SYDNEY, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Australia's women's soccer team, the Matildas, have eased their way past South Korea on Sunday evening, beating the Asian powerhouse in the inaugural FFA Cup of Nations tournament 4-1 at Brisbane's Lang Park.
Named as captain by newly appointed coach Ante Milic, it didn't take long for Aussie sensation Sam Kerr to make her mark on the game, netting a penalty in the sixth minute.
"She's [Kerr] a leader by her actions. She's growing into her role," Milicic told the ABC after the match.
"On the world stage, she doesn't get the recognition she deserves."
"Tonight, she was very active; scored her goals well. She looked dangerous."
"The World Cup is a fantastic stage for her to show herself. She's a big-game player."
But South Korea quickly hit back with a brilliant free-kick from talented Chelsea midfielder Ji So-yun.
With the match in the balance at 1-1, the Matilda's continued to mount pressure in the final third and in the 36th minute, 34-year-old veteran forward Lisa De Vanna broke her 25 match goal drought when she was gifted a tap-in at the six-yard box.
As Australia looked more and more in control, Kerr slotted another goal in injury to bring the Matilda's 3-1 at half-time.
To seal the emphatic victory, wide-forward Emily Gielnik scored a spectacular goal from the edge of the box in the 81st minute.
"I'm still getting to know the players, and they're still getting to know me," Milicic said.
"We wanted to dominate possession. We did that. We wanted to play out from the back. We did that."
"The girls did fantastically well and in a short space of time they really tried to carry out the plan. They're improving every day."
