Brazil breaks eight-year drought to ruin Matildas veteran Clare Polkinghorne's farewell match
Updated . First published at
The Matildas will leave Suncorp Stadium disappointed after they were defeated convincingly 1-3 by Brazil in their Thursday night international friendly.
A complete nightmare just minutes in set to tone for the disheartening outing, which saw Brazil defeat the hosts for the first time since 2016.
Amanda Gutierres scored for the visitors in just the eighth minute, instantly deflating the hosts.
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Mackenzie Arnold hesitated and missed her chance to defend, allowing the visitors to capitalise and silencing Suncorp Stadium.
To make matters worse, it seemed far too easy for Brazil to do it all over again, with Gutierres scoring her second goal in the 13th minute.
Caitlin Foord celebrates her goal against Brazil. Getty
It left the Matildas fighting an uphill battle so early into the hot night, as the visitors stamped their authority and forced the hosts to play catch up physically and on the scoreboard.
But a breakthrough finally came for the green and gold in the 43rd
minute, as Cailtin Foord snuck through to put the Matildas on the board.
It was Foord's 38th goal for her country, as fans went mad in the stands.
The final minutes of the opening half saw an energy shift, as the Australians took control but were unable to make a dent in the scoreboard deficit.
Clare Polkinghorne of Australia applauds the fans as she is subbed off during her final appearance for Australia. Getty
Brazil wasted no time to restore a two-goal cushion early in the second half, with Giovana Queiroz capitalising on Alanna Kennedy's mistake deep in Australian defence in the 54th minute.
It got heated for a brief moment between the sides, but attention turned to Brazil's goalkeeper Natascha Honegger who was helped to the bench looking distressed and in pain.
It was veteran defender Clare Polkinghorne's final match of a decorated Matildas career, as she was given a farewell before the match and a standing ovation when she was subbed off in the 62nd minute.
The second half saw multiple players struggle through cramps as the heat proved a challenge for both sides.
Natascha Honegger was in pain as she left the ground in the second half for Brazil against Australia. Getty
Brazil defended a player down for a handful of minutes as they decided whether or not to substitute multiple players with cramps.
Australia pushed late, but despite having 11 minutes of added time, it wasn't to be.
The Matildas were undefeated against Brazil in their last three matches, with their last loss before Thursday night coming way back in 2016.
They'll now have to regroup ahead of their next international friendly against Brazil on Sunday night in Queensland.
