high ball which caught the two Matilda central defenders off guard, leaving Ellie Carpenter the last defender to try to stop a possible one-on-one. In the end, Moon would win a free-kick.

Ji So-yun hit a ripper over the wall and into the corner from 20 out. 

As the game went on, it was clear both sides had trouble containing the other teams attackers. The Matildas could be cut out by the accurate and precise movement of the Korea Republic while they would be caught out by Australia's speed with and without the ball. 

It was clear the game would be about which defence could handle the pressure. 

Laura Alleway stopped an opportunity which would have likely seen Korea Republic take the lead when she made a clean tackle against Son Hwa-yeon.

The tackle proved to be crucial a minute later when the Matildas went on the attack working the ball all the way from the defence to midfield and on to the eventual goal scorer Lisa De Vanna. 

Hayley Raso and Tameka Butt left the Korea Republic in their path as they went steaming towards the goal with the later of the two having her shot palmed into the path of De Vanna. 

Australia continued to place pressure upon the world no.14's and once again, it was the quick counter-attack which proved to be the Korea Republic's undoing. 

Jang Sel-gi backpass to a flat-footed Jeong Yeonga saw Kerr pounce on the opportunity and she made no mistake in extending the lead for her team. 

Despite being behind, there wasn't a change in urgency for Korea Republic when they came out for the second half.

They were calm and composed both off and on the ball, however, the slick passing seen throughout the first half (except for one moment) was lacking. Not that this changed much since the Matildas had similar issues but it did mean Korea had trouble making a counter-attack. 

While the half drew on, neither side made any clear cut chances and life seemed to be draining away but after 10 substitutions (five from each side), Melbourne Victory forward Emily Gielnik entered the game and had an immediate impact.  

It was a world-class strike and only a replay will do it justice. 

The goal seemed to spur the Korea Republic back to life but it was far too late for a comeback. However, the Matildas defence did have trouble handling this late resurgence and it is an area that needs to be focused on ahead of the World Cup. 

In the earlier game, New Zealand found a 2-0 win over Argentina. The four teams now head to AAMI Park in Melbourne on Wednesday for the final round of matches with the Matildas facing Argentina and Korea Republic taking on New Zealand.