03/09/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/08/2026 18:26
Of further concern for Montemurro will be the fitness of Steph Catley, who wore a cannoning shot to the head after just six minutes.
The left back was initially cleared to play on before going off for Courtney Nevin after South Korea's 13th minute opener.
Centre-back Wini Heatley was caught upfield and the Koreans played in behind her, with Mun Eun-Ju tucking a Jeon Yugyeong cross past Mackenzie Arnold.
Australia looked to have found some fluency after Montemurro switched Mary Fowler to the left flank and Caitlin Foord to the right midway through the first half.
The move opened up the Matildas' attack and both Fowler and Foord were the providers for their side's first two goals.
Fowler's cross across the six-yard box helped set up Kennedy, who bundled the ball over the line in the 32nd minute to pull Australia level.
Foord blew a couple of handy chances before she set up Kerr in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time to give the home side a 2-1 lead at the break.
But after doing all the hard work to take the lead, the Matildas couldn't hold on to it.
Kim Shin-Ji buried a 53rd minute penalty after Nevin's hand blocked a Kang Chae-Rim shot.
Nevin was crestfallen and appeared gun-shy afterwards which allowed South Korea to push ahead when Kang was given space by the leftback to fizz a 57th minute shot past Arnold.
Kennedy added a second - her fourth goal of the tournament - in the dying stages but Australia's response in search of a winner came all too late.
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