The Australian national football team won against France in the final FIFA Women's World Cup warm-up match before the official start of the games. The match was held at Docklands Stadium in Melbourne Friday (July 14). Australia would be co-hosting the event with New Zealand.
The Matildas, as the Australian team is called, won 1-0 against the French Les Bleues after Mary Fowler scored a goal in the second half of the game, Australian public broadcaster ABC reported.
Despite the match being described as a friendly one, the tension between fifth-seed France and tenth-seed Australia was anything but, which might prove to be costly for both teams.
The Matildas' first official match would be against Ireland on July 20, while the French Les Bleues would face the Jamaican Reggae Girlz on July 23.
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Ireland vs. Colombia Friendly Match Abandoned After Getting 'Overly Physical'
Meanwhile, the exhibition match between Ireland and Colombia which also happened on Friday was called off 20 minutes into the game after it became "overly physical."
According to the BBC, Irish midfielder Denise O'Sullivan was taken to hospital for a scan on a shin injury during the game.
In a statement, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) detailed that the match between the Girls in Green (Republic of Ireland) and Las Cafeteras (Colombia) happened behind closed doors in Meakin Park, Brisbane. "[I]t was decided, following consultation with the match officials, to end the game," the FAI added.
29-year-old O'Sullivan has won 101 Republic of Ireland caps and scored 19 international goals, making her an important member of the Girls in Green. Aside from playing for Ireland, she spent most of her career in the United States soccer scene as part of Houston Dash and North Carolina Courage.
2023 is the first World Cup the Girls in Green would participate in. As for the Cafeteras, they will face the South Korean Taeguks on July 25.
The full schedule of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup can be found here.
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