CommBank Matildas captain Sam Kerr said that she was finding her confidence in a national team shirt again after the opening game victory over the Philippines at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™.
Kerr scored her first goal in green and gold for 851 days in the 1-0 victory.
“I'm just finding my confidence again,” she said.
“That’s probably where I'm strongest. That’s for other people to judge, but I feel like I am still my normal self. I've just got to get more touches in and around the box.”
She said it was special to walk out in front of friends and family in Perth.
“I missed out on the World Cup opener, but to do it here at Perth, it's extra special,” she said.
“It's always special to come back, but I think it's especially nice to bring back the game to where I grew up and see so many young girls out there. Of course, the family and friends thing is nice, but I'm proud to be from Western Australia, so it's nice to bring the game back here.”
Kerr’s goal was the 70th in her international career. She is the first person to achieve that feat in Australian colours.
“It feels good just to score and get us off the mark, but the most important thing today was the win,” she said.
The captain said there was a lot of belief in the group that they could be the team to lift the trophy at the end of the tournament – but that there was plenty of work to do before then.
“Everyone comes here to win, but we're just taking it one game at a time,” she said.
“Today was a good start, and there's a lot of belief within the team. But as you see today, there’s a lot of quality teams in the Asian Cup, so we’ll take it one game at a time.”
Ultimately, while there is still plenty to work on, she was pleased with the team’s performance against the Philippines.
“It's a short lead-up for a tournament, which is a unique thing,” she explained.
“There were obviously a few things we could work on today, but to get the win was the most important thing. I thought the subs came on and did well, and I thought everyone contributed. A clean sheet, a goal and a win is the most important thing.”
AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™
CommBank Matildas 1 v 0 Philippines
Date: Sunday, 1 March 2026
IR Iran v CommBank Matildas
Date: Thursday, 5 March 2026
Venue: Gold Coast Stadium, Gold Coast
Time: 7:00pm AEST/8:00pm AEDT
Broadcast: Network 10, 10 Play and Paramount+
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CommBank Matildas v Korea Republic
Date: Sunday, 8 March 2026
Venue: Stadium Australia, Sydney
Time: 8:00pm AEDT
Broadcast: Network 10, 10 Play and Paramount+
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