Matildas achieve staggering 19-year first as Kyra Cooney-Cross goal stuns football world

The Matildas have beaten Germany for the first time in 19 years, with Kyra Cooney-Cross scoring a stunning long range goal to shock the football world. The Matildas have restored some pride in the jersey after an embarrassing display at the Paris Olympics, in which they failed to make the group stage for the first time since 2000.

Cooney-Cross marked her 50th cap for Australia with a wonder goal, while Clare Hunt also netted her first international goal to give the Matildas the most unlikely 2-1 triumph over Germany in Duisburg. The 26,000-strong crowd had come to pay an emotional farewell to their departing heroine Alexandra Popp, but ended up having to applaud a glorious piece of party-pooping by Cooney-Cross.

The Arsenal midfielder fired home from near halfway to equalise from some 40 yards out in the first half. It was an astounding strike against the run of play just six minutes before half-time after Selina Cerci opened the scoring for the hosts in the fifth minute.

Germany seemed to dominate the match, but the never-say-die Matildas held firm and grew stronger as the game went on. Central defender Hunt headed home the winner from captain Steph Catley's corner in the 79th minute, and the Aussies hold on for victory.

Tom Sermanni gets first win in second stint as Matildas coach

It earned Australia their first win against the World's No.4 side in 19 years, and only the second victory in their history over one of soccer's powerhouse nations. It marked the first win in the second reign of caretaker boss Tom Sermanni, who was also in charge when the Matildas scored their first victory over Germany in 2005.

The victory also comes after Germany hammered the Matildas 3-0 in Marseille during their woeful Olympics campaign just three months ago. The Aussies drew 1-1 against Switzerland in another friendly on Friday, and had endured a frustrating run until Tuesday morning (Aussie time).

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Germany finished with 18 shots on goal to the Matildas' six, but keeper Mackenzie Arnold was a tower of strength. Arnold pulled off one last key save at full-length to deny sub Pia-Sophie Wolter's left-foot strike in the 79th minute.

“You cannot underestimate the importance of a result like this,” former Matildas player Grace Gill said in commentary for Paramount Plus. “Coming back from such a difficult Olympic campaign, the Matildas need a result, they needed a performance.” Co-commentator Teo Pellizzeri said: “Germany look a bit shell-shocked here."

The football world was left blown away by the Matildas' triumph, with Cooney-Cross' goal the major talking point. "Incredible," the commentator said. "What a way to open your account for your country."

Mary Fowler was much more involved on Tuesday morning after concerns were raised about her performance against the Swiss. "That's one of the things that we're looking at doing is getting in a position where she's going to hurt the opposition a little bit more, and obviously trying to get her in a position where she gets more of the ball," Sermanni said before the Germany game.

"In fairness to Switzerland, they had, it looked like a deliberate plan to actually shut us down in our right hand side, with Ellie (Carpenter) and with Mary and I think it made it difficult for her to get into the game. But with the type of game it's going to be against Germany, I think that's an opportunity for her to get into more space, to be able to get on the ball more, and hopefully to create more for us."

with AAP