The CommBank ParaMatildas scored six goals against Nepal in the IFCPF Asia Oceania Championships, before the match was abandoned in the 18th minute due to an electrical storm.
Coach Kelly Stirton made several changes to the team’s starting lineup. Rae Anderson played in goals while the goalkeeper against Japan on Tuesday, Carly Salmon, was deployed as an attacking weapon.
Nepal got the first shot away in the first minute. However, it wasn’t long before the CommBank ParaMatildas opened the scoring, Tamsin Colley’s first-time shot nestling in the back of the net.
Captain Carly Salmon scored two minutes later after some clever work from a corner. Karina Grigorian jumped over the ball to leave it for Salmon, who was arriving in the penalty area late. She struck her shot true and made it 2-0 for Australia.
An own goal in the 8th minute made it three, before Annmarie De Uriarte got in on the goalscoring action. An intelligent cutback from Salmon found De Uriarte in the penalty area, who placed the ball past the Nepalese goalkeeper.
De Uriarte got an assist of her own soon after, finding Karina Grigorian who was able to score the Australian’s fifth.
There was a noticeable effort from the CommBank ParaMatildas to ensure that they were playing passing, possession-based football, and it soon paid off in the form of their sixth goal. It was the best of the lot – a wonderful team goal that started with a pass back to goalkeeper Anderson, and was tucked away by Salmon for her second of the game.
Unfortunately, the famous Melbourne cool change had arrived, and with it came thunder, lightning and rain. It was the lightning that forced the match to be first delayed, and then abandoned in the 18th minute.
The CommBank ParaMatildas have one game remaining - the final. It will be played against Japan on Friday night, 7pm AEDT, at the Home of the Matildas.
You can buy tickets here, or watch on SBS on Demand.
Match Details
Australia 6 (Tamsin Colley 2', Carly Salmon 4', 16', OG 8', Annmarie De Uriarte 10', Karina Grigorian 13')
Nepal 0
Australia: 1. Carly Salmon (c), 4. Karina Grigorian, 5. Tamsin Colley, 8. Annmarie De Uriarte, 9. Rae Anderson
Substitutes not used: 2. Nicole Christodoulou, 3. Tahlia Blanshard, 6. Katelyn Smith, 7. Eloise Northam, 10. Georgia Beikoff
Nepal: 1. Nirmaya Magar, 5. Binu Thapa, 7. Sabina Parajuli, 9. Ranjana Dhami, 10. Rewati Karki, Jasmine Hose
Substitutes not used: None
