Caitlin Foord Shines in 150th Game as Australia Defeats Mexico 3-1
Caitlin Foord hit a milestone, then made it matter.
Four days after Australia’s flat 1-0 home defeat to Mexico, the Matildas turned the mood on its head with a 3-1 win in the return friendly on Tuesday – and it was Foord, wearing the armband and playing her 150th game for her country, who delivered the defining moment.
Foord’s landmark night
Handed the captaincy, Foord marked the occasion with the kind of goal that sums up her international career: power, composure, and a ruthless finish. She rolled her marker with brute strength, opened up her body and steered the ball inside the far post for Australia’s third of the night, killing off any hope of a Mexican fightback.
That strike took her to 41 goals for her country, moving her into a share of third place on Australia’s all-time scoring chart. A milestone performance, on a milestone night.
“It’s nice to enjoy these moments together, and celebrate them, which we have during this series,” Foord said, reflecting not just on her 150th cap but also on Steph Catley’s own landmark. “To reach 100 is obviously huge, and for myself, 150 as well.”
Catley, who had spoken of “the very start of a journey towards the World Cup” after Saturday’s defeat, played the full 90 minutes again in the win, anchoring a response that backed up her words with edge and control. The disappointment of the first game didn’t vanish, but it gained context. Australia had been stung. Then they answered.
England win, but the hard road awaits
Across in Europe, the margins were harsher.
England’s Lionesses did what they needed on the night, beating Ukraine 3-0 in FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifying at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium. They got the performance, they got the scoreline, and they got their rhythm back.
They did not get automatic qualification.
Alessia Russo led the line for the full 90 minutes and played a central role in England’s second goal, laying on the assist for Georgia Stanway as Sarina Wiegman’s side tightened their grip on the contest. Chloe Kelly added fresh legs from the bench in the 64th minute, while Lotte Wubben-Moy watched on as an unused substitute.
England finished second in Group C on 15 points, level with Spain and separated only by goal difference. Five wins from six, Spain beaten once, and still no direct route to the World Cup. The numbers underline the cruelty.
“We also wanted to qualify automatically for the World Cup but now we’re going to the play-offs and that’s tough but it’s football,” Russo said. “We had the toughest group playing Spain and we won five out of six games and have still not gone through.”
There was at least the comfort of home. “It’s nice to come back to England, play in front of all of our fans and get a win,” she added. The play-offs in October will demand more than comfort.
Spain ruthless, Sweden rally late
Spain, the side that edged England to top spot, removed all doubt in their own way. Mariona Caldentey played the first half of a 6-1 demolition of Iceland, a result that piled on the goal difference and sealed World Cup qualification with authority. No drama, just a statement.
Sweden, by contrast, had to live on their nerves. Trailing 2-0 at home to Italy, they clawed their way back to a 2-2 draw to secure a play-off place. Smilla Holmberg and Stina Blackstenius both went the distance in a match that turned from damage control into defiance, Sweden finishing third in Group A with eight points from six games. Not where they wanted to be, but still alive.
North American tests and youth minutes
Across the Atlantic, the fixtures carried a different weight.
Emily Fox clocked 90 minutes for USA in a 2-1 friendly defeat away to Brazil on Saturday, then started again and played the first half in a 1-0 win over the same opponents on Wednesday. Two tight games, two different outcomes, and a useful measure against one of the world’s most dangerous sides.
Canada, meanwhile, cut loose. Olivia Smith got 63 minutes as they dismantled Costa Rica 6-0 away from home in a friendly on Wednesday, a performance that looked more like a training-ground drill than a contest by the final whistle.
At under-23 level, Germany shared the spoils with Denmark in a 2-2 draw on Monday. Anneke Borbe came on at half-time, adding another step in her development on a night that swung back and forth.
From Catley’s early warning about Australia’s “journey” to England’s looming play-offs and Sweden’s rescue act, the pattern is clear. The margins are tightening, the routes are getting steeper, and the next international window won’t just be about performances. It will be about who can handle the climb.
