Visitor numbers in Perth surpassed Vietnam’s previous record of 14,000 in 2024.
Headlining the opening ceremony was Audrey Nuna, of KPop Demon Hunters, who started off with a three-song set before returning to headline the halftime show.
The opening ceremony was a celebration of football, culture and inclusivity, spectacularly created through lighting design, pyrotechnics and a cast of 260 performers. Individual heart rates represented the 12 participating countries.
When football started, it was inevitably Sam Kerr, returning to the national team after an 18-month injury layoff, who scored the decisive goal.
Australia are chasing their second Women’s Asian Cup title. Kerr is participating in her fifth final match.
Kerr scored in the 14e A minute later, Clare Wheeler delivered a deep cross from the right to Caitlin Foord, who headed towards an unmarked Kerr who hammered the ball home.
Australia should have doubled their lead in the 19th minute when Hayley Raso’s cross was headed over Emily van Egmond. Raso appeared to have scored ten minutes later, but was ruled out for offside by VAR.
Australia had 88% possession but only one goal showed their dominance in the first half.
The one-way traffic continued in the second half, with Australia Kerr, Foord and Wheeler all missing good chances.
Late in the 82nd minute, Stephanie Catley fired a shot just wide, while Amy Sayer squandered another chance five minutes later.
Group A continues today with Iran against South Korea. While the AFC has postponed the upcoming club league matches in the region, Iran’s matches in the Women’s Asian Cup will go ahead.
Australia now travel from east to west across the country to the Gold Coast for their second group match against Iran on Thursday. The Philippines meets the South Korean Republic.
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