On paper, they were the better side against Canada in Brisbane on Saturday: they recorded more shots (16 to 13), more on target (7 to 5), and had more corners (5 to 2) and more possession (52 per cent to 48) than the Canadians, yet came away empty-handed.

That was largely due to a stand-out performance by Canadian goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, who made four magnificent saves to keep out a rusty and frustrated Sam Kerr.

However, while the stats may tell one story, the vibe of the game told quite another.

While Australia had periods of control, they also had periods of total chaos – particularly defensively. Canadian winger Nichelle Prince ran riot down the left and should have scored one or two herself, while the late substitute Clarissa Larisey skewed a one-on-one with Lydia Williams into the stands towards the end of the game.

It was a tense final 10 minutes that the neutral fan would have absolutely loved, but which long-time Matildas fans have become all-too-familiar with: pressurised moments of panic while slamming the ‘get it to Kerr and hope’ emergency button.

Now that the team knows what to expect from Canada, though, the feeling is that this could be a different kind of game – especially with the return of a couple senior players who sat out the first one on Saturday.

What were your biggest take-aways from that opening friendly, fam? And what do the Matildas need to do tonight to avoid a repeat? Log in to comment!