Defender Clare Hunt was nothing but proud of herself and her team as her second-half goal secured a famous 2-1 victory for the CommBank Matildas against Olympic Bronze Medallists, Germany.
It is the first time that Australia has defeated Germany in 19 years.
“It feels pretty good. I’m proud of everyone,” she said after the match.
“I think we put up a decent fight. We absorbed their pressure a lot in the first half, and even in the second.
“The players that came on made an enormous difference, so that was really good for us, and I think we just had momentum moving into the second half.
“It was good to get the win.”
She recalled the lead-up to her match-winning header.
“I just went up for a set piece, as I normally do, but they weren’t marking as tightly on that one,” she explained.
“Then I just had an opportunity at the back post. I’m glad I took it!”
In the lead-up to the game, Interim Head Coach Tom Sermanni flagged that he would ask the defence to be more solid than they were against Switzerland.
Hunt believed that they achieved that goal in the face of a relentless Germany attack.
“I’m quite happy, and I’m quite proud that we put up the fight that we did,” she said.
“It was really, really difficult. I’m going to be honest, they had a lot of opportunities, but I think we closed down shots on target.
“I’m quite happy with the performance, and I think it’s a good step in the right direction.
“Defensively, we were tighter than usual. We played around with a few formations, and I think that helped us secure the win.”
After being a part of a disappointing Olympic Games campaign, Hunt admitted the mood in the camp hadn’t quite bounced back.
It is why a result of this magnitude is so important for team morale.
“I think everyone was feeling a bit frustrated and down from the loss at the Olympics,” she revealed.
“To come back and show what we’re made of, and show that we can face top teams, I’m really happy with the result."
Fellow defender Winonah Heatley made her official debut during the game. Having had a front-row seat to her development over the last few years, Hunt said it was amazing to finally see her on the pitch in an ‘A’ International.
“It’s amazing to see her get her cap,” she said.
“When she came out, she did her job exceptionally well. She fought really hard, she won a lot of duels, and she made an enormous difference. I'm really happy for her to get her first cap.”
Finally, Hunt expressed her excitement at the upcoming home window against Brazil and Chinese Taipei.
“I’m extremely excited,” she said.
“It’ll be a wonderful send-off for Polks, and we have some great games coming up against Brazil and Chinese Taipei to prepare us for next year as well.
“I’m really excited and keen to get some more games in.”
