3 minute read
The Matildas have been held to a fairly unimpressive 1-1 draw against Switzerland in Zurich as the post-Olympics hangover continued in Zurich.
The Matildas' hopes of starting their brave new world with a morale-boosting triumph have fallen flat in Zurich as they were left grateful to escape with a fairly undistinguished 1-1 draw against Switzerland.
Hoping to bounce back following their Olympic flop with a new interim coach Tom Sermanni at the helm, Australia's women again failed to shine in their first match since the Games at Zurich's Letzigrund Stadium.
Despite the Swiss being the superior side in the first half, things still looked promising for Sermanni's crew when Caitlin Foord won a penalty and converted it a couple of minutes before the break.
But it was cancelled out by Geraldine Reuteler's 58th minute strike amid some panicky defending which enabled the world's 25th-ranked side to earn a well-deserved draw against a side ranked 10 places higher in the FIFA hierarchy.
It could have been worse for the Matildas, captained by Ellie Carpenter for the first time with Steph Catley only getting a late cameo off the bench after recent injury woes.
For in the 90th minute, Swiss substitute Larina Baumann almost cashed in on more sloppy defending to hit the bar with a curling shot that had Mackenzie Arnold well beaten.
The Swiss could also look back with frustration on Smilla Vallotto's glaring 40th minute miss when her weak shot when one-on-one couldn't beat the smart Arnold.
Scot Sermanni had identified a "beaten up" Matildas side "low on confidence" and more in need of a win than a good performance as the World Cup semi-finalists embarked on their first match since their Olympic campaign crashed and burned in the south of France.
As it turned out, they got neither the result nor the performance, with not even a slew of substitutions, including the Matildas' baptism of 18-year-old Daniela Galic, able to turn the tide even when they did begin to apply some belated pressure on the hosts near the end.