WATCH: CommBank Matildas end 2024 with 6-0 victory over Chinese Taipei
The CommBank Matildas have ended 2024 with a 6-0 victory over Chinese Taipei in front of over 30,000 fans in Geelong.
Leah Davidson, Tameka Yallop, Emily Gielnik, Michelle Heyman, Tash Prior and Sharn Freier all found the back of the net as Australia clicked in the front third.
There were four changes to the starting eleven that lined up in Melbourne against the same opponent on Wednesday. All were enforced as Daniela Galic, Clare Hunt and Charli Grant headed back to their clubs in Europe, while Chloe Logarzo was unavailable due to concussion suffered in that game.
The changes meant that Leah Davidson and Bryleeh Henry came in to make their starting debuts. Winonah Heatley also started, while Clare Polkinghorne came into the team to make her final appearance for Australia.
The game also saw the introduction of CommBank Matildas #233 and #234, with goalkeeper Chloe Lincoln and midfielder Laura Hughes making their debuts after being substituted on in the second half.
Much like in game one, Australia started on the front foot, putting immediate pressure on the Chinese Taipei back line.
The breakthrough didn’t take long. Emily van Egmond’s second ball after a corner found the head of an onrushing Leah Davidson. The defensive midfielder is not normally known for her aerial presence, but you wouldn’t have known it – her pinpoint header into the top corner gave the team the lead for her first international goal.
Five minutes later, it was Yallop who got in on the party. She took a fantastic touch after intercepting the ball high to get around the defence before her clinical finish into the bottom corner doubled Australia’s lead.
After looking threatening for most of the series, Emily Gielnik made it three just before the break. Yallop’s cross found her head and she made no mistake, scoring her first national team goal since 2021.
Half time saw a double substitution. Remy Siemsen and Alex Chidiac were introduced in place of goal scorers Gielnik and Davidson.
Michelle Heyman etched her name on the scoresheet soon after the break. Siemsen did well to make it to the byline and cut the ball back to a waiting Heyman, who was able to tuck it home from in front.
After starting in her final game for Australia, Clare Polkinghorne was given a standing ovation as she left the field for one last time in the 63rd minute. She was replaced by Jessika Nash.
19-year-old Chloe Lincoln became the first goalkeeper to debut for Australia since Teagan Micah in 2021, replacing Mackenzie Arnold in the 65th minute. Five minutes later, Laura Hughes was the second debutant of the night when she replaced former Canberra United teammate Michelle Heyman.
Karly Roestbakken was substituted on in the same window as Hughes, replacing Tameka Yallop to make her first appearance for the national team in three years.
Australia had looked dangerous from Emily van Egmond’s set pieces all night and they would soon break through once more. The captain’s crossing free-kick found the head of Natasha Prior, whose second goal in consecutive games stretched the lead to five.
Sharn Freier would be rewarded for her busy evening with the ball at her feet in the 78th minute. A piercing cross-field ball from Winonah Heatley found the run of Freier, whose first touch set her up superbly to smash her finish past the keeper for six.
The result meant that Australia finished the year on a high, and will look ahead to the SheBelieves Cup in February.