Leticia McKenna at the double as Matildas’ next generation help trounce Haiti 7-1

A brace from young midfielder Leticia McKenna, a debut goal for Daniela Galic, and further strikes from Caitlin Foord, Clare Wheeler and Holly McNamara helped the Matildas to a 7-1 win over world No 47 Haiti in both teams’ final October friendly in France.

Making her starting debut to bring up just her fourth cap for Australia, McKenna book-ended the first half with goals from midfield, powering a Wheeler cut-back into the roof of the net 80 seconds into the game before crashing her second in off a tackle just before half-time to finish her own attacking move.

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The rallying-cry of captain Sam Kerr in the huddle before the match was “we should beat sides like this”, and while the Matildas struggled to break down an organised and physical Haitian side in the first half, with OL Lyonnes midfielder Melchie Dumornay and forward Brittany Raphino an ever-present threat, Australia’s next generation made their impact in a five-goal blitz in the second half.

Having made four changes to the starting XI that lost 4-2 to Germany on Saturday, including a new-look back-line of Kaitlyn Torpey, Courtney Nevin and Charlotte Grant, alongside McKenna and Alana Murphy in midfield, Joe Montemurro used the opportunity to establish depth in specific positions and develop chemistry in new combinations, with just four international windows left until the Women’s World Cup next June.

They took some time to find their feet, however. The Matildas often struggled to find clear passages through Haiti’s midfield, while the usual starting front three of Foord, Kerr and Hayley Raso were largely held at arm’s length by some impressive collective defending.

Supported from the stands by a raucous home crowd and a bouncing brass band, Dumornay’s second-minute equaliser – a charging solo run that began in the centre circle and ended with a low, hard shot into the far corner – served as a reminder of the talent brimming within this emerging Caribbean nation, and kept Australia on notice.

Wheeler was one of Australia’s most impressive first-half performers, covering acres of grass and providing bounce-passes for her teammates, while also enforcing the midfield areas and earning a yellow card for a stomp on Dumornay. Her energy gave Murphy and McKenna, now playing together at Nottingham Forest, more space to navigate, with the latter offering multiple penetrative late runs into the box to latch onto several crosses and cut-backs.

Haiti could have snatched an unlikely lead just after the half-hour mark, though, when a scything through-ball from captain Nérilia Mondésir was missed by Winonah Heatley, allowing Raphino to poke a hopeful toe at the ball in the box. It ricocheted off Mackenzie Arnold and then Grant before bouncing perilously towards an open net, only for Wheeler to hook the ball off the line.