Making her 110th appearance for Australia, captain Sam Kerr scored her 58th and 59th goals for the Matildas on Tuesday in a 3-1 friendly victory over New Zealand in front of over 13,000 in Canberra.
Australia raced to a three-goal advantage after 32 minutes with Kerr registering a brace. The first, in the 15th minute, was a towering header off Steph Catley's corner kick.
⚽ @samkerr1 nods home the opener in Canberra! #AUSvNZL #WeAreMatildas pic.twitter.com/Bnnc217SYb
— CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) April 12, 2022
The second was even better. Emily van Egmond spotted Kerr's run and played a ball over the top of New Zealand defender Meikayla Moore, but the chance appeared gone with Ali Riley recovering and Erin Nayler standing tall in goal.
Kerr beat them both with an instinctive outside-of-the-boot finish that nestled inside the far post.
Just Sam Kerr doing @SamKerr1 things.
Here's how she scored her second (and our third) of the night!: @10FootballAU #AUSvNZL #WeAreMatildas pic.twitter.com/uY4VhKG0b5
— CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) April 12, 2022
Australia and New Zealand also played last Friday in Townsville with Kerr scoring a dramatic 96th-minute winner in that one.
Assignment understood #WeAreMatildas #AUSvNZL pic.twitter.com/lwkfTXGuav
— CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) April 10, 2022
Kerr is also leading the FA Women's Super League with 16 goals for table-topping Chelsea, including two against Reading on April 3 and two against Leicester City on March 27.
We love to see a Sam Kerr brace #WatchWithAta #BarclaysFAWSL @ChelseaFCinUSA pic.twitter.com/MzuNR4V8tY
— ata football (@atafball) April 3, 2022
Australia and New Zealand have both already qualified for the 2023 World Cup as co-hosts. The Matildas, under the direction of former USWNT assistant Tony Gustavsson, are hoping to move beyond the quarterfinals for the first time. The Football Ferns have never reached the knockout stage while failing to win a match in 15 previous attempts.
