LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 17: West Ham United's Jarrod Bowen celebrates scoring his side's third goal with Vladimir Coufal, Lucas Paqueta, Kurt Zouma and Tomas Soucek during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers at London Stadium on December 17, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images)
In their last exhibition match before the 2024 Olympic Games, Australia defeated China 2-0, with Mackenzie Arnold starting for the Australian team.
Lydia Williams had her last appearance on home ground before she retires from international football, which she will do during the Olympics, thanks to the goalkeeper’s substitution just before halftime in Sydney.
After the interval, Clare Wheeler and Hayley Raso scored two goals quickly, giving the Matildas a positive start to the Olympic competition in France.
Japan defeated New Zealand 4-1 in their friendly match, with Riko Shimizu and Riko Ueki playing.
First-half goals from Milly Clegg and Nadeshiko forced them to come from behind. Chelsea forward Maika Hamano took Ueki’s place at halftime and scored two goals to put her team ahead.
In a commanding second half performance, Aoba Fujino and Remina Chiba added further goals. Honoka Hayashi did not play as a substitute during the victory.
On Saturday, July 13, Japan will play Ghana in the MS&AD Cup, their last practice match before the Olympic competition.
In Group B, Australia will play Germany, Zambia, and the United States; in Group C, Japan will play Spain, Brazil, and Nigeria.
