Australia's Matildas Bounce Back with Foord's Milestone
Steph Catley walked off the pitch in Sydney on Saturday with a familiar sting in her voice. Australia had just fallen 1-0 at home to Mexico in a friendly, and the Matildas’ vice-captain did not sugar-coat it.
“It’s disappointing, but there’s also the realisation that we’re at the very start of a journey towards the World Cup,” she said. One game into the window, it felt like a warning.
Four days later, it looked more like a launchpad.
Foord hits 150 in statement response
On Tuesday, Australia came back with bite. A 3-1 win over Mexico restored pride and, more importantly, rhythm. This time Caitlin Foord wore the armband, hit a personal landmark and dragged the game to her level.
On her 150th appearance for Australia, Foord delivered the kind of goal that sums up her international career. Back to goal, defender tight, she rolled her marker with sheer strength, opened her body and slid the ball inside the far post for the Matildas’ third of the night. One touch of power, one of precision.
That finish moved her into rare company. Foord is now joint-third on Australia’s all-time scoring list with 41 goals, a number that underlines just how long she has been at the heart of this team’s attack.
Catley, steady and composed, went the distance again, playing the full 90 minutes as Australia’s reshaped back line held firm and the mood around the camp shifted from frustration to quiet conviction.
For Foord, the occasion went beyond a single goal.
“To reach 100 is obviously huge, and for myself, 150 as well,” she said afterwards, reflecting on the dual milestones she and Catley have chalked up. “It’s nice to enjoy these moments together, and celebrate them, which we have during this series.”
The scoreline backed up the sentiment: this felt like a step, not just a response.
Lionesses win, but road to World Cup gets steeper
Across Europe, the stakes were far higher. In FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifying, England needed a result and a performance. They got both, though not quite the reward they wanted.
At Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium, the Lionesses beat Ukraine 3-0 to get back on track in Group C. Alessia Russo led the line, played the full 90 minutes and left her mark with a sharp assist, teeing up Georgia Stanway for England’s second of the night. Chloe Kelly entered on 64 minutes to stretch a tiring defence, while Lotte Wubben-Moy stayed on the bench as an unused substitute.
The scoreline was emphatic. The table was cruel. England finished second in Group C on 15 points, level with Spain but behind on goal difference, despite winning five of their six games. Automatic qualification slipped away by the narrowest of margins.
“It’s nice to come back to England, play in front of all of our fans and get a win,” Russo said. The satisfaction didn’t last long. “We also wanted to qualify automatically for the World Cup but now we’re going to the play-offs and that’s tough but it’s football. We had the toughest group playing Spain and we won five out of six games and have still not gone through.”
Now Sarina Wiegman’s side face an October play-off run that will test not just their quality, but their nerve.
Spain cruise, Sweden rally late
While England were left to do the maths, Spain simply ran up the score. Mariona Caldentey played the first half of a ruthless 6-1 win away to Iceland, a result that piled on the goal difference and sealed their World Cup place with authority. Job done, no drama.
Sweden’s route proved far more turbulent. At home to Italy, they trailed 2-0 and stared at a damaging defeat. The response was fierce. Smilla Holmberg and Stina Blackstenius both played the full 90 minutes as Sweden clawed their way back to a 2-2 draw, a comeback that salvaged pride and a point.
It was not enough to top the group. Sweden finished third in Group A with eight points from six games and now also head into the play-offs, carrying both the frustration of missed chances and the belief that comes from refusing to fold.
North American tests and a German prospect
Across the Atlantic, the work looked different but no less demanding. Emily Fox clocked heavy minutes for USA in a testing double-header away to Brazil. She played the full 90 in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat, then started again on Wednesday, this time featuring for the first half of a tighter 1-0 win. Two games, two very different contests, the kind of preparation that hardens a squad.
Canada, by contrast, enjoyed a far more comfortable evening. Olivia Smith played 63 minutes in a commanding 6-0 friendly win away to Costa Rica on Wednesday, a run-out that gave the visitors freedom to express themselves and rotate, with Smith firmly involved before making way.
At under-23 level, Germany got a glimpse of their own future. Anneke Borbe came on at half-time in a 2-2 friendly draw at home to Denmark on Monday, stepping into a game finely poised and gaining valuable international experience in a position where every minute counts.
From Sydney to Liverpool, Reykjavík to São Paulo, the themes were clear: milestones reached, gaps in qualification tightened, and a growing sense that the next World Cup will be shaped as much by who survives these pressure moments as by who shines when the lights are brightest.
