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The Chelsea star was taken off after 65 minutes as coach Joe Montemurro made a series of substitutions during the second half. There was late drama as Caitlin Foord secured the winning goal in the 85th minute after scores had been locked at 1-1 in the international friendly at Cardiff City Stadium. Foord’s late goal came after defender Courtney Nevin curled in a free kick in the 27th minute to score her first international goal. Kerr attempted to get a piece of the ball, but her miss proved advantageous with the floating ball beating everyone before hitting the back of the net. It was a soft goal for the hosts to give up, but Wales tied the scores up in the 55th minute through Mared Griffiths. Foord scored the winner 30 minutes later after Kyra Cooney-Cross executed a sumptuous cross that put the ball at Foord’s feet directly in front of the goal. It was a hot and cold performance from the Aussies, who still appeared clunky with Kerr back in the starting line up. She said after the final whistle: “It was good to be back with the girls. “It’s a massive honour to play for your country. I’ve grown up with these girls, so it was good just to get back out there and enjoy some footy. “We’re looking forward to the Asian Cup. A lot of work to be done, but today is a nice result and a nice little boost for the future.” As reported by Code Sports, it took Kerr almost 10 minutes to get a touch on the ball. As Montemurro said last week, the Matildas’ attacking structure is about much more than Kerr’s presence, but that’s how it looked at times in Cardiff. The Matildas have found ways to score goals in Kerr’s 725-day absence and it appears it will still take time for things to start singing with the star goal-scorer back in the Green and Gold. Australia enjoyed 64 per cent of possession and had 14 shots on goal. Just four were on target. Australia dominated the scoring opportunities with 35 touches in their opposition’s box, compared to just 13 for Wales. Australia next faces England, the Euro champions, on Wednesday morning. It will be Australia’s final friendly against a top-ranked opponent before next year’s Asian Cup. While the Matildas were welcoming back Kerr, it was a bigger day for the hosts as they farewelled Jess Fishlock in emotional scenes. Fishlock, playing her 166th international for her country, wore the captain’s armband and was given a fond farewell by a crowd of more than 11,000, according to the BBC.
