Matildas interim coach Tom Sermanni wants the Matildas “performing at the level required” after naming his star-studded squad for two home fixtures against Korea in the wake of the poor showing at the SheBelieves Cup in February.
Injured star Sam Kerr remains sidelined having failed to return for Chelsea in two fixtures across the weekend, but her team did topple fellow Matildas star Mary Fowler’s Manchester City overnight.
Fowler was included in the 23-player squad, with midfielder Clare Wheeler set to make a return to the squad after being absent for the last two international windows due to injury.
Young defenders Courtney Nevin and Jamilla Rankin have both earnt recalls off the back of their recent club form in Europe, with Steph Catley to again wear the captain’s armband.
Mary Fowler has been named in the Matildas squad. Picture: Oli Scarff / AFPSource: AFP
The clashes with Korea in first Newcastle and then Sydney next week loom as crucial in preparation for the 2026 Asian Cup after a failure against rivals Japan in the February tournament in the US.
“This squad selection is about achieving the right balance – reintegrating players returning from injury and rewarding those who have been playing consistently well in clubland. It’s important to create continuity while also bringing in players who have earned their place through strong performances,” Sermanni explained.
Sam Kerr is yet to return for Chelsea. Picture: Leon Neal/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
“We are fortunate to have a core group of players competing at the highest levels, whether it’s in the UEFA Women’s Champions League or major domestic competitions.
“Every match leading into the Asian Cup is an opportunity to finetune our approach, build cohesion, and ensure we are performing at the level required to take on Asia’s best during next year’s tournament.”
Kerr has not played for the Matildas since 2023 after suffering an ACL injury.
Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor confirmed that Kerr would not play for the team leading up to the international break and was unavailable to play for the Matildas.
“We will assess her on a week-by-week basis, and hopefully, after the international break, we will have a clearer understanding of her return,” Bompastor said.
Kerr injured her knee at a Chelsea training camp in January, 2024.
SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Tegan Micah, Mackenzie Arnold, Chloe Lincoln
Triple M on Wednesday apologised for the Sheargold’s comments, which were made on Monday on his afternoon radio show.
Sheargold said he would rather “hammer a nail through the head of my penis” than watch women’s football and he was “sorry to undermine the whole sport, but that’s what I think of it so you can stick it up your arse”.
Sheargold’s comments also included a reference to the name of the tournament the Matildas are playing in, the She Believes Cup, saying, “Oh she believes in what? It better be men.”
His show did not air on Wednesday afternoon and Triple M has since made the call to part ways with Sheargold, with the station announcing they had “mutually agreed” to the decision.
“Southern Cross Austereo takes its responsibility to listeners, shareholders and clients seriously and its programming should align with the standards and expectations of its audience,” SCA Chief Content Officer Dave Cameron said in a statement.
“Right now, it’s clear this is a moment for reflection and review. Triple M, and the wider SCA network, will continue to take all necessary steps to support staff.”
Sheargold said: “Having mutually agreed to part ways with the Triple M Network, I fully understand the gravity of my comments.
“I’d like to sincerely apologise to the Matildas and the broader organisation. I would also like to thank my immediate team for their hard work and apologise for the situation they now find themselves in.”
Football Australia on Wednesday issued a statement, saying it was “deeply disappointed by the unacceptable comments” and they “not only diminish the extraordinary achievements and contributions of our women’s national football team but also fail to recognise the profound impact they have had on Australian sport and society”.
Triple M radio presenter Marty Sheargold has apologised for comments he made about the Matildas and women’s football. Picture: Supplied/Triple MSource: Supplied
Sermanni said sports teams were “used to criticism” but Sheargold’s comments “crossed the line”.
“It’s completely unnecessary and generally outrageous, and, it’s something that from a behavioural perspective, is really very, very disappointing,” he said.
“For me, it’s not so much about sexism and misogyny, in a sense, although that’s unacceptable – let me make that clear.
“It’s what the comments were. The comments just crossed the line. They were just basically out of order and very, very unnecessary.
“Our team is obviously a very high-profile team, and being a high-profile team, you do take criticism, you do create criticism sometimes very near the edge, but sometimes that just goes over the edge, and those comments did that.”
Triple M’s statement included a personal apology from Sheargold.
“Any comedy, including mine, can miss the mark sometimes, and I can see why people may have taken offence at my comments regarding the Matildas,” he said.
“I sincerely apologise.”
Sermanni said his team had moved on from the matter and was concentrating on beating Colombia after losses to Japan (4-0) and USA (2-1).
“We’ll put that behind us … we’re here to play football,” he said.
“The players have just completely focused on the game.”
Matildas interim coach Tom Sermanni speaks to players Kaitlyn Torpey (left) and Holly McNamara after Australia’s 2-1 loss to USA. Picture: Chris Coduto/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Sermanni was expecting a “physical” contest similar to Australia’s two matches against Brazil – won 3-1 and 2-1 by the South Americans – in Queensland last year.
“(It will) probably be more of a Brazil-style game that … so that’d be more a very physical game,” he said.
“They’ve got a couple of outstanding players in the line-up. We need to look after them, and being South American, they’ve got a certain rhythm, a certain way of playing that’s a little bit different to the Japanese and a little bit different to the Americans.”
Having been “bullied” by Japan last week, Sermanni was happier with the amount of challenges his side won against the Americans on Monday and wants more of the same on Thursday.
“We had a pretty serious chat after the first game (against Japan), and I think the players responded magnificently in that second game,” he said.
It took just 41 seconds for the Matildas to fall behind with the USA scoring the opening goal in a flash in Arizona.
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The nighmare start for the Australians came via a blunder at the back which allowed Lynn Biyendolo to stroll into the box unmarked and complete a tap-in.
“A nightmare start for Australia,” former Matilda Grace Gill said on commentary.
Biyendolo put the ball into the back of the net for a second time at the eight-minute mark, but the linesperson’s flag saved the Matildas from falling 2-0 down.
The USA celebrate their opening minute goal against the Matildas.Source: FOX SPORTS
PREVIEW
The Matildas have made four changes to the starting XI that was humbled 4-0 by Japan for their an important SheBelievesCup clash with the USA.
The Olympic champions are always a formidable opponent, and particularly so on home soil, with the Australians desperately needing to lift their game in Arizona after an incredibly disappointing first up defeat.
Goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold, defender Clare Hunt, and veterans Tamika Yallop and Katrina Gorry have all been benched with goalkeeper Teagan Micah, defender Winonah Heatley, recalled striker Holly McNamara and Charli Grant taking their places in the starting side.
McNamara’s comeback is special as she makes her first start in national colours in more than three years after enduring three ACL tears.
“It’s fantastic for her and for the team,” Matildas interim coach Tom Sermanni told Paramount+.
“She’s done an exceptional job to get herself fit and healthy after three ACLs in quick succession. It’s important to get her out there and see how she goes from the start.”
Meanwhile, USA have opted to change all eleven players in the starting team from their previous match – the first time they have done so in 24 years.
“The thing that the US has done now is they’ve built up not just a starting team, but a real quality squad, where even if they have five or six key players missing, they’ve still got an outstanding team … so they’re a very formidable side at the moment,” Sermanni said.
“Everybody plays a little bit different to Japan, but the US and the Australian styles in general, have been, to a degree, quite similar,” Sermanni said.
“If you look historically, particularly over the last 10 or 15 years, most of the games between the US and the Aussies have been quite tight and very competitive because I think we’re two very similar nations in many ways.”
Sam Kerr will always be remembered as one of the greatest women’s players to grace the game, but one drunken night out in London has raised questions over the Australian superstar’s reputation.
The 31-year-old Chelsea striker, who is mixed race, issued a public apology despite being found not guilty on Wednesday of racially aggravated abuse of a police officer in the early hours of January 30, 2023.
Kerr was recorded calling the policeman “stupid and white” but claimed she did not use “whiteness as an insult”.
The judge said after the verdict: “I take the view her own behaviour contributed significantly to the bringing of this allegation.”
In a statement, Kerr apologised for “expressing myself poorly on what was a traumatic evening”, with the case threatening to leave an indelible mark on an otherwise unblemished career.
Whether the case has a lasting impact remains to be seen. Kerr has not played football in over a year after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL).
Football Australia chief James Johnson refused to speculate during the trial on her future with the national team and whether she should remain captain and in a statement on Wednesday, FA was noncommittal on the matter.
“Football Australia invests heavily in building the behavioural standards and expectations of all involved with our game, especially for all our national team players, where leadership comes with added responsibilities on and off the field,” the statement read.
“Football Australia will reflect with Sam on learnings from this matter and we will continue to provide appropriate support for her moving forward.”
Interim Australia coach Tom Sermanni said last week he expected Kerr to be fit for selection when the Matildas host South Korea in April, but he too declined to comment on whether she was the right person to lead the side.
The Australian Financial Review’s Myriam Robin, in an opinion piece, wrote that Kerr’s suitability to be skipper “has more to do with public opinion, and its tolerance for entitled or idiotic athletes behaving badly”.
“That tolerance has, lately, been shrinking,” she added.
Meanwhile, Erin Smith of Code Sports was adamant Kerr should be “stripped of her Matildas’ captain armband and banned from any leadership roles”.
“If the captain of any of our national men’s teams, the Socceroos included, had been found drunk in a taxi, mid-season, and using deplorable language they would have been stood down from the role immediately,” she wrote.
“So why should Kerr get any special treatment?”
Kerr leaves Kingston Crown Court after being found not guilty of causing racially aggravated harassment. (Photo by Peter Nicholls/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Well, The West Australian’s Kate Emery went some way to answering that question in an opinion piece where she argued the trial was a “waste of everyone’s time”, adding the not-guilty verdict was the “only good bit of news” to come out of the entire ordeal.
“An almighty mess of a bad night that should never have made it to the courts and turned into a two-year-long circus,” Emery added.
“Was Kerr, who has Anglo-Indian heritage, acting like a drunken prat when she said those four words to a police officer during a dispute over a taxi fare after a night out? Sure.
“Was she racially abusing the cop when she did so? Nope.
“And it seems like the jury that returned a not-guilty verdict agreed with me.”
Emery went on to write that it “would be a shame” if this incident, and the commentary that followed, “tainted” Kerr’s reputation in the long-term.
“Particularly given the drunken antics Australia’s male sporting heroes have long gotten away with, even been lionised for,” she added, arguing the double standards exposed by the Kerr saga with men often instead lauded for their “larrikin spirit”.
Emery also drew attention to the fact Kerr, and not her white fiancé Kristie Mewis, was arrested for criminal damage over the broken taxi window despite defence lawyer Grace Forbes stressing that Mewis told police “time and time again that she had broken the window”.
Kerr’s fiance defends her character | 00:55
“There is a broader point to be made here — one that came up at trial — which is that there is a difference between insulting a caucasian person for their race and insulting a non-white person for theirs,” Emery wrote.
“That difference comes down to one word: power. Racism is prejudice plus power. Historically, in our western world it is white people who have held the power and non-white people who have not. Overwhelmingly that remains true today.”
The same is also true for women’s safety concerns, as Sam Squiers wrote in a comment piece for foxsports.com.au. Nadia Russell of The Sydney Morning Herald also empathised Kerr’s situation while recalling her experience with one Uber driver who got lost and then instead of “apologising for the inconvenience” proceeded to “turn on” her.
“I’ve been in Sam Kerr’s shoes, and not only do I completely understand her behaviour during her infamous exchange with a constable in a Twickenham police station, I don’t have a problem with it,” she wrote.
Kerr has been at the centre of a media storm. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Meanwhile, former NZ Football Fern and Team Heroine Founder Rebecca Sowden asked on LinkedIn if anyone else felt “uncomfortable” watching the Kerr trial unfold.
“Before smashing a taxi window to ‘escape’, Kerr & partner, Kristie Mewis feared they were being kidnapped after the driver locked the doors & windows, drove erratically & wouldn’t stop (after Kerr spit-vomited out the window),” she wrote.
“Whenever I take a taxi/uber, particularly at night I study the driver ID & am on high alert. Sadly, I’m sure many women go through similar ‘fears’ when doing other ‘day-to-day’ activities (taxis, jogging, walking to your car at night…). Feeling afraid during daily activities should not be, but is the reality for many women.”
Federal Sports Minister Anika Wells also threw her support behind Kerr, saying “the more we find out about the incident the more you can understand why they’ve acted the way they have”.
“… Sam certainly has Australia behind her.”
But that isn’t necessarily the case.
Kerr audio from taxi played in court | 00:56
As The Guardian’s Kieran Pender wrote, the not-guilty verdict “does little to quell bigger questions about the ongoing reputational fallout, including Kerr’s future as captain of the national team and the face of women’s football in Australia”.
He mentioned the additional context that was brought up throughout the trial in Kerr’s favour, including the Matildas star telling the court that after she vomited out the window the driver allegedly acted “crazy” and refused to let them leave.
Kerr went on to tell the court that he locked the doors and started heading in an unknown direction, adding that she felt “terrified” for her life while Mewis feared it was a “kidnapping”
Pender also referenced Kerr’s citing of the Claremont serial killer, along with the fact she felt like she was treated differently by police because of “the colour of my skin”.
“For Kerr’s detractors, this wider context obscures the central point: here was an entitled millionaire footballer, drunk, vomiting in the back of a taxi, and then using rude language as police officers sought to de-escalate the situation,” Pender added.
“… As the evidence over the past week revealed, there are competing kinds of privilege at play here – with enough material for those on either side of the debate to claim vindication. The video footage is not flattering to Kerr; the context explains, even excuses, say her backers.”
So, the big question: what does this all mean for Kerr and her standing in women’s football?
What will come next for Kerr? (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Kerr made her Australia debut aged just 15 and has gone on to become one of the world’s best players.
She was the face of the 2023 World Cup on home soil after her profile soared to new heights when she moved to Chelsea in 2020 and steered them to the domestic double.
Australia’s all-time leading scorer, among men or women, with 69 goals in 128 appearances, Kerr has been shortlisted for the women’s Ballon d’Or and nominated for the Best FIFA Women’s Player consistently since 2017.
Named “Young Australian of the Year” in 2018, Kerr was hailed as “inspirational, well-grounded, professional and mature”, helping drive change in Australian football with a minimum wage now in place and players treated as professionals.
Pender wrote that “even before the verdict it was clear things will not be the same” for Kerr or Australian football.
“The extent to which this incident tarnishes a glittering career, or is relegated to a footnote, remains to be seen,” he added.
“For many, in these polarised times, the answer to that question was predetermined before the trial had even commenced.”
Kerr officer challenged over motives | 01:50
It is a similar point to the one made by the Australian Financial Review’s Hans van Leeuwen, who wrote that Kerr was “exonerated by the jury unanimously, but the court of public opinion remains divided”.
“Who was belittling whom? Who was racist to whom? Everyone has a view, and there’s no chance of a universal verdict,” he added, referencing the fact that while many women are “sympathetic” to Kerr’s situation, the “furious commentary” in reaction to the case suggests she has “lost a lot of admirers”.
Kathryn Batte, meanwhile, wrote in a column for The Telegraph UK that “it is up to Kerr now what story she writes next”.
“Australia’s golden girl, their sporting superstar and hero showed she was not perfect after all,” wrote Batte.
“Kerr showed herself to be human. A human who can make a mistake, just like everybody else. The question now is whether she can repair her damaged reputation off the pitch and rediscover her best form on it.”
Ange Postecoglou said Mathys Tel is “100 per cent” committed to Tottenham after the French forward signed on loan despite reportedly rejecting a move to the club earlier in the January transfer window.
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Tottenham were busy in the final hours of Monday’s deadline day as they bolstered Postecoglou’s injury-ravaged squad, bringing in Tel and defender Kevin Danso.
Bayern Munich’s Tel, 19, was also linked with Manchester United and Arsenal before opting for Tottenham, who have an option to make the move permanent in the summer transfer window.
Postecoglou, whose team take a 1-0 lead into Thursday’s League Cup semi-final second-leg at Liverpool, told his pre-match press conference that Tel had been right to take his time over such a major decision.
“It’s not so much that he rejected us or rejected anyone else,” said the Spurs manager. “Rightly so he was getting as much information as possible.”
The Australian added: “I had a conversation with him and I guess mine was purely around the football and I think he’ll find a really great place here in terms of where he is in his career.
Kerr still out of strong Matildas squad | 03:28
“He obviously wants to play. We’ve already shown that irrespective of age, he’ll get an opportunity here, and the way we play will suit him.
“Certainly with what we have in the next few months and then more importantly what we’re building beyond, I thought he would be a perfect fit.”
When asked if he felt the France under-21 international was fully committed to Spurs, Postecoglou said: “Yes, 100 per cent. I am more than 100 per cent sure because he took so much time, was so diligent about finding out everything when he made a decision that it’s us.
“He obviously had options and that sort of gave me even more confidence that we are getting the right kind of mentality, the right kind of player.
“He is very ambitious. He’s got a great deal of self-belief and self-confidence. He feels he can reach the top of the game and he has chosen us, which is a great vindication of what we are doing.”
Tel and Danso will both be available for Thursday’s match at Anfield, but Micky van de Ven and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero are set to miss out, with Postecoglou taking a “conservative” approach after the duo’s injury absences.
Kerr officer challenged over motives | 01:50
Tottenham are one match away from a League Cup final at Wembley as they seek to end a trophy drought that stretches back to 2008.
Former Celtic boss Postecoglou, in his second season at Tottenham, put himself under pressure earlier in the campaign when he said he “always wins things in my second year”.
But he said Premier League leaders and League Cup holders Liverpool would also be feeling the pressure.
“I don’t think Liverpool will be any less anxious than us about the fixture,” he said. “You’re in a semi-final, particularly a second leg and it’s still very tight.
“It’s a big game for both clubs so you recognise that, you embrace that but ultimately if you want to be successful these are the games you want to be involved in.”
The date is August 20, 2023, and Sam Kerr is the biggest superstar in Australian sport.
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The Matildas captain is dancing on stage, grabbing a microphone from pop icon Nikki Webster in front of more than 5000 fans as Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk prepares to gift the team the “Keys to the City of Brisbane” following their enthralling 2023 World Cup campaign.
It is this picture that makes Sam Kerr’s five-day trial at Kingston Crown Court in London so much more significant than the potential threat of six months imprisonment.
The charges relate to a drunken night out in January, 2023, where the 31-year-old was alleged to have caused criminal damage to a taxi before calling police constable Stephen Lovell “f***ing stupid and white.”
Football Australia boss James Johnson also asked for fans to wait until the end of the trial before making their own judgments.
Sam Kerr is congratulated by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Photo by Mark Metcalfe – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images.Source: Getty ImagesSam Kerr sings with Nikki Webster. Picture: Dan Peled / NCA NewsWire.Source: News Corp Australia
“We understand that there will be some disappointment out there (from fans), but what we would ask is that we all wait out,” Johnson said on Wednesday.
“We know there’s a 30-second, 40-second clip out there but we also know there’s a 30-minute video out there which certainly we haven’t seen.
“What we need to do we need to give Sam the opportunity to go through the trial.
“Once we complete the trial, then we’ll have a holistic view of what’s happened.”
Kerr’s captaincy was called into question by Socceroos legend Craig Foster before he backflipped and apologised to her in March, 2024, when new claims about her comments were revealed.
Talkback radio segments on Wednesday were flooded with calls for Kerr to be stripped of the captaincy. 2GB host Ben Fordham promoted calls from listeners that said they were “disgusted” with Kerr and added she “can’t captain again”.
Her future with her English Super League club Chelsea has not come into any doubt.
Coach Sonia Bompastor said Kerr has her support, but added her knee injury is still keeping her away from teammates, forcing her to train on an individual program.
How has the Sam Kerr saga played out?
January 29, 2023: Sam Kerr scores a hat trick in the club’s FA Cup showdown with Liverpool at Kingsmeadow. The 3-2 win sees Chelsea progress to the fifth round of the competition.
January 30, 2023: Sam Kerr celebrates her performance with a night out with partner Kristie Mewis. Kerr mentioned earlier in the trial that she was “intoxicated”. It is alleged one of the women vomited in a taxi they booked to take them back to their London home.
Body-cam footage of Sam Kerr after taxi cab incident. Source: TwitterSource: TwitterSam Kerr arrives outside the Crown Court. Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images.Source: Getty Images
Kerr has alleged the driver acted “crazy” and refused to let them leave. The driver called police and drove to Twickenham Police Station where police allegedly noticed a broken window, glass on the ground outside the vehicle and damage to the plastic guard inside the taxi. Kerr is held in custody and speaks with Police Constable Stephen Lovell. Body camera footage shows her calling Lovell “stupid and white”. Footage also shows Kerr describing the taxi driver as a “f***ing liar” and a “stupid c**t”.
January 31, 2023: Kerr returns to Twickenham Police Station where she is formally interviewed by police constable Ryan Skinner for 20 minutes. Kerr tells Skinner she would say sorry if she was now able to say something to Lovell.
December, 2023: Lovell submits a second statement saying he was “shocked, upset, and (left) me feeling humiliated”. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) originally decided not to charge Kerr.
January 21, 2024: Kerr is charged with a racially aggravated offence under Section 4A Public Order Act 1986.
April, 2024: Hearings were delayed after the Crown Prosecution Service were unable to gather enough evidence, including CCTV footage, to cross examine the football superstar.
February 6: Sam Kerr is expected to give evidence in court.
Matildas star Sam Kerr is engaged to Kristie Mewis. Picture: InstagramSource: SuppliedThe couple confirmed the news in an exclusive interview, after Kristie was spotted wearing a stunning engagement ring. Picture: InstagramSource: Supplied
2025 will be the biggest year of Sam Kerr’s life
Sam Kerr and American partner Kristie Mewis in November announced they are expecting their first child together.
Kerr, 31, and Mewis, 33, have been together since 2021 and got engaged in 2023. Mewis confirmed they were engaged in November after several weeks of speculation fuelled in part by social posts featuring her wearing a diamond ring on her engagement finger.
It is also a huge year for her on the field with massive doubts about the star striker’s ability to remain at her elite-level of performance after so much time on the sidelines.
She missed the entire 2024 calendar year after rupturing the ACL in her knee.
She was expected to have returned to training by now, but her recovery is taking longer than most serious knee injuries.
Kerr was not selected in the Matildas squad for the SheBelievesCup, however, Sermani stressed that was only because of her fitness.
Chelsea has also said Kerr is expected to return to training with her teammates soon.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted he is “disappointed” by the club’s failure to sign a new striker before the transfer window closed on Monday.
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Arsenal were unable to lure England forward Ollie Watkins away from Aston Villa after their £60 million ($75 million) bid was rejected last week.
Having failed to pivot to another deal after the Watkins snub, the Gunners ended the January window with questions about a forward line weakened by long-term injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka.
Ahead of Wednesday’s League Cup semi-final second leg at Newcastle, Arteta conceded the lack of transfer activity was frustrating.
“We talked very openly about the intention to improve the squad if we had the capacity. With players with injuries, we’ve been impacted and we haven’t achieved it,” Arteta told reporters on Tuesday.
“We are disappointed in that sense but as well we are very aware that we only want to bring certain kinds of players.
Spurs pounce to sign Mathys Tel | 00:31
“We couldn’t do it for certain reasons and we have to accept it. It was a combination of things. We have to be very disciplined with that as well.”
Arsenal operated in the window without their former sporting director Edu, who resigned in November after playing a key role in their transfer policy.
Edu was a close ally of Arteta but the Spaniard insisted he had no complaints about Arsenal’s recruitment process despite their unsuccessful striker hunt.
“When you try your best and do things with the right process, and after you don’t achieve it, OK. For sure there are things to learn from it but now we have to move on,” he said.
Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, looks on prior to the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and Arsenal FC at Molineux on January 25, 2025 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
While Arsenal have to cope with an understrength attack for now, they showed no signs of being affected in Sunday’s 5-1 demolition of Manchester City.
German forward Kai Havertz and teenage attacking midfielder Ethan Nwaneri both netted against City and Arteta remains confident in the players at his disposal.
“From now there is no discussion on it and we focus on improving the group we have. It is remarkable what the team has done. I have full faith in them,” he said.
“We are going to have to be flexible in the front line. We have to make sure they stay fit, contributing, and can play that position. At some point we will have to try something different.”
Chelsea escapes West Ham scare | 01:59
Arsenal have a mountain to climb at St James’ Park on Wednesday after losing the first leg 2-0 at home in January.
Newcastle also beat the Gunners 1-0 in the Premier League in November. “They are a very difficult team to play against. Obviously this season two very different games,” Arteta said.
He hopes the rout of City will be a confidence boost for his team as they chase a first League Cup final appearance since 2018.
“When you compare the emotional state of the team after the first leg and now after Man City it is very different. Next stop is the final. We know how big that is,” said Arteta, whose club have not won the League Cup since 1993.
“The buzz the City game gave us and the manner we did it. It is momentum. It is time for full gas and go for it.”
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente on Tuesday told the forced kiss trial of ex-football federation chief Luis Rubiales that he initially knew nothing of the scandal’s scale or efforts to silence it.
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Rubiales provoked worldwide outrage for the kiss on Jenni Hermoso after she had just helped Spain beat England in the 2023 Women’s World Cup final in Australia.
The scandal forced Rubiales to resign in disgrace that year and has made Hermoso an icon of the fight against macho culture and sexism in sport.
Prosecutors are seeking two and a half years in prison for Rubiales, one year for sexual assault for the forced kiss and 18 months for allegedly coercing Hermoso, 34, to downplay the incident.
Rubiales, 47, has called the kiss an innocuous “peck between friends celebrating” and denied any coercion.
De la Fuente told the National Court just outside Madrid that on the trip back to Spain he knew nothing about a press statement prepared in Hermoso’s name to hush the growing furore.
Spurs pounce to sign Mathys Tel | 00:31
The men’s team coach, appointed during Rubiales’ 2018-2023 tenure, said he found out about the kiss on the plane but was “unaware of the scale” of the backlash.
He denied participating in a crisis meeting between top federation officials on August 23, 2023, saying he “didn’t exchange a word” with federation press chief Patricia Perez Requena.
“They told me ‘We’re getting into a huge mess with the kiss business’, but we went on to speak about matters that concerned me,” De la Fuente said.
Former communications director Pablo Garcia Cuervo, sacked by the federation after the scandal erupted, defended his role in the drafting of the statement.
He told the court he wrote it from an interview Hermoso had given to Spanish media and obtained her permission.
Chelsea escapes West Ham scare | 01:59
He denied asking Hermoso to appear in a video with Rubiales as the scandal grew back home because he feared she would “change her version”.
“Hermoso is a rather influence-prone and pretty manipulable person, so she can change her opinion,” Cuervo said.
Hermoso told the opening day of the trial on Monday that she felt “disrespected” after a non-consensual kiss that “should not happen in any social or work setting”.
The Matildas are cruising to victory over Chinese Taipei and hold a 4-0 lead in the second half in veteran Clare Polkinghorne’s final international appearance.
Leah Davidson opened the scoring with a sharp header that found the woodwork and then the back of the net in the sixth minute.
Tameka Yallop then doubled the lead with a left-foot strike that found the bottom right corner of the goal in Geelong.
Emily Gielnik then used her body well to get in position and head home in the 40th minute to complete the first-half rout.
Australia’s 36-year-old striker Michelle Heyman picked up where things left off in the second half when she tapped in from close range.
MATCH PREVIEW
After a triumphant result at AAMI Park on Wednesday, the Matildas are looking to make it two from two against Chinese Taipei when the sides meet on Saturday night in Geelong.
Having missed the 3-1 win midweek, interim Matildas manager Tom Sermanni confirmed Queensland native Clare Polkinghorne would start on Saturday night for her final international appearance.
“Does it get any better than that for a Queenslander?” Sermanni joked at his press conference.
With regards to the rest of Saturday’s line-up, Sermanni confirmed changes would be made, saying: “We’ve got certain conditions around these games that limit us a little bit, but we will (make changes).”
The 70-year-old veteran explained the approach the Australians would take to their second matchup with their Asian opponent.
“One of the key things I’ve learned over many years of us being in Asia is that if you play and conform to the same tempo that the Asian teams like to play at, then they do it better than us,” Sermanni said.
“So, it was really important for us to have a tempo of the game that was high, to have a really aggressive approach to the game … and to actually use our physically, which is a big asset for us.
“We try to blend all of those things together. I think, generally, I thought the players did it really well (on Wednesday).”
The Matildas meet Chinese Taipei for the second time on Saturday, December 7 at 7:30pm AEDT at GMHBA Stadium. The match will be broadcast on 10 and 10 Bold.
Arsenal has thumped Aston Villa to shoot up to second on the ladder after an unstoppable first-half performance on the road.
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Meanwhile, a 25-year-old Dutchman has made history overnight with a record hat-trick for Bournemouth.
Read on for a full wrap of the day’s Premier League action!
GUNNERS SMOKE HAMMERS
Arsenal thrashed West Ham 5-2 on Saturday to climb up to second in the Premier League, while Justin Kluivert scored the first ever Premier League hat-trick of penalties in Bournemouth’s 4-2 win at Wolves.
The Gunners have struck 13 goals in a week to re-find their form and cut the gap to runaway leaders Liverpool, who host struggling defending champions Manchester City in Sunday’s blockbuster clash, to six points.
“We are back to our best form. We look fluid and dynamic we are all enjoying football right now,” said Bukayo Saka, who shone with a goal and two assists.
“It has been a top week for us. We have built a lot of momentum and we want to go on to the next few games.” Arsenal scored four times before the break in a 6-0 rout at the London Stadium last season and went one better this time as all the goals came in a manic first half, Gabriel Magalhaes’ threat from set-pieces is well-known but the Brazilian was inexplicably not picked up to head in Saka’s corner on 10 minutes.
Brighton move to second on EPL ladder | 01:02
Saka then teed up Leandro Trossard to double the lead before he stepped aside for Martin Odegaard to score Arsenal’s third from the penalty spot.
Kai Havertz slotted in from Trossard’s pass to make 4-0 after just 36 minutes. Another heavy home defeat increased the pressure on West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui.
The Hammers flickered into life with two goals in two minutes through Aaron Wan-Bissaka and a brilliant Emerson Palmieri free-kick.
But Saka restored the three-goal advantage from the spot after Gabriel was felled from another corner.
KLUIVERT MAKES HISTORY IN SIX-GOAL GAME
Justin Kluivert made history at Molineux to curtail Wolves’ mini-revival. There were three goals inside eight minutes as the Dutchman opened the scoring, Jorgen Strand Larsen replied for Wolves before Milos Kerkez made it 2-1 for the visitors.
Kluivert made it 3-1 just 10 minutes later and completed his hat-trick 16 minutes from time after Evanilson also set a record by winning a third penalty.
“I was not completely sure I should allow him to take the third one,” said Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola.
“It is difficult, every time you shoot the first one, you give information to the keeper.” Strand Larsen pulled another goal back for Wolves, but Gary O’Neil’s men slip back into the relegation zone.
SCHADE STINGS FOR BEES
Brentford continued their stunning home form to thrash Leicester 4-1 in front of the Foxes’ incoming manager Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Facundo Buonanotte had put the visitors in front in west London. But Brentford roared back to make it six wins and one draw from seven home league games this season — the best points return in the Premier League.
Yoane Wissa started the comeback before Schade took centre stage. The German had only scored two Premier League goals since joining the Bees in 2023 but matched that tally before half-time to put the home side in front.
Schade then rounded off the scoring to show Van Nistelrooy the scale of the task that awaits him ahead of his first game in charge at home to West Ham on Tuesday.
“The shining star today was Kevin Schade,” said Brentford manager Thomas Frank.
“I celebrated so much his first because I know how hard it’s been for him because he’s had so many injuries and he’s wanting to play in the team.
Tillies coach Sermanni takes aim at refs | 01:13
EAGLES EQUAL LATE IN THRILLING DRAW
Crystal Palace edged out of the relegation zone on goal difference thanks to late drama in a 1-1 draw against Newcastle.
Marc Guehi, who had been the subject of multiple bids from Newcastle during the transfer window, put the Magpies in front early in the second half with an own goal.
However, the England defender redeemed himself as from his cross Daniel Munoz powered home a header at the back post.
