Australia beat China 2-1: Women’s Asian Cup 2026 – as it happened

The live coverage of the Women’s Asian Cup semifinal between China and Australia has ended.

Thank you for tuning in for our coverage. We hope you had fun.

Until next time, it’s Manasi Pathak signing off on behalf of everyone at Al Jazeera Sport.

On Wednesday, we will bring you live coverage of Liverpool vs Galatasaray in the Champions League.

The Reds host the Turkish side at Anfield, hoping to bounce back from a 1-0 first-leg defeat in Istanbul, in the round of 16 of Europe’s premier competition.

Kickoff is at 20:00 GMT and our live coverage will begin from 17:00 GMT.

Click here to read our full match report following the first semifinal.

Our focus now shifts to men’s football.

Manchester City face 15-time winners Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie later tonight.

The game at Etihad Stadium kicks off at 20:00 GMT, with our coverage starting from 17:00 GMT.

Tune in, as City aim to bounce back from a 3-0 first-leg defeat.

The Matildas’ head coach was critical of the team’s semifinal performance, saying they need to do better.

“If we ask the football question, it was a bit of both; it wasn’t great from us in the first half. In the second half, we found a few opportunities,” Joe Montemurro told Australia’s Network 10.

“We’re going to have to be better.”

“There’s a resilience that we have in our psyche,” he added. “We need to be better with the ball; we need to be smarter and control tempo.

“We have this idea we need to go forward all the time, where there was so much time that we could prepare, and we didn’t.”

“I always had confidence in my finishing and my goal-scoring ability, but it’s a lot more than that,” said Kerr, who previously said she is only “85 percent fit”.

“I got a great team behind me, and I don’t know how I made the 90 minutes. I was absolutely tired.

“I didn’t care about who scored tonight or how we won, but I wanted to make sure we do but I am glad we got over the line,” she added.

“I know I can be one of the best players in the world, and I am showing that at this tournament … It would be a dream come true [to win the tournament], but I am enjoying tonight.”

“I am a little bit … I can’t really gather all my emotions and feelings right now,” said Kerr, whose second-half gold guided Australia to the final.

“[This moment] is right up there,” she added when asked where tonight’s performance ranked in her career achievements. “I can’t believe it. I honestly can’t believe it!”

“We came in as one of the favourites, but we have the longer route here, and it just feels so good to be in the final.”

Former Australia men’s player Craig Foster says the Matildas’ run to the Asian Cup final will give them the chance to better their performance from the 2023 World Cup, which was co-hosted by them and saw the team finish fourth.

“So important to have a crack at a home tournament final, a chance to go one better than at the 2023 World Cup. Tough game,” said Foster on X.

Fantastic.

So important to have a crack at a home tournament final, a chance to go one better than at the 2023 World Cup.

Tough game.

China did well on the counter in the first half but when the game switched and China dominated possession and territory in the second, it… https://t.co/5Fv9jnUSKQ

— Craig Foster (@Craig_Foster) March 17, 2026

Australia captain Sam Kerr ⁠sealed ⁠a 2-1 win over China with a stunning second-half goal ⁠on Tuesday to put the hosts into their ⁠fourth Women’s Asian Cup final.

The Matildas will hunt a second trophy in the continental tournament and ‌their first since 2010 against Japan or South Korea, who play in the second semi-final in Sydney on Wednesday.

Scoring in front of home-town fans ⁠for the third ⁠time in the event, Kerr struck the winner on 58 minutes, threading the ⁠needle from an acute angle to ⁠send the Perth ⁠Stadium crowd into delirium.

Defending champions China had levelled the match with a Zhang ‌Linyan penalty in the 26th minute following an early strike ‌by ‌Caitlin Foord.

Saturday’s final will mark the Matildas’ first appearance in the title clash since 2018, when they finished runners-up to Japan. They also ended as runners-up in the prior edition, in 2014, losing to Japan.

The Matildas have won the competition only once, in 2010, when they defeated North Korea on penalties.

The dejected Chinese players take a lap around the stadium, thanking their fans, who turned up at the venue dressed in red shirts and with huge flags.

Locking hands, the players bow down to the fans, who in turn, applaud them with a round of applause.

A party mood has kicked off in Perth Stadium!

The Matildas are off to the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup final, where they will play for their second title in front of their home fans.

The players and staff are embracing this memorable moment with hugs, while the fans cheer on from the stands.

Off goes the full-time whistle! Australia have knocked out the defending champions!

The Matildas beat China 2-1, booking their place in the Women’s Asian Cup final.

Foord’s sublime first-half goal and Kerr’s superb second-half strike have guided Australia to a well-fought victory over China, their first over the Steel Roses in this competition.

The Aussies will play either Japan or South Korea in Saturday’s final as they vie for their second continental title.

𝗙𝗧 | 🇨🇳 China PR 1️⃣-2️⃣ Australia 🇦🇺

Australia come through a tense semi-final battle to keep their title dream alive!#WAC2026 | #CHNvAUS pic.twitter.com/Ie7mRchFqP

— #WAC2026 (@afcasiancup) March 17, 2026

A nervous moment for Australia as Aifang Wang unleashes a solid effort from the edge of the box, forcing goalkeeper Arnold to dive, but the effort goes wide.

Meanwhile, Australia make two more changes, bringing on Rule and van Egmond for Gorry and Kennedy.

Van Egmond brings up her 170th appearance, making her Australia’s most-capped player.

90+3 mins: China 1-2 Australia

A lengthy period of stoppage time. Can China find a late equaliser to turn the contest on its head? Or will Australia hold on for a well-fought victory and place in the final?

Let’s find out!

90+1 mins: China 1-2 Australia

Wang Linlin replaces Chen Qiaozhu, while Yuan Cong replaces Zhang Chengxue.

Meanwhile, Wu picks up a booking for pulling Kerr’s shirt from behind.

88 mins: China 1-2 Australia

Torpey dances past two defenders and enters the box, before getting past another defender. But just as she tries to shoot, it goes wide.

The full-back is celebrating her 26th birthday today and will be proud of her performance thus far.

86 mins: China 1-2 Australia

Foord tries to square the ball in the middle after a good run up the left flank, but Kerr cannot get on the end of it as a Chinese defender blocks.

Both Foord and Kerr have scored in this game – the two strikes which will likely guide the Matildas to the finale.

84 mins: China 1-2 Australia

China are less than 10 minutes away from being eliminated and bringing an end to their title defence.

The Steel Roses, record nine-time winners of this competition, need at least one goal to bounce back in the semifinal and force this to extra time.

But as things stand, the momentum is with the Matildas.

82 mins: China 1-2 Australia

The attendance for this semifinal at Perth Stadium: 35,170.

A great turnout for the match, but much less than the stadium capacity of 60,000.

80 mins: China 1-2 Australia