Australia will face Japan in the Women’s Asian Cup final, with the chance to lift a major trophy on home soil. Blues defender Ellie Carpenter has described it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Matildas.
Carpenter’s Perspective Ahead of the Final
Carpenter and Chelsea team-mate Sam Kerr have been instrumental in Australia’s journey to the final, both starting each of their country’s five matches. Kerr has scored four times and registered an assist during the tournament, including winning goals in the quarter- and semi-finals. Carpenter has also contributed with an assist from her position at right wing-back.
The final will be held at Stadium Australia in Sydney. Carpenter anticipates a memorable occasion that could inspire a new generation of girls to pursue football.
‘I get goosebumps walking out there, because it’s such an amazing stadium,’ she said. ‘I heard it’s going to be a sellout, and just walking out singing that anthem before the game, it makes me a little bit emotional, because of the amount of people that come out to support us.’
‘We want to put on a show for them. We don’t want to leave them disappointed tomorrow. Also, for us as footballers, we want to inspire the next generation. We did that, I think, at the World Cup, and this is another opportunity for us tomorrow.’
‘We love the big pressure moments, and we felt that at the World Cup, we grew into that tournament. We think we’ve grown into this tournament as well. We’ll be ready for the occasion tomorrow.’
A Chance to End the Trophy Drought
Carpenter has been a part of Australia’s senior side since the age of 15, earning 98 caps and scoring five goals. She has competed at the Olympics in Rio, Tokyo and Paris. However, she is yet to win major silverware with the Matildas.
‘It’s been 16 years since we’ve lifted that trophy,’ she said. ‘I’ve been in this team for 10 years and haven’t lifted a [major tournament] trophy with the team yet. So, tomorrow is an amazing opportunity for us to hopefully do that. It would be a cherry on top for most of the girls – it could be their last tournament.’
‘Having this tournament at home, I said before the semi-final, this will probably be the last semi-final we will play on home soil in a major tournament, so we need to give it our all. So this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us and for most of the girls’ careers. It’s about who wants it more tomorrow.’
‘We’re at home, and we need to bring our aggressiveness, our physical game and our speed into this game tomorrow. We know Japan probably won’t like that. They haven’t been tested like that before in this tournament, and we know our strengths, and we have to play to our strengths tomorrow.’
Key Players for Australia
- Sam Kerr has been in superb form, netting winning goals in the quarter- and semi-finals.
- Ellie Carpenter has provided an assist from right wing-back.
- Both players have started each of their country’s five matches so far.
Carpenter has been in the team for 10 years and is yet to lift a major tournament trophy.