Australia ends England's 30-match unbeaten streak with 2-0 win in friendly

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Australia ended England’s 30-game unbeaten run with a 2-0 win in a friendly on Tuesday, 100 days from the start of the Women’s World Cup.

Sam Kerr scored in the first half after a defensive error and Charlotte Grant doubled the lead in the 67th minute to hand Sarina Wiegman her first defeat as England manager.

England’s unbeaten run of 26 wins and four draws had included winning the European Championship last summer.

Kerr, the Australian captain who plays for Chelsea, pounced on a weak back pass from defender Leah Williamson and one-on-one with Mary Earps deftly flicked the ball over the goalkeeper’s left shoulder and into the net in the minute 32 in a rainy Gtech community. Stadium in West London.

Williamson was trying to deal with a long ball and after a bounce he headed it towards Earps but the England captain left it short and Australia’s all-time leading run scorer took advantage to give the the Matildas by 1-0.

Grant got on the end of Kerr’s cross and beat Earps with a header that deflected into the net.

“It was a good performance from us, everyone played really well, out of their skins, and it takes a lot to come here and beat England at home, of course,” Kerr told Australian television’s Network Ten .

“To be honest, we deserved the win because we defended really well and on the counter-attack. It was a patient performance and it took everyone doing their part. When you play like that it pays off.”

It was the first game between the teams since a 1-1 draw in a friendly in London in October 2018.

Australia and New Zealand will host the 32-team World Cup this summer.

England beat Brazil 4-2 on penalties last Thursday in front of 83,132 fans at Wembley Stadium. Tuesday’s game was played at the home stadium of Premier League club Brentford with just under 15,000 in attendance.

Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson had rested Kerr on Friday when they lost to Scotland 1-0 in a friendly played in London.

Report from The Associated Press.

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