Matildas Draw, Miss Top Spot in Asian Cup

0:00From the Daily News Now Network, this is Sydney News Today. The Australia Matilda's finished their Women's Asian Cup group stage with a 3-3 draw against South Korea. Already through to the quarterfinals, they missed out on topping the group, which means a trip back to Perth instead of staying in Sydney. Players like Caitlin Ford owned up to wasting chances and giving away possession too easily. The game started strong for Australia after an early concession, with Sam Kerr scoring twice to keep them in it. But South Korea flipped the script in the second half, exploiting transitions and making smart subs, including player of the match Kang Jae-Rim, who, netted a beauty. Steph Catley's concussion exit hurt the defense, leaving gaps at left back, frustration bored over despite the point, as the team felt they underdelivered on promises. Coach Tony Gustafson stressed better ball control and not forcing plays, calling it a scrappy mess they got caught in. Ford said a missed early chance could have changed everything.

1:00Standout Alana Kennedy kept shining with two more goals, now at four and two games, locking in her midfield role. A record 60,279 fans packed stadium Australia, the biggest ever for the tournament. Gustafson sees it as just a hiccup, not a crisis, and the squads used to travel. With lineup tweaks ahead like possible returns for Haley Raso or Courtney Nevin's spot in question, they're gearing up for quarters while South Korea. Graves' mental edge, support for this episode comes from our sponsor, see the description, press play, put your head down, the sound is already there. ISOL-I-SOL-PILLOW.COM