Latest news with #Argentina
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Debutant Kahli Johnson shines in comfortable win for Matildas over Argentina
It felt rather appropriate, all things considered, that Tom Sermanni marked his 150th in charge of the Matildas by making Kahli Johnson the 237th player to represent Australia. Because while the 2010 Asian Cup may have provided the 70-year-old with his crowning achievement, his is a more than three-decade legacy built upon the stories and achievements of those who he has given an opportunity. So many of the pathways that are found in the women's game in Australia wouldn't exist without his guidance, and of the current golden generation alone, the likes of Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley and Katrina Gorry were all given intentional debuts under his charge. Advertisement It became even more fitting when Johnson headed home the 38th-minute goal that kickstarted the Matildas to a 2-0 win over Argentina at Melbourne's Marvel Stadium on Friday evening, a game lacking in much of the way of fireworks but in which the hosts never looked in danger of falling. Kaitlyn Torpey put the result beyond doubt in the 69th minute, the winger's second international goal blessed by the footballing gods when her shanked attempt to send in a cross from the right floated right over the head of Abigaíl Chaves and inside the far post. But it's Johnson who people will be talking about after tonight. The 21-year-old took a leap into the unknown during the middle of the A-League Women season, moving from Western United to newly launched Canadian competition the Northern Super League and has kicked on with three goals in six games for the Calgary Wild. Now, having scored a goal every other game in Canada, she's become a senior international, with a goal under her belt, and the latest in a long line of players whose stories include Sermanni. The ball to find Johnson was delivered with pinpoint accuracy by Charli Grant, who galloped down the flank before sending in a perfectly weighted cross for her teammate – who replays showed may have strayed just into an offside position – to send across the face of Chaves. Though not all that much older than Johnson, the defender is something of a grizzled young veteran in the current setup given she is still only 23 years old but she is now in her fourth year in the national setup, with 34 appearances in green and gold under her belt. Advertisement Probably helped by not needing to do much defending – Argentina would fail to register a shot on target until the 80th minute – the Spurs flanker was one of the Matildas best on the evening. So, too, was Johnson, who flashed intent early on when she won the ball on the left and whipped in crosses in the sixth and seventh minutes and who put a shot just wide in the 49th in search of a brace. Given the chance to start as the nine once more, clearly being positioned by Sermanni as the heir-apparent for Kerr, Holly McNamara showed off her determined, angry worth as well: sending a volleyed attempt from a Grant cross wide in the first half and fizzing an effort outside the post in the 61st. Clare Wheeler got in on the act, too, firing off a 72nd minute attempt that Chaves did incredibly well to get down and keep out. Indeed, with the likes of Kerr, Gorry, Ellie Carpenter and Hayley Raso all absent from this squad and the Arsenal trio of Catley, Foord and Kyra Cooney-Cross staying on the bench after their late arrival into camp after winning the Champions League, Friday was an evening for the unheralded and rising members of the squad. It almost had to be, given that Football Australia has indicated a new coach will be coming in next month, rendering these games as something of an audition. But it was also a celebration of an underappreciated legend in Sermanni, delivered in fitting fashion.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kahli Johnson header is fitting marker for Tom Sermanni in Matildas win
At Marvel Stadium - it felt rather appropriate, all things considered, that Tom Sermanni marked his 150th in charge of the Matildas by making Kahli Johnson the 237th player to represent Australia. As while the 2010 Asian Cup may have provided the 70-year-old with his crowning achievement, his is a more than three-decade legacy built upon the stories and achievements of those who he has given an opportunity. So many of the pathways that are found in the women's game Down Under wouldn't exist without his guidance, and of the current Golden Generation alone, the likes of Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley, and Katrina Gorry were all given intentional debuts under his charge. So it all became even more fitting when Johnson headed home the 38th minute goal that kickstarted the Matildas to a 2-0 win over Argentina at Marvel on Friday evening, a game lacking in much of the way of fireworks but in which the hosts never looked in danger of falling. Kaitlyn Torpey put the result beyond doubt in the 69th minute, the winger's second international goal blessed by the footballing gods when her shanked attempt to send in a cross from the right floated right over the head of Abigaíl Chaves and inside the far post. Advertisement Johnson, 21, took a leap into the unknown during the middle of the A-League Women season in moving from Western United, while right in the mix for the race for the Golden Boot, to newly launched Canadian competition the Northern Super League and has kicked on with three goals in six games for the Calgary Wild. She'd moved down to Melbourne from Sydney a few years prior to ease herself into living away from home and when the Wild came knocking with a transfer fee for her services, she felt ready. Now, having scored a goal every other game in Canada, she's become a senior international, with a goal under her belt to boot, and the latest in a long line of players whose stories cannot be told without Sermanni. The ball to find Johnson was delivered with pinpoint accuracy by Charli Grant, who galloped down the flank before sending in a perfectly weighted cross for her teammate — who replays showed may have strayed just into an offside position — to send across the face of Chaves. Though not all that much older than Johnson, the defender is something of a grizzled young vet in the current setup given she's still only 23-years-old but she's now in her fourth year in the national setup, with 34 appearances in green and gold under her belt. Probably helped by not needing to do much defending — Argentina would fail to register a shot on target until the 80th minute — the Spurs flanker was one of the Matildas best on the evening. So, too, was Johnson, who flashed intent early on when she won the ball on the left and whipped in crosses in the sixth and seventh minutes and who put a shot just wide in the 49th in search of a brace. Given the chance to start as the nine once more, clearly being positioned by Sermanni as the heir-apparent for Kerr, Holly McNamara showed off her determined, angry worth as well: sending a volleyed attempt from a Grant cross wide in the first half and fizzing an effort outside the post in the 61st. Clare Wheeler got in on the act, too, firing off a 72nd minute attempt that Chaves did incredibly well to get down and keep out. Indeed, with the likes of Kerr, Gorry, Ellie Carpenter, and Hayley Raso all absent from this squad and the Arsenal trio of Catley, Foord, and Kyra Cooney-Cross not risked after their late arrival into camp after winning the Champions League, Friday was an evening for the unheralded and rising members of the squad. It almost had to be, given that Football Australia has indicated a new coach will be coming in next month, rendering these games as something of an audition. But it was also a celebration of an underappreciated legend in Sermanni, delivered in fitting fashion.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Kahli Johnson header is fitting marker for Tom Sermanni in Matildas win
At Marvel Stadium - it felt rather appropriate, all things considered, that Tom Sermanni marked his 150th in charge of the Matildas by making Kahli Johnson the 237th player to represent Australia. As while the 2010 Asian Cup may have provided the 70-year-old with his crowning achievement, his is a more than three-decade legacy built upon the stories and achievements of those who he has given an opportunity. So many of the pathways that are found in the women's game Down Under wouldn't exist without his guidance, and of the current Golden Generation alone, the likes of Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley, and Katrina Gorry were all given intentional debuts under his charge. So it all became even more fitting when Johnson headed home the 38th minute goal that kickstarted the Matildas to a 2-0 win over Argentina at Marvel on Friday evening, a game lacking in much of the way of fireworks but in which the hosts never looked in danger of falling. Kaitlyn Torpey put the result beyond doubt in the 69th minute, the winger's second international goal blessed by the footballing gods when her shanked attempt to send in a cross from the right floated right over the head of Abigaíl Chaves and inside the far post. Johnson, 21, took a leap into the unknown during the middle of the A-League Women season in moving from Western United, while right in the mix for the race for the Golden Boot, to newly launched Canadian competition the Northern Super League and has kicked on with three goals in six games for the Calgary Wild. She'd moved down to Melbourne from Sydney a few years prior to ease herself into living away from home and when the Wild came knocking with a transfer fee for her services, she felt ready. Now, having scored a goal every other game in Canada, she's become a senior international, with a goal under her belt to boot, and the latest in a long line of players whose stories cannot be told without Sermanni. The ball to find Johnson was delivered with pinpoint accuracy by Charli Grant, who galloped down the flank before sending in a perfectly weighted cross for her teammate — who replays showed may have strayed just into an offside position — to send across the face of Chaves. Though not all that much older than Johnson, the defender is something of a grizzled young vet in the current setup given she's still only 23-years-old but she's now in her fourth year in the national setup, with 34 appearances in green and gold under her belt. Probably helped by not needing to do much defending — Argentina would fail to register a shot on target until the 80th minute — the Spurs flanker was one of the Matildas best on the evening. So, too, was Johnson, who flashed intent early on when she won the ball on the left and whipped in crosses in the sixth and seventh minutes and who put a shot just wide in the 49th in search of a brace. Given the chance to start as the nine once more, clearly being positioned by Sermanni as the heir-apparent for Kerr, Holly McNamara showed off her determined, angry worth as well: sending a volleyed attempt from a Grant cross wide in the first half and fizzing an effort outside the post in the 61st. Clare Wheeler got in on the act, too, firing off a 72nd minute attempt that Chaves did incredibly well to get down and keep out. Indeed, with the likes of Kerr, Gorry, Ellie Carpenter, and Hayley Raso all absent from this squad and the Arsenal trio of Catley, Foord, and Kyra Cooney-Cross not risked after their late arrival into camp after winning the Champions League, Friday was an evening for the unheralded and rising members of the squad. It almost had to be, given that Football Australia has indicated a new coach will be coming in next month, rendering these games as something of an audition. But it was also a celebration of an underappreciated legend in Sermanni, delivered in fitting fashion.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Debutant's goal helps Matildas past Argentina
Debutant Kahli Johnson has shone as an inexperienced Matildas line-up claimed a 2-0 win over Argentina to ensure Tom Sermanni's 150th game at the helm proved a happy one. Johnson headed home a wonderful cross from Charli Grant in the 38th minute in front of 43,020 fans at Marvel Stadium, and won't care that she appeared clearly offside. Australia doubled their lead in the 69th minute when Kaitlyn Torpey shanked a cross into the top corner. Interim boss Sermanni, who has coached the Matildas across three stints, appears likely to finish up after Monday night's second game in Canberra. Joe Montemurro is widely expected to take on the full-time job after the current international window. A dream debut goal for Kahli Johnson 🎯And at 21, she's just getting started 📈🎥 @10FootballAU #AUSvARG #Matildas #VisitMelbourne #VisitVictoria — CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) May 30, 2025 The Matildas' starting line-up had just 438 combined caps heading into the game - with Emily van Egmond and Alanna Kennedy claiming 293 of them. Captain Steph Catley and Arsenal teammates Caitlin Foord and Kyra Cooney-Cross didn't play after arriving in camp on Wednesday night following their Women's Champions League triumph. Sam Kerr, Ellie Carpenter, Hayley Raso, Katrina Gorry and Mackenzie Arnold aren't in the current squad. But Australia still had 16 shots (six on target) to six, while Argentina didn't register a shot on target until the 80th minute. Johnson, who had scored three goals in six games for Calgary Wild in Canada's Northern Super League, was among Australia's best, impressing with her deft footwork and strength on the ball. Six minutes into the match, Johnson burst down the left and cut the ball inside for Holly McNamara, who couldn't keep her shot down. Another six minutes later, McNamara latched onto a cross from Charli Grant but couldn't turn her volley on target. Cross or shot, we don't care 😉Kaitlyn Torpey has her second #Matildas goal to double our advantage 👊🎥 @10FootballAU #AUSvARG #VisitMelbourne #VisitVictoria — CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) May 30, 2025 In the 15th minute, Florencia Bonsegunda cracked a long-range strike over the bar - which would prove Argentina's only shot for the half. The Matildas struck in the 38th minute when Grant burst down the right flank and curled a superb cross to the back post for Johnson to head home. Replays showed the attacker was offside but there is no VAR in friendlies. Johnson turned her defender then whipped a long-range effort just wide in the 49th minute. McNamara couldn't keep a speculative shot down in the 61st, while she forced Argentina goalkeeper Chaves into a save four minutes later. Torpey scored when she attempted to launch a cross into the area but didn't hit it cleanly, and watched on in disbelief as it nestled in the goal. Chaves made a good save to deny Wheeler at the near post in the 72nd minute and the Matildas couldn't find a third goal.
CNA
3 hours ago
- General
- CNA
Long-Shots Huracan and Platense set for Argentine title decider
While many football fans drooled over the prospect of an Apertura final between giants Boca Juniors and River Plate, the title will instead be contested by Huracan and Platense, two hungry sides chasing history in a rare decider. After decades spent in the shadow of the country's heavyweights, Huracan are chasing their first league title in over 50 years, with Sunday's final set for the Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades in Santiago del Estero. The team, nicknamed "The Balloon" last lifted the trophy in 1973 under coach Cesar Luis Menotti - who went on to lift the World Cup with Argentina five years later - and now find themselves on the brink of glory once more. Standing in their way are surprise package Platense, who spent more than two decades bouncing between the third and second divisions before promotion to the top flight in 2021. They are now one match away from their first major trophy. Led by coaching duo Sergio Gomez and Favio Orsi, Platense have earned a reputation as giant-killers after sneaking into the knockouts with a sixth-place finish in Group B. They ended Racing Club's six-game unbeaten run in the round of 16, shocked River Plate in a penalty shootout at the Monumental Stadium and edged past San Lorenzo 1-0 in the semi-finals. "Everything that happened to us in the past, we use today to try to be resilient," coach Gomez told reporters ahead of the final. "This is who we are, what we convey and what we leave in each other's hearts: a team that gives its all and fights tooth and nail." HURACAN'S RISE Meanwhile, Huracan, who finished fourth in Group A, made the most of their home advantage in the last 16 to beat Deportivo Riestra 3–2. Then they knocked out two title contenders on the road: Group B leaders Rosario Central 1–0 in the quarter-finals and Independiente on penalties in the semis. Manager Frank Dario Kudelka is now hoping his side can build on the solid form shown in recent months, having come close to lifting the trophy last season with a fourth-place finish. "We are a very good team that can beat anyone, and we have been sustaining this for a long time," Kudelka said after Huracan moved into the Copa Sudamericana knockout stages with a 1-0 win over Brazil's Corinthians on Tuesday. "I've managed in every category of Argentine football and the only thing missing is winning the First Division. This Sunday I have an important opportunity."
