The CommBank Young Matildas have been defeated 5-2 by Japan in their final game in Group C at the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup Thailand 2026™.
The result means that they have finished second in their group and will await results elsewhere to determine their quarter-final opponent.
Avaani Prakash scored the first goal of the game while Daisy Brown came off the bench to score Australia’s second.
Head Coach Alex Epakis made one change to the side that defeated India 5-0 last time out. Talia Younis came back into the starting lineup, after starting Game One. That meant that Danella Butrus moved to the bench.
The first ten minutes started evenly, with both sides sharing possession. Australia had the first look on goal as Skye Halmarick was played through on goal within the first couple of minutes by Talia Younis, but couldn’t advance close enough for a clear-cut chance.
Japan made their mark on the first half, but it was Australia who scored first after building from the cooling break. Halmarick hustled to win the ball high, playing it on to Avaani Prakash. It was a wonderful couple of touches from Prakash who controlled the ball wonderfully and slotted home in the bottom corner.
