It might have been a tough week for Matildas on his return to the international arena, but some of Australia’s best players, led by four goalkeepers Emily Van Egmond, once again put out impressive performances for their English clubs in the FA Cup.
West Ham midfielder Van Egmond faced one of the toughest times for Australia’s shirt, losing 5-2 to Germany on Tuesday and 5-0 to the Netherlands, bringing the total number of matches with Australia to 99.
But back to playing with her club in the Premier League Women’s Premier League on Sunday, Van Egmund was enjoying the freedom to play against less opposition than in the National League.
She scored four goals in just the first 23 minutes of the match to set her team on their way to an 11-0 win over Chichester and the hapless Celsey, which took them to the fifth round of the most famous knockout tournament in the English game. .
She succeeded in rolling the ball by taking a penalty kick in the second minute, then she scored her second goal in the sixth minute, and she reacted faster to a sharp cross.
Van Egmond then scored the hammer’s fourth goal in the 20th minute with a final touch on the back post and completed the run with four goals three minutes later with a clever header.
It was postponed for the first half, as Hammers was seven of the first half – and even goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold made a rare breakthrough as a defensive player, originating in the 68th minute.
It won’t be easy for West Ham when they face Manchester City in the next round.
Van Egmond wasn’t the only Matilda to shine, as Haile Raso, one of the best players in their loss to the Netherlands, made Everton the last winner in their 2–1 win over Durham in the tournament.
Rasu made an accurate cross in stoppage time, and was replaced by Danish international Nikulin Sorensen to give the Women’s Basketball League a date with rookie Chelsea in the next round.
In Tottenham’s 3–2 win over Reading, another Matilda, Alana Kennedy, scored a stunning free kick to put them back into the match when they were one goal behind.
“I scored when it mattered – it was a really big goal for us to start the match,” said Tottenham coach Rehan Skinner.
Arsenal coach Joe Montemoro, who is leaving the club at the end of the season, wants to stay away from the top and winning the FA Cup would be the best way out.
He watched his team beat Gillingham Ladies 10-0, including a hat-trick from Jill Rourd and another goal from Vivienne Miedema, two of the Dutch stars who tortured Australia in the middle of the week.
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