Australian U20 women’s national team delivered a commanding performance to open their campaign at the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup Thailand 2026, thrashing Chinese Taipei Women’s 5–0 in their Group C clash at Pathum Thani Stadium.
The Young Matildas dominated proceedings from the first whistle, overwhelming their opponents with relentless attacking pressure while allowing Chinese Taipei very little opportunity to settle into the game.
Australia nearly struck as early as the fifth minute when goalkeeper Jian Yu Jie spilled a long-range effort from Talia Younis. The rebound fell kindly for Skye Halmarick, but her follow-up attempt rattled into the side netting.
Chinese Taipei survived another scare in the 17th minute after Jian again struggled to deal with a seemingly routine attempt from Peta Trimis. However, Australia’s attacking duo of Younis and Halmarick reacted too slowly to capitalise on the rebound.
Despite controlling possession and territory, Australia initially struggled to convert their dominance into goals. That changed in the 24th minute when Zara Kruger unleashed a powerful strike that smashed against the underside of the crossbar. The rebound dropped perfectly for Halmarick, who shrugged off a defender before hammering home the opening goal.
Australia doubled their advantage just before the break. In the 44th minute, Trimis delivered a precise cross from the right that evaded the Chinese Taipei defence, allowing Tiana Fuller to arrive unmarked and fire emphatically into the top corner.
Halmarick continued her outstanding performance early in the second half. Five minutes after the restart, she latched onto a pass from Younis and powered through the defence before finishing clinically to make it 3–0.
The Young Matildas kept pushing forward and added a fourth goal in the 53rd minute when Trimis slipped in at the far post to finish a clever pass from Fuller, punishing a disorganised Chinese Taipei backline.
Trimis completed the rout in the 61st minute, collecting an inch-perfect through ball from Halmarick before sprinting clear of the defence and calmly slotting past the stranded Jian to seal a dominant 5–0 victory.
The emphatic result gives Australia a confidence-boosting start to the tournament as they prepare to face India in their next Group C fixture.
Meanwhile, Chinese Taipei faces a daunting challenge against the six-time champions, Japan, as they look to recover from the heavy defeat.
Credit Photo : HongZheng LIm/SNE-Photo
