Aaron Mooy and the Socceroos have overcome a torrid downpour Sydney and a stubborn Greek side to edge out a 1-0 win in the first of the two-match Dodoni Series while the Matildas defeated New Zealand 2-0 in Ballarat.
Our marquee man started in the midfield trio with Mile Jedinak and Mark Milligan and pulled the strings once again, seeing the ball at his feet more times than any other player on the field. Mooy was substituted in the 61’ minute for Tom Rogic, completing yet another impressive night for the City man who had to deal with the difficult surface.
A torrential rainstorm in Sydney had almost cancelled the game with officials deeming the ANZ Stadium pitch sufficient to play on only hours before the match. That didn’t dampen the spirits of the almost 40,000 crowd who battled it out to see the first contest between the sides since 2006.
It was Matthew Leckie’s strike with the last kick of the game that sealed the result for the Socceroos as the home side piled on the pressure towards the final minutes of the match to be rewarded.
The Matildas made it two from two for Aussie teams on Saturday as they defeated New Zealand in the first international match at Morshead Park in Ballarat.
City Women’s Steph Catley and Lisa De Vanna started for the home side as a Caitlin Foord double secured the result for the home side.
Larissa Crummer played a role off the bench while Laura Alleway was an unused sub in the commanding performance against their Trans-Tasman rivals as the Football Ferns were without City star Rebekah Stott.
Both the Matildas and the Socceroos head to Melbourne for the second match in their respective two game series at Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night.
Match Details
Australia v Greece
Tuesday 7 June
Etihad Stadium, Melbourne
Kick-off 8pm
Australia v New Zealand
Tuesday 7 June
Etihad Stadium, Melbourne
Kick-off 5pm
