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Alanna Kennedy scores brace with Mary Fowler and Amy Sayer also on scoresheet at sodden Gold Coast Stadium But that’s about all that’s needed from me this evening. I’ll leave you with Samantha Lewis’ match report from the Gold Coast. For the Iranians, their hopes of making it through to the knockout stages are pretty much done. Their goal difference now sitting on -7, they’ll need to beat the Philippines as underdogs in their next game to stand any chance of progressing through as one the best-third-placed finishers, as well as hope that their Group B and Group C rivals suffer a few more heavy defeats. Joe Montemurro is speaking on the broadcast, voicing his satisfaction with an increased desire from his side to break lines compared to their win over the Philippines, as well as a rise in the tempo of their play. He also waves away any concerns surrounding Kerr having some ice on her knee after coming off, labelling it a purely precautionary measure. What can the Matildas take from that game? Probably not much from the second stanza in which the game ground to a chugging pace amid numerous stoppages in play, fatigue, and worsening conditions in the rain. That first half, though, in which they were buzzing around the frontline, switching positions and switching play, and playing some nice combination football showed real promise. Fowler and Sayer, in particular, aren’t so much generation next as much as generation right now, and they showed that in the first half. It kind of petered out in the end, but a dominating first-half has steered the Matildas to their second-win of the Asian Cup, a result that secures their progression through to the knockout stages. Before then, however, they’ll face off with their first proper test of this Asian Cup: facing South Korea in Sydney on Sunday evening, with the winner of that game securing top place in Group A. Thanks to their back-to-back 3-0 wins over Iran and the Philippines, however, the South Koreans will enter that game knowing that a draw will be enough to secure their top place in the seedings: their +6 goal difference after two games one superior to the Matildas’ +5. 90+11 Mins: Nevin lifts in a delivery from the left flank that spills out to the far post and is then sent back into the middle for Van Egmond, who has her shot blocked. 90+10 Mins: Montemurro makes it official, introducing Heyman as a concussion substitute for Raso in the final few seconds. 90+9 Mins: Oh bloody hell not again. It’s another falcon for Raso, copping a ball flush to the temple after Hamoudi attempts to boot clear the second phase of the corner. She goes down and looks like the wind has been taken out of her – hiding her face in her shirt. Michelle Heyman is warming up and it looks like she’ll see out these final few minutes as a concussion substitute. 90+8 Mins: Sayer tired her luck with range with an audacious effort that bounces in front of Yazdani, causing it to bounce off the keeper and out for a corner. 90+6 Mins: Halfway through stoppage time and Nevin launches an effort from both long range and an angle. It sails high and wide of the goals. 90+3 Mins: Siemsen is played through but denied by Yazdani getting off her line quickly. Mc Namara then threatens to break through, only for Imani to intervene with a last ditch challenge. 90+1 Mins: No, we won’t have ten minutes of stoppage time. This stoppage time goes to eleven (minutes). 90 Mins: A final change for Iran, as Kosar Anbari replaces Ghanbari for the final minute of regulation, plus what the commentary is saying will be ten minutes of stoppage time. 86 Mins: Mc Namara bursts into the penalty area and looks to drag the ball back to a teammate but will instead have to content herself with a corner. The set piece is sent in the Kennedy direction but Yazdani comes out to punch it away before colliding with the big Aussie. So a definite whack to absorb there. The look on Kennedy’s face after the incident betrays that she, like the rest of us, is suspecting we’re due another long delay as the keeper receives treatment. Perhaps put the kettle on, as we could be in for a fair amount of stoppage time at the end of this one. 85 Mins: Needless to say, the numerous stoppages in play have served to sap all sense of momentum from the game. We’re now sort of trudging towards the final whistle, the heavy rain continuing to fall. 83 Mins: Yazdani is back on her feet and drives a goal kick long. 80 Mins: Yazdani has gone down holding her right shoulder after a corner but, for the life of me, I can’t see anything on the replay where any sort of injury to the keeper might have occurred. I don’t want to be uncharitable, so I’ll leave it at that. 79 Mins: The ground announcer announces tonight’s crowd as 22, 398 on the Gold Coast. On what has been a sodden night, there’s a smattering of empty seats around the ground and google is telling me the venue holds 27, 690 people. 22, 398 is tonight's attendance on the Gold Coast! Thank you to all the devoted fans in green and gold that braved the wet and windy conditions ? #Matildas #How We Waltz #Tilits Done #AFCWomens Asian Cup #WAC2026 pic. twitter. com/a J6Cy YLTqy 78 Mins: Raso won’t need to exit the game after that hellacious falcon and rejoins the action to a large cheer from her hometown crowd. 76 Mins: Joe Montemurro doesn’t have any more substitutions up his sleeve but that won’t matter should Raso fail the concussion protocols – an extra substitution existing for such a scenario. 74 Mins: Oooooo. Ouch. Bloody ouch. A clearance from Khosravi goes straight into the face of Raso, catching her front on with no time to react and sending her instantly to the turf. Horrendous falcon for Raso, a full force clearance to the face, brutal #IRNv AUD #Matildas #WAC2026 pic. twitter. com/ib8ap3Nw CV 73 Mins: The newly introduced Catley swings a corner in from the left but it sails over the head of Sayer. 72 Mins: The Matildas make a couple of changes, Carpenter and Hunt making way for Steph Catley and Kaitlyn Torpey. Annnnnd despite being stretchered off, Pasandideh is now back on her feet and awaiting her summons from the referee to return to the pitch. 70 Mins: Raso gets the ball to Sayer atop the penalty area but her attempts to find an avenue to get the ball to Siemsen are frustrated by a swarm of Iranian defenders. Unfortunately, Pasandideh got her left leg folded up underneath her as Iran looked to play the ball out from the backline and has been taken off on a stretcher. 68 Mins: Raso and Sayer play a few passes between each other on the edge of the Iranian penalty area but the former’s attempts to let the ball run and open up an angle is met by a wall of white shirts. Hunt tries another long-range effort soon after but it takes a touch and sails out for a corner that, too, comes to nothing. 65 Mins: Siemsen and Van Egmond combine in the box, with the latter marshalling the ball out for a corner on the left after the Iranian defence got a boot in. The resulting set piece is high but ultimately dropped onto the head of an Iranian defender, leading to a clearance. Just witnessed two women get escorted out of the stands by security after waving Iran's old historic flag, one of them was wearing Iran merch too #WAC2026 #Iran Here is a section of #Iran's fans tonight at #WAC2026 who have been going all night, the only country's flag they have is Australia's pic. twitter. com/Pd Vely Kc Lv 60 Mins: Three changes for the Matildas in the aftermath of the goal, Hayley Raso, Holly Mc Namara, and Remy Siemsen have all entered the fray, replacing Kerr, Foord, and Fowler. Kennedy has her second of the game, rising between Iranian defenders to guide a bouncing header inside the post and further stretch the Matildas’ lead. She was picked out by a surgical delivery in from Van Egmond, who placed that ball exactly where it needed to be. Alanna Kennedy secures her brace with an expert header to the near post ? ?: @10Football AU#Matildas #IRNv AUS #How We Waltz #Tilits Done #AFCWomens Asian Cup #WAC2026 pic. twitter. com/jfp V0k Pab Y 56 Mins: Another move into the penalty area for the Matildas ends with Carpenter winning a corner on the right. The newly introduced Didar went down as she contested for a ball with the Chelsea defender and requires treatment before making her way off with the trainers – albeit she looks like she’ll be able to return.