Montemurro defends Tillies’ lack of goals in Mexico loss
Matildas coach Joe Montemurro defended his players’ failure to find the back of the net in Saturday night’s 1-0 defeat to Mexico in Newcastle, saying the team was still playing its best football since he took over a year ago.
Mexico, ranked 27th in the world rankings, upset the Australian team ranked 15th in the world rankings, and the guest team showed the difference in the last stretch; Striker Diana Ordonez broke the 0-0 deadlock and scored in the 92nd minute when she slid the ball past Matildas goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold.
Despite showing dominance early in the match, the Matildas had few scoring chances and Montemurro’s verdict on why his team lost to Mexico was simple.
“We couldn’t score,” Montemurro said. “The attacking trio, I’ve said this many times, is very difficult to coach because it’s about feeling… pressure on the ball, passing, decision-making, running.
“There’s a lot, a lot going on in those areas and the decisions were wrong. It’s that simple. And let’s be honest, we have world-class players who do that quite often. Tonight they were human beings and that didn’t happen.”
“Let’s be clear about that; they’re allowed to make mistakes and these are good times right now, perfect opportunities to make those mistakes so we can fix them. But the offensive three is always very, very difficult to fix.”
Star forward Sam Kerr had a frustrating night with limited opportunities, putting three of the Matildas’ four shots on target.
The Matildas’ goal rate under former coach Tony Gustavsson was 2.4 goals per game, with 141 goals scored in 59 matches. Under Joe Montemurro the rate is slightly lower at 2 goals per game with 35 goals in 17 games.
Big wins against lower-placed opponents can cloud the statistical picture somewhat, but the Matildas’ struggle to score against Mexico on Saturday was not the first time they have failed to finish clinically this year.
Statistics show the Matildas have scored 19 goals in nine games in 2026, averaging 2.11 goals per game, but this includes huge blows against lower-ranked rivals Iran (4-0) and Malawi (5-0) and a sizzling 2-0 win over world No. 128 Kenya.
The Matildas also relied on midfielder Alanna Kennedy to score almost half of their goals in the Asian Cup. He scored five of the Matildas’ 12 goals in the tournament.
And it’s a problem Montemurro will want to solve after missing out on top of their group on goal difference at the Asian Cup earlier this year.
“We’re getting there with good football, that’s the most important thing and that’s where we need to make sure that direction is going,” he said.
Australia’s dominance in the first 15 minutes of the match, in which they mostly had the ball, delighted Montemurro, who aimed to transform the Matildas into a possession-based, high-pressing team.
“This was the best football we’ve played in a very long time and it was good because it’s a real testament to what we’re trying to do,” Montemurro said. “We’re trying to dominate the games a lot more. It’s not in our DNA. We still have to move forward and learn that.”
Center back Wini Heatley, one of the young players who gained valuable minutes by replacing injured senior Clare Hunt, said the chance to adapt to Montemurro’s style was extremely valuable.
“I don’t think there’s a perfect end goal. But I think we’re getting closer and you learn a lot more from a loss than you do from a win,” he said.
“Hopefully the result of today’s match will help us take another step forward. If I look back at last year when Joe was coach, we are playing much better football and I can see that the real strengths of each player are more optimised.”
The Matildas play a second friendly against Mexico in Sydney on Tuesday, with each match providing important training against the Central American team ahead of next year’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Mexico coach Pedro Lopez was grateful for his players’ ability to capitalize on late chances.
“We scored after three players on the bench touched the ball and one of them scored,” Lopez said.
“We played a pretty good game between some very good players and then the little details got us the victory today.”
