CommBank Matildas Head Coach Joe Montemurro said that qualifying top of Group A at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™ was always going to be tough, and that attention now turns to the quarter-finals.
The team will now take on China PR or DPR Korea in Perth on Friday evening after their 3-3 draw with Korea Republic on Sunday evening.
“In the end, we still haven’t lost a game, and we qualified for the quarterfinals,” he said.
“We knew it was always going to be a tough ask. Our preparation stays exactly the same. We keep moving forward. We just now have to manage the travel – which we prepared for – and look forward to making sure that we are prepared for the next.”
He said that he was disappointed by the team’s lack of control in possession at points during the game.
“I am more concerned with how we didn’t control the ball well when we should have, and those moments hurt us,” he said.
“I was very specific coming in at 2-1 up at half-time to make sure we manage the ball well, and we didn’t do that.
“We started to force things when we didn't need to, when the momentum wasn't there, and the game got scrappy.”
He elaborated that, while there were positive moments in the first half, Korea Republic managed the game better in the second.
“There were some chances we probably should have converted [in the first half], but we didn't manage the moments well with the ball, that's the honest truth,” he said.
“It was a patchy sort of game, and we never really found any momentum - which was disappointing, because it's something we've been working towards in terms of preparing a lot with the ball, and we didn't do well.
“All credit to Korea Republic. They managed the game a little bit better than us.”
Alanna Kennedy was a bright spark in this game, scoring a brace with four goals for the tournament so far.
“I think she's that number six in the way I want to play,” he said.
“To win football matches and to win tournaments, you need goals from midfield. You can't be front three. And so far so good.
“Hopefully, we can start managing games better and creating and finishing the chances we're creating. Because, in the first half, I think we had three or four golden opportunities that we should have finished.
“As I keep on saying, the attacking third is always an anomaly. You want to find that moment, and you know you want to be clean and clinical in that moment.”
Montemurro drew on Australian football history – when the men lifted the AFC Asian Cup™ in 2015 - to look positively into the future.
“In tournaments, there’s always something,” he said.
“Hey, we needed more goals. We didn’t get them, so we’re going another route. Simple as that.”
AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™
CommBank Matildas v Group B Runner Up
Date: Friday, 13 March 2026
Venue: Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth
Time: 6:00pm local, 9:00pm AEDT
Broadcast: Network 10 and Paramount+
Radio: ABC Sport & ABC Listen
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