Matildas’ lack of squad depth is exposed as they are hammered 5-0 by ruthless Canada in front of their delirious fans under lights at Langford
- Rampant Canada outdid poor Matildas
- The 5-0 result will anger many fans in Australia
- Depth is a real concern ahead of the Paris Olympics
Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson was left searching for answers after his ‘experimental’ team was beaten 5-0 by Canada on Saturday.
Although key figures such as Mary Fowler, Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Ellie Carpenter and Katrina Gorry were all on the bench, it was Australia’s apparent lack of depth that will worry the Swede as the Paris Olympics approach.
Nichelle Prince opened the scoring for the home team after ten minutes, before scoring a second goal just before half-time.
Cloe Lacasse, Simi Awujo and Adriana Leon piled on the misery in the second half after the trio all found the back of the net, with the Matildas appearing to chase shadows at times, such was the gap in class between the two teams .
The result also went some way to making up for Australia beating the Canadians 4-0 in the World Cup group stage on home soil in July.
Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson was humiliated after his ‘experimental’ team was hammered by Canada on Saturday
Mary Fowler started on the bench and was unable to make an impact when she came into contention after 63 minutes
And although it was a friendly match, Matildas fans were quick to vent their frustration at the one-sided result on social media.
“Tony [Gustavsson] You’re kidding, your starting line-up looked like an under-21 team. Against 11 seasoned Canadian professionals, we got what we deserved,” one supporter fumed.
Another wrote: ‘There’s no point in experimenting with the setup if we’re not actually going to play one [decent] football.
A third said: ‘This is just embarrassing.’
Gustavsson’s team will have the chance to atone when they play Canada again in Vancouver on December 6.
It promises to be a memorable event, with Canadians saying goodbye to one of the greatest football players of all time in Christine Sinclair.
Sinclair is a fourteen-time Canada Footballer of the Year and has captained her country since 2006. She played six World Cups, ten CONCACAF tournaments and four Olympic Games and won gold at the 2021 Tokyo Games.