Melbourne City FC’s Alanna Kennedy and Kyah Simon were both standout performers in the Matildas’ 8-0 demolition of Vietnam in the Asian Cup in Jordan this morning.
The Matildas were relentless in the attacking third, as both Kennedy and Simon found the back of the net, joining Sam Kerr, Emily van Egmond, Chloe Logarzo and Hayley Raso on the scoresheet.
Simon finished off a delightful piece of play to open the scoring from close range in the eighth minute, before Kennedy met Elise Kellond-Knight’s corner to double Australia’s lead 10 minutes later.
The City duo then combined to hand the Matildas a 3-0 lead when Kennedy’s pin-point cross found Simon on the right wing, before the City winger played a brilliant cross to find Logarzo for the tap-in.
The Matildas fourth would come when Simon provided arguably the best assist of the night, which was expertly finished by van Egmond. The 26-year-old picked up the ball on the right wing before going on a tremendous run, beating three defenders and piercing the gap between two more to find van Egmond in the box – the central midfielder then round the goalkeeper to make it 4-0.
Kennedy was again involved for the Matildas fifth, as the defender whipped in a perfectly weighted ball that was met by Kerr’s glancing header. The sixth would come shortly after the second-half commenced, as Kennedy again found Kerr in the box.
It was a flawless night for both the Matildas and the City duo, who were directly involved in six of the eight goals.
City’s Aivi Luik was a second-half substitute in the 8-0 hammering, replacing Kellond-Knight in the 73rd minute. Despite a limited amount of time on the pitch, Luik had an impact on the contest with several driving balls forward.
The win takes the Matildas to the top of Group B, meaning that either a draw or win against Japan in their next group game will not only book the team a spot in the Asian Cup Semi-Finals, but also see them qualify for next year’s Women’s World Cup.
