It was a surreal moment filled with all the emotions for Holly McNamara as she took to the field in her first ever home match with the Matildas in front of 37,000 fans in Sydney.
Named in Tom Sermanni’s starting XI, the City star showcased her attacking threat on the world-stage in Australia’s 1-0 win over Korea Republic at Allianz Stadium on Friday night.
Don’t miss this Friday night’s doubleheader at AAMI Park. Get your tickets now.
Following the match, McNamara opened up on what it meant to play in front of her friends and family in Sydney.
“Lining up for that anthem was unreal,” she said via the Matildas.
“I spotted my family in the crowd, and that was a bit emotional for me. I’m just so happy to be out there, and I’m very lucky.
“This is my first game for the Matildas at home, and to be in front of 37,000 people and they’re all screaming the whole game – it was unreal.”
As McNamara looks to build on her Ninja A-League Women’s form with the national team, she reflected on her motivation following an emotional first game on home soil.
“I’m happy to be out there, and I can learn from a lot tonight,” she said.
“I’m trying to build a little bit more confidence. Getting more minutes has definitely helped. I’m very lucky to get the opportunity to come into camp and play each game, and I want to do everyone proud that’s helped me get here.
“I just want to build on everything.”
After a tough SheBelieves Cup in February, the Matildas bounced back at home with a strong performance against one of Asia’s strongest sides.
“It was a good game,” she said. “We could have put more away, but we’re so happy to get the win.”
“We were really looking to turn around our recent games. We did that today, and hopefully we can build on it.”
McNamara will take on South Korea in Newcastle tonight in the Matildas second friendly, before returning to Melbourne ahead of City’s doubleheader at AAMI Park on Friday night.
MATCH DETAILS
Matildas v Korea Republic
Monday 7 April 2025
7:30 pm AEST
McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
TV Broadcast: Paramount+ exclusive
