Isabel Gomez said that becoming CommBank Matilda #238 on Monday night was “special.”
The 22-year-old midfielder was substituted on for her debut in the second half of Australia’s 4-1 victory over Argentina in front of a record crowd for a women’s sporting event of over 25,000 in Canberra.
This was her second call-up to the national team, but she was unable to join the squad in the November window due to an MCL injury that saw her miss 12 weeks of the A-League Women season.
“Coming off the injury and to get caught up again is just so special,” she said.
“To do it in Australia as well, with my family watching - it's an amazing feeling.”
Since that injury, Gomez scored in the Grand Final for the Central Coast Mariners, converted her penalty to help them lift the Championship, and won A-League Women’s Fan Player of the Year.
She was rewarded for those accomplishments with her debut on Monday, but she said that she didn’t imagine she would be back after her injury.
To be honest, no,” she answered when asked if she could have imagined the season holding an A-League Women’s Championship and a CommBank Matildas debut.
“It was such a hard injury, and I didn't think I'd get this far, but to do it is just amazing.”
Many players hold onto the jerseys they debut in for dear life. Gomez, though, couldn’t resist a jersey swap after the game.
“One of the [Argentina] girls is Gomez,” she explained, smiling.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, my first call-up, to swap with another Gomez, so [I thought] why not?”
Mariners coach Emily Husband was in the dugout for Gomez’s debut as part of Football Australia’s Team of Coaches initiative.
As her club coach, Husband has been one of her closest supporters this season.
“It's amazing having Emily here,” Gomez said.
“She's just great support for me. She just told me to go out there and do my best.”
Finally, matchday marked the announcement of Joe Montemurro as the new Head Coach for the CommBank Matildas.
Gomez said that it was a big stepping stone for her to be able to perform in a national team shirt in front of the new coach.
“To finally have a new coach step in, it’s great,” she said.
She will now be looking ahead to the next international window, with games in Western Australia against Slovenia and Panama.
COMMBANK MATILDAS | WA SERIES ONE | MATCH SCHEDULE
CommBank Matildas v Slovenia
Date: Thursday, 26 June 2025
Kick-off: 7.00pm WST / 9.00pm AEST
Venue: HBF Park, Perth
TV Broadcast: Network 10, 10 Play and Paramount+
Radio Broadcast: ABC Listen App
Tickets: Buy Tickets
CommBank Matildas v Slovenia
Date: Sunday, 29 June 2025
Kick-off: 6.00pm WST / 8.00pm AEST
Venue: HBF Park, Perth
TV Broadcast: Paramount+ exclusive
Radio Broadcast: ABC Listen App
Tickets: Buy Tickets
