CommBank Matildas defender Courtney Nevin said it felt “surreal” to score her first goal for the national team.
The 23-year-old scored the first goal of the match from a set piece in Australia’s 2-1 victory over Wales.
“Honestly, it felt a bit surreal,” she said.
“When I took the free kick, I was trying to just get it into the area. I saw it go into the back of the net - I was pretty stoked. Everyone was so happy for me, so it was a really happy moment for me.”
There was some confusion as to whether her returning teammate, Sam Kerr, touched the ball on the way through, but Kerr was quick to reassure Nevin that it was her goal.
“She came up to me and said, ' Be happy about the goal, you’ve just scored for your country!” Nevin recalled, laughing.
“It was really nice for her to be able to celebrate this with me.”
The goal was Nevin’s second in recent weeks, after having scored for club side Malmö FF in the lead-up to camp.
“I’m coming into camp more confident,” she said.
“Malmö have instilled a lot of confidence in me, giving me 90 minutes and regular football. So I’ve come into the national team as prepared as I can be.”
The match marked the return of Kerr, but also Cortnee Vine, who made her first appearance for the national team since the Paris Olympics.
Nevin said that it was fantastic to see everyone involved in the team once more.
“It’s so nice to see all the girls getting back into form, and being able to be a part of that is really cool,” she said.
“I’m so stoked for the girls, and I’m really happy to be a part of this team. I love it.”
COMMBANK MATILDAS | MATCH DETAILS
England v CommBank Matildas
Date: Tuesday, 28 October 2025 / Wednesday, 29 October 2025
Kick-off: 7:00pm BST (Local) / 6:00am AEDT
Venue: Pride Park Stadium, Derby, England
Broadcast: Paramount+
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