Alanna Kennedy and captain Sam Kerr produced a stunning attack as Australia beat talented North Korea 2-1 to reach the semi-finals of the Women’s Asian Cup on Friday.
Heading into the knockout stages, the Matildas were outplayed by their younger rivals for large parts of the match in front of 16,466 fans at Perth’s Rectangular Stadium.
But they took their chances as Kennedy scored his fifth goal of the tournament with a left-footed shot from the edge of the box in the ninth minute.
Hometown hero Kerr also hit the target with his left boot just after the break before North Korea clawed back through Chae Un-yong in the 65th minute.
Australia hung on, and the win guaranteed them direct qualification for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
They will later play the winner of defending champions China and Chinese Taipei, who are set to qualify for the quarter-finals in Perth on Saturday.
