CommBank Matildas Head Coach Joe Montemurro said that the two-game friendly series against Mexico was all about solving problems out on the pitch and continuing to grow as a team.
He was speaking in the post-match press conference in Newcastle after the Matildas were defeated 1-0 on Saturday evening.
“There was a lot of very, very good things in terms of build-up, in terms of progression,” he said.
“I was glad they started pressing us in the second half of the first period. We had to solve some problems, and we did, and that's what these games are for.”
He put the defeat down to not being able to convert the positivity in possession into goals.
“We just didn't score goals,” he summarised.
“It’s so difficult to coach because it's about feeling in the moment, it's the pressure on the ball, it's the pass, it's the decision, it's the run - there are many things that happen in those areas. Today, the decisions were wrong; it's as simple as that.
“We’re getting there in good positions, where we're probably not setting things up. We can be a little bit more patient in that area, I think.
“But we also need, in these games, football smarts. We need to be smart, you know. We had a lot of ball, particularly in the second half, and Mexico were playing us on the break. We need to be smart in those moments, because that's international football.”
Montemurro elaborated a little more on the DNA that he wishes to see in the team, which he believes shone in the first 15 minutes of the game.
“[The first 15 minutes] was some of the best football we've played in a long time,” he said.
“It’s real evidence of what we're trying to do, especially with our wide areas, overloading inside and outside, and the midfield is more advanced. A lot of the work we've done in pre-camp is a lot of one-on-one defending, a proactive, high line. You saw how high Steph [Catley] and Wini [Heatley] were - we're trying to dominate games a lot higher.”
He praised the winners on the evening, Mexico, who he flagged pre-game as a side performing well above their FIFA World Ranking.
“We play Mexico on purpose, and I'm very honoured that they're here, because they're a very good team,” he said.
“What they’re doing nationally with their league, they've gone up in the rankings. They're a top 20 team, they're not 28. They're a top 20 team, and that's why we played them.”
While it wasn’t the result that the majority of the crowd at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle were hoping for, Montemurro acknowledged the passion of the ‘Newy’ fans.
“We love playing in the regional areas,” he said.
“For me, they’re the heartland and the real passion of football. To be able to bring this brand to many fans that probably don't get the opportunity to see this great team is great.
“I’ve said it from day one, we're always going to go out and play a proactive game, we're always going to be playing a bit of a spectacle, and hopefully tonight was a spectacle. Okay, the result didn't go our way, but I hope it was a little bit of theatre and some good football.”
He finished by taking time to acknowledge Ellie Carpenter, who wore the captain’s armband during the game to mark her 100th appearance for the national team.
“It's an honour to work with Ellie,” he said.
“What I love about Ellie is every game there's an eight out of 10 or a nine out of 10 - there's never a drop [in effort]. That’s a world-class player, to maintain that level of consistency, performance, energy, and enthusiasm. We’re so proud to have her.”
COMMBANK MATILDAS | JUNE 2026 | NEXT GAME
CommBank Matildas v Mexico
Date: Tuesday, 9 June 2026
Kick-off: 7.00pm AEST
Venue: CommBank Stadium, Sydney
TV Broadcast: Paramount+ exclusive
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