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The Matildas will dust themselves down and attempt to quickly move on after a physical, relentless Brazil beat Australia 3-1 to crash retiring great Clare Polkinghorne’s send-off match in Brisbane.
Amanda Gutierres struck in the sixth and 13th minutes – a day after telling media she hoped to score two goals – at Suncorp Stadium to bring Australia undone in front of 47,501 fans on Thursday.
Caitlin Foord finished off a wonderful team goal in the 43rd minute but Atletico Madrid winger Gio rounded out Brazil’s win in the 54th.
Olympic silver medallists Brazil were a constant danger on the counter attack and interim coach Tom Sermanni’s back three was caught out on multiple occasions, while Australia looked disjointed in attack.
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“Their pace and their aggression were a little bit better than ours early in the game, and we got punished for that,” Sermanni said.
Australia will attempt to turn things around, with Sermanni likely to rotate his suqad when they and Brazil lock horns again at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast on Sunday night.
In an at times spiteful clash, frustrations threatened to boil over, with Foord and Hayley Raso livid at Brazil’s physical approach as the visitors ended up with 10 players after a late red card.
“The game was intense, was physical, but Brazil were ready for it,” Gio said through an interpreter.
“It’s a way Brazil like playing and it’s trying to play this way and being offensive and trying to attack.”
In her celebration match, retiring great Polkinghorne started and captained the team in her home town, marking her record 168th appearance.
She was celebrated pre-match with a guard of honour and substituted to a round of applause in the 63rd minute.
Emily van Egmond made her 150th appearance, while Winonah Heatley started as a defensive midfielder, and impressed, though Australia missed Katrina Gorry and Clare Wheeler.
Brazil winger Marilia was taken off on a stretcher in the 23rd minute, while goalkeeper Natascha was substituted in the second half, skipper Yasmim was stretchered off in the 74th minute and Fe Palermo hobbled off late.
Clare Polkinghorne of Australia embraces teammate Alanna Kennedy as she is subbed off. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Brazil took the lead when Vitoria Calhau launched a long ball over the top and Polkinghorne couldn’t clear it.
The ball dropped to Palmeiras striker Gutierres, who rounded Mackenzie Arnold and coolly scored.
Seven minutes later, Gomes burst forward and cut the ball back to Gutierres, who leathered a wonderful first-time left-footed strike past Arnold.
Australia scored when Heatley launched a well-weighted long ball to the tireless Ellie Carpenter, who bodied her opponent, then turned her inside out before squaring it.
Van Egmond left the ball for Foord, who turned on a dime and finished with aplomb.
Australia burned early second-half chances, then Gio forced Alanna Kennedy into a turnover, with Gomes nudging the ball forward for the exciting attacker to score.
Brazil went down to 10 when Calhau received her second yellow card in the 87th and Freier was denied by an extraordinary save from Lorena at the death.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Matildas legend Clare Polkinghorne was farewelled with an emotional and inspirational presentation before she captained the side in a friendly against Brazil.
It was at Suncorp Stadium, her house, that the 35-year-old played her 168th game for Australia in a 3-1 loss on Thursday.
Also fitting was the moment when the great Darren Lockyer, who famously played the last of his 355 NRL games at the Brisbane venue, presented Polkinghorne with a framed commemorative jersey.
It was a case of one Queensland legend acknowledging another.
Matildas players and family members formed a guard of honour as Polkinghorne entered the arena and picked up her wide-eyed infant niece. When a career tribute was shown on the big screen the Matildas central defender and her teammates wiped away tears.
The 2010 Asian Cup winner gave a short speech, explaining how the Matildas had meant “everything” to her since her national debut in 2006.
Polkinghorne is what many Queenslanders aspire to be. Understated, durable, reliable, successful, team-first and respected by all.
The Matildas players had earlier warmed up with each having the No.4 and ‘Polks’ emblazoned on the back of their training shirts.
On the front of the shirt was a montage of Polkinghorne in action for the Matildas.
The physical and spiteful clash didn’t start the way Polkinghorne or Australia wanted with Brazil scoring two early goals due to sloppy defending.
The two-time A-League Women title winner was substituted in the 62nd minute to a standing ovation.
Polkinghorne’s teammate and fellow Queenslander Tameka Yallop said the three-time Olympian and veteran of five World Cup campaigns had left an indelible mark on the side.
“Clare is a legend of the Matildas, football in Australia and the Brisbane Roar as well,” Yallop said.
“She is definitely the epitome of the Matildas and will never say die. I think she has been a big part of instilling that attitude in the young girls coming through in the team.
“I think she has done an amazing job passing on her wisdom and the aim now is to keep going with what Polks has been able to achieve.”
Polkinghorne didn’t go out a winner in front of 47,501 admiring fans at Suncorp Stadium, but she was already a certified winner long before.
© AAP
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