{"id":493847,"date":"2026-03-05T22:04:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T23:04:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=493847"},"modified":"2026-03-06T00:22:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T00:22:56","slug":"very-problematic-injury-rocks-matildas-despite-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=493847","title":{"rendered":"'Very problematic' injury rocks Matildas despite win"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Matildas<\/a> stormed to a 4-0 Asian Cup<\/a> victory over Iran<\/a> at Gold Coast Stadium on Thursday night but will be sweating on the fitness of one of their most electric players.<\/p>\n

Hayley Raso is unlikely to play Sunday's crucial game against South Korea after failing to finish the match following two separate blows to the head.<\/p>\n

\ufeffFirst, Raso was left rattled after taking a powerful ball to the face from point-blank range early in the match.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Eels icon shuts down revenge theory behind Lomax collapse\ufeff<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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The impact appeared to rattle the winger, who fell awkwardly to the turf and prompted a quick assessment from the Matildas' medical staff.<\/p>\n

"This is very, very problematic," Andy Harper said in commentary on Paramount +.<\/p>\n

Raso underwent a concussion test and returned to the field after half time.\ufeff<\/p>\n

\"Hayley<\/p>\n

Despite showing her trademark resilience to return to the pitch, she later collected a stray kick to the head that brought her night to a premature end.<\/p>\n

"Hayley, to me, looks more uncomfortable with this one compared to the first one," Harper said.<\/p>\n

"It is the repeated nature of them that is the worry."<\/p>\n

This time the medical staff took no further risks, helping Raso off the pitch and introducing Michelle Heyman for the final minutes.<\/p>\n

"It's not what you want to see at all," Grace Gill added.<\/p>\n

The loss of Raso will be tough for the Aussies who currently sit second in Group A behind South Korea on goal difference, who they play on Sunday night.<\/p>\n

\"Hayley<\/p>\n

The Matildas need to beat South Korea to secure top spot in the group before advancing to the knockout stages, although they will go through to the knockout stages regardless.<\/p>\n

Thursday's victory was fuelled by an Alanna Kennedy brace and Mary Fowler<\/a>'s clinical return.<\/p>\n

Kennedy led the charge with two goals, capping off a commanding performance with two goals to ensure Australia took full control of the contest.<\/p>\n

Despite an early downpour, the Matildas controlled the tempo from the opening whistle, wasting no time in capitalising on their territorial dominance.<\/p>\n

\"Remy<\/p>\n

The pressure told quickly as Amy Sayer struck first, sparking a first-half flurry of goals that saw Fowler and Kennedy join the scoresheet to put Australia firmly in the driver's seat.<\/p>\n

Fowler had not scored for Australia in more than a year, having recovered from a serious knee injury in time for the Asian Cup.<\/p>\n

"I had a little moment to myself \ufeffwalking out there," Fowler said post-game.<\/p>\n

"\ufeffJust think back on the rehab and appreciate the time I've been away. I was grateful for the moment."<\/p>\n

\"Fowler<\/p>\n

Sayer struck first in the eighth minute with a spectacular, looping strike from outside the box.<\/p>\n

What looked like a cross to a lurking Sam Kerr took a wicked dip to find the back of the net, catching goalkeeper Maryam Yektaei completely off guard and giving the Matildas a dream start.<\/p>\n

The early strike opened the floodgates as Fowler soon found Kerr in the box, nearly doubling the lead with a sequence that kept the Iranian defence on its heels.<\/p>\n

While the pressure was relentless, the Matildas were twice left frustrated \u2014 first as Kerr's goal-bound shot was scrambled clear, and then as Caitlin Foord was denied by the offside flag.<\/p>\n

However, Fowler eventually doubled the lead in the 27th minute, pouncing on a loose ball spilled by Yektaei.<\/p>\n

\"Sayer\u2019s<\/p>\n

Displaying poaching instincts, Fowler lunged forward to toe the ball home at the far post, marking her first international start in 332 days in style.<\/p>\n

The first-half blitz continued as Kennedy made it 3-0 after connecting with a clean, clinical volley, before Kerr was denied a fourth, having her goal struck off the board after a VAR review found the captain offside by the narrowest of margins.<\/p>\n

Despite the comfortable lead, Matildas coach Joe Montemurro opted not to turn to his bench at the half-time break, keeping faith in his starting XI to maintain their rhythm.<\/p>\n

Australia was initially awarded a second-half penalty for a handball by Golnoosh Khosravi, but the decision was swiftly overturned after officials determined the ball had deflected off Khosravi's own boot.<\/p>\n

The flow of the second half was repeatedly broken as several Iranian players required medical treatment, which visibly stifled the Matildas' momentum.<\/p>\n

Kennedy eventually secured her brace, latching onto an Emily van Egmond corner to power home a commanding header.<\/p>\n

\"Iranian<\/p>\n

This triggered a trio of changes as Hayley Raso, Remy Siemsen, and Holly McNamara replaced Kerr, Foord, and Fowler.<\/p>\n

In a notable shift from their tournament opener, the Iranian players sang their national anthem ahead of kick-off.<\/p>\n

As the anthem played, several players were seen raising their hands to their temples in salute \u2014 a symbolic gesture being increasingly used by Iranian athletes to signal solidarity with their homeland during this time of war.<\/p>\n

The gesture drew a vocal reaction from the stands, with sections of the crowd whistling and cheering.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Matildas stormed to a 4-0 Asian Cup victory over Iran at Gold Coast Stadium on Thursday night but will be sweating on the fitness […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":493849,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493847"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=493847"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493847\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":493856,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493847\/revisions\/493856"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/493849"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=493847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=493847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=493847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}