Australia's Matildas Bounce Back with 3-1 Victory Against Mexico

Caitlin Foord hit a landmark, Steph Catley underlined her importance, and the Matildas found their bite again.

Four days after a flat 1-0 home defeat to Mexico, Australia flipped the script on Tuesday night with a 3-1 win that felt less like a friendly and more like a statement that this World Cup cycle has a pulse.

Foord’s night: the armband, the milestone, the finish

Given the captain’s armband and making her 150th appearance for her country, Foord delivered the kind of performance you expect from a senior figure, not just a ceremonial one.

Her goal – Australia’s third of the night – summed it up. She rolled her defender with sheer strength, created half a yard and passed the ball inside the far post with the calm of someone who has lived these moments for more than a decade. No fuss, no panic. Just a clean, decisive finish.

That strike took her to 41 international goals, moving her into a share of third place on Australia’s all-time scoring charts. On a night built around response and resilience, the numbers carried extra weight.

“To reach 100 is obviously huge, and for myself, 150 as well,” Foord said afterwards, nodding to Catley’s own century milestone. “It’s nice to enjoy these moments together, and celebrate them, which we have during this series.”

Catley, who had shouldered the disappointment of Saturday’s loss with a clear-eyed realism – “we’re at the very start of a journey towards the World Cup,” she said then – played the full 90 minutes again on Tuesday. If Foord provided the cutting edge, Catley provided continuity and composure, anchoring a side still working out its identity for the next global tournament.

The response to Mexico did not erase Saturday’s frustration. It did, though, show that this team can adjust quickly when the questions come.

Lionesses win, but route to World Cup gets longer

Across the world in World Cup qualifying, England’s women did what they needed on the night, but not quite enough for the bigger picture.

At Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium, the Lionesses beat Ukraine 3-0 to get back on track in Group C. Alessia Russo led the line for the full 90 minutes, while Chloe Kelly entered on 64 minutes and Lotte Wubben-Moy watched from the bench.

Russo’s contribution went beyond work rate. She teed up Georgia Stanway for England’s second goal, a sharp assist in a game they controlled with authority. The scoreline was convincing. The table was less forgiving.

Despite taking 15 points and winning five of their six games, England finished second in the group, level on points with Spain but edged out on goal difference. Automatic qualification slipped away on the margins.

“It’s nice to come back to England, play in front of all of our fans and get a win,” Russo said. “We also wanted to qualify automatically for the World Cup but now we’re going to the play-offs and that’s tough but it’s football. We had the toughest group playing Spain and we won five out of six games and have still not gone through.”

Now Sarina Wiegman’s side must navigate the October play-offs – a high-wire route for a team that has grown used to setting the pace rather than chasing it.

Spain cruise, Sweden scrap

Spain, by contrast, removed all doubt. Mariona Caldentey played the first half of a ruthless 6-1 win away to Iceland, a result that did exactly what it needed to: pile on the goal difference and lock in World Cup qualification with authority.

Sweden’s path proved more tangled. A 2-2 draw at home to Italy told the story of both their flaws and their fight. Trailing 2-0, they clawed their way back, with Smilla Holmberg and Stina Blackstenius both on the pitch for the full 90 minutes as Sweden salvaged a point and finished third in Group A with eight points from six games. Not the dominance they wanted, but not a side that folds either. They, too, head for the play-offs.

North American tests

Across the Atlantic, the United States and Canada used friendlies to tune up and test depth.

Emily Fox featured heavily for the USWNT against Brazil, playing the full 90 minutes in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat away from home, then starting again and completing the first half in Wednesday’s 1-0 win, also on Brazilian soil. Two tight matches, two different outcomes, and valuable minutes for a defender increasingly trusted in big environments.

Canada, meanwhile, enjoyed a far more comfortable evening. Olivia Smith logged 63 minutes in a commanding 6-0 win away to Costa Rica on Wednesday. The scoreline reflected the gulf in class; for Smith, it was another step in her international development, folded into a dominant team performance.

Youth focus in Germany

At under-23 level, Germany and Denmark shared a 2-2 draw in a friendly on Monday, with Anneke Borbe introduced at half-time. For a goalkeeper pushing to climb the ladder, 45 minutes in a tight contest offers exactly the kind of examination coaches want to see.

From veterans hitting historic caps to youngsters staking early claims, this international window scattered storylines across continents. Some teams secured their tickets. Others now face the tension of play-offs. And for players like Foord and Catley, these nights will sit in the memory when the World Cup finally arrives and the stakes climb again.