Asian Cup: ‘Ruthless’ Matildas eager to keep the bloodbath going

The Matildas made a point of starting the Asian Cup strongly and with their 18-0 thrashing of Indonesia, they did just that.

The Matildas are making no apologies for their “ruthless” 18-0 shellacking of Indonesia and are aiming to come out even stronger in their next Asian Cup match.

The Aussies meet the Philippines on Monday night (AEDT) and will likely still be on a high heading into Mumbai Football Arena — their 18-goal massacre in the first game of the tournament was their biggest-ever win in an Asian competition.

The records didn’t end there on Friday night. With her five braces, skipper Sam Kerr became the outright top goalscorer in Australian national history.

Watch the world’s best footballers every week with beIN SPORTS on Kayo. LIVE coverage from LaLiga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Serie A, Carabao Cup, EFL & SPFL. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial >

The Aussies were up 3-0 after 14 minutes and it didn’t take long for the scoreline to become even uglier, but the side won’t apologise for keeping its foot on the accelerator for the entire contest.

“I think it was very important for us to be ruthless,” said defender Ellie Carpenter.

“I think it’s very important to get that confidence in these early games, so come the semi-final and final, we know we can finish those chances and get that repetition.

“Anything we can do to come prepared for those final matches, we want to do.”

Carpenter scored two of the Matildas’ 18 goals. (Photo by Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty Images)

Carpenter said the Matildas had made a point of starting the Asian Cup strongly.

“We knew that coming into these first games that we really wanted to set the tone,” the 21-year-old said.

“We spoke about this at the beginning of the tournament and some tournaments we haven’t had the best of starts. This was one big thing for us that we really wanted to do. I think we definitely achieved that.”

The Matildas are keen to use the win as a blueprint for the rest of the competition and want to take their game to new heights against the Philippines.

“We know how we want to play now, we know we want to take the next step and take it to the next level next game and to keep building on that performance,” Carpenter said.

“Whatever team we play, we come out with the same motivation and mentality.”

Even Carpenter, a defender, got in on the goalscoring action against Indonesia, drifting forward to get her name on the scoring sheet for just the second time in national colours.

“It felt really nice,” said Carpenter, who finished the game with two braces to her name.

“To score for your country is a massive honour.

“I’ve been working on my final third and my finishing so I’m very happy that it’s paying off.”

Kerr is unstoppable. (Photo by Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty Images)

Carpenter said she looked forward to seeing Kerr build on her five-goal heroics as the Asian Cup progressed.

“I’m very honoured to be playing alongside her,” she said.

“I think she's the best striker in the world at the moment.

“She’s been amazing for this team and will continue to be.”

Originally published as Asian Cup: ‘Ruthless’ Matildas eager to keep the bloodbath going