“These girls are just so resilient. They love their country – they are so patriotic. They want to do well. They listen, they learn. I see it in their eyes every day. I will back these girls against any opponent.”
The primary predicament for China is that – as Milicic pointed out – Australia’s mentality is also strong. Joe Montemurro’s Matildas still possess the same resolve, evidenced as recently as Friday night when, on the receiving end of a relentless North Korean barrage, emerged with a 2-1 result to confirm 2027 World Cup qualification and a place in the final four.
Ellie Carpenter soaks up Australia’s Asian Cup quarter-final victory over North Korea in Perth.Credit: Getty Images
“Against North Korea, we probably didn’t play our best game,” Ellie Carpenter said on Sunday. “The stats obviously didn’t look pretty, but in tournament football, sometimes you have to win games like that. And I think in that game you really saw the belief in this team, the grit of the Matildas and how we can win games with maybe not playing the best football and not being a better team on the day.
“Now we turn back focus on ourselves and playing the football we want to play against China … controlling the game, dictating the game and get the result we want.”
Carpenter is one of several remaining 2019 World Cup Matildas squad members, all of whom share a mutual soft spot for their former manager. Montemurro is also friends with Milicic and his assistance, Ivan Jolic.
“He’s a great coach,” Carpenter said. “Him and Ivan run a tight ship. With us, he was very structurally organised, and I know [with China] he has been very strongly organised – in possession, out of possession. They’re a tough team to break down. They have great attacking prowess as well.
Wang Shuang is shown a yellow card during China’s win over Taiwan in Perth.Credit: Getty Images
“They’re not reigning champions for no reason. And having Ante as coach as well, I’m sure he’s instilled the belief and the grit and kind of never-say-die attitude into China as well. They have great depth, too – they made a lot of changes against [Taiwan] and were still strong. So it’s a big game for us, but we’re ready.”
Both sides have rotated heavily throughout the tournament, planning to rest legs to cater for a potential six games compressed into three weeks. For Australia, they have included forced changes to replace the concussed Steph Catley and Hayley Raso, with Montemurro to reveal on Monday whether the pair will be cleared to play on Tuesday. Some, such as the indefatigable Carpenter and her Chelsea teammate Kerr, have started all four fixtures to date, and benefited from getting it done against North Korea in regulation time.
That was not the case for China, whose wholesale changes may have contributed to their profligacy in front of goal – though a full-strength starting XI is expected to be recalled for this must-win semi.
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They do, however, have one less day to recover, and will be without former Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham attacker Wang Shuang – suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
But Milicic is content to enter the match as underdogs.
“Being the favourite [against Taiwan], expected to win, breaking down a block – maybe that played a little bit on the girls’ minds,” he said. “Maybe it’s OK to go into the game on Tuesday with everyone thinking, they’ve played 120 minutes, Wang Shuang’s not playing. So be it. We’re fine with that, we’re comfortable with that.”
