Matildas coach clips Kerr's critics on telling night

Interim Matildas coach Tom Sermanni took a thinly veiled swipe at Sam Kerr's detractors following Australia's 1-0 victory over South Korea on Friday night.

Kerr didn't take the field at Sydney's Allianz Stadium, but the loudest cheers of the night outside the reaction to the sole goal were for the superstar striker.

Every time Kerr was shown on the big screen, a crowd of 37,000 went wild in support of the 31-year-old.

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Plenty of critics have taken aim at Kerr over the encounter she had with a UK police officer in January 2023 as well as claims of poor behaviour in a taxi prior to arriving at the station — she was found not guilty of racially aggravated harassment — but the majority of people at Allianz Stadium were wholehearted in their support of her.

Sermanni defended Kerr in his press conference after Friday night's victory, which marked the Matildas' second win from their past seven games.

"You read a lot of stuff, you hear a lot of stuff," Sermanni said.

"The real Matildas supporters showed what they think of Sam Kerr, and they're absolutely delighted to have her back. As are the team, as are the staff.

"She's been a really positive influence around the squad, and hopefully it's not too long before she's back on the pitch."

Kerr has been sidelined since rupturing an ACL on a Chelsea training camp in Morocco in January 2024, but the West Australian's playing return now appears imminent.

Steph Catley has filled in as Matildas skipper during her absence, but Football Australia hinted this week that Kerr would be eligible to take back the national captaincy.

The governing body said the events "warranted no further action", declared the case "closed" and hailed Kerr as a role model.

"Kerr's long-standing record of dedication, professionalism and leadership has consistently elevated Australian football, ensuring these recent circumstances do not overshadow her significant contributions — and she remains an inspiration to fans worldwide," a Football Australia statement said.

"I want to express my sincere regret for how events unfolded," Kerr said in the statement.

The Matildas will play the second of two friendlies against South Korea at Newcastle's McDonald Stadium on Monday night.

The team will then face Argentina in a two-match series to be played in Melbourne and Canberra across late May and early June.

"It was really critical to win [against South Korea], and to win with a clean sheet makes it even better," Sermanni said.

"I was really pleased with how the players went about the job. It's no secret that the SheBelieves [Cup] wasn't a great tournament for us, for a whole variety of reasons, and then we've come in tonight and obviously [key players have] been injured, and we're managing minutes with some of the other players. When you put all that together, I thought it was a really terrific effort from the team, and more like how we want to play.

"If you look back at our last several games ... we've kind of been on the back foot from the start, and we've conceded goals early, and always been chasing the game.

"But I thought tonight, our attitude from the start was very good."