Steph Catley heaped praise on CommBank Matildas and Arsenal teammate Kyra Cooney-Cross in the aftermath of the team’s 2-1 victory over Germany on Tuesday morning (AEDT).
Cooney-Cross scored her first international goal in the first half, and played the full game, to help her side to victory.
“Her journey has been pretty amazing,” Catley said.
“Knowing her personally, from where she started to where she is now, it’s just amazing to witness her growth. She’s become so open-minded about getting better and working hard.
“I see it at Arsenal every day, she’s doing everything she can to be the best player that she can, and it’s really starting to come into fruition.
“For her to score a goal like that in her 50th cap… the world’s at her feet. I’m excited to see what she can do, but I’m proud of her and glad that she got the reward.”
Catley has been somewhat of a mentor for Cooney-Cross, captaining her at international level and helping guide her through the rigours of club football at Arsenal.
She didn’t say much to the 22-year-old after the goal – just a little head tap said enough. After the game, though, she waxed lyrical about Cooney-Cross’ progression.
“She’s coming out of her shell a bit,” Catley continued.
“She’s able to really express herself on the field consistently, and I think she’s learning the defensive aspects of her game a little bit more, and she’s about to put consistent performances together.
“Some people might not see it from the outside, but working with her every single day, I see the hard work that goes into it.
“Playing overseas at a club like Arsenal, the way she is, it’s full of challenges, and she’s just riding them every day and doing the best that she can.”
The CommBank Matildas captain said that the victory, which is the team’s first against Germany since 2005, was an incredibly important one.
“We’ve had a really tough couple of months,” she explained.
“Obviously, the Olympics didn’t go as we planned. Now, we’ve had a coaching change. There’s been a lot of different aspects coming into this camp that we’ve really had to take under our wing and just crack on with.
“The girls have handled it really well. We had a chat yesterday about just stepping up and making sure we represent the shirt with pride, and go out and do everything 100%.
“You saw that today from the players that started to the girls that came off the bench. I thought it was a massive fight and amazing to get the win.”
For Catley personally, it was an important 90 minutes in her season as she continues to recover from persisting calf issues.
“It’s been a little bit of a tough road for me, a bit of a slow comeback,” she said.
“It’s been frustrating for me, but it felt really good today to be able to put 90 minutes together and play a couple of different positions.”
While the game was a big one for the CommBank Matildas, it was also extremely meaningful for Germany as well, with the legendary Alexandra Popp farewelled by an adoring home crowd.
The importance of being a part of such a big moment wasn’t lost on Catley.
“It was an incredible thing to be a part of,” she said.
“She’s one of the names that stands out to me as a memory when I was younger, and watching World Cups that I wasn’t yet involved in. She was there, she was banging goals.
“She’s been one of the best players in women’s football for my entire career, so it’s a shame to see her go.
“We ruined the party for her a bit tonight, but it won’t change the fact that the career she’s had is remarkable. One of the best.”
The next games for the CommBank Matildas will be at home against Brazil and Chinese Taipei in November and December.
Catley said she was looking forward to playing in front of home crowds once more.
“It’s always amazing to play at home, and it has felt like a long time since we’ve been home,” she said.
“We miss playing in front of sellout crowds, in front of our fans, and I’m sure they miss watching us play. So it’ll be great just to touch base and player there again, and hopefully get some more wins.”