Sam Kerr. It was the name on everyone’s lips after the Matildas skipper scored an excellent goal against China on Tuesday night to book Australia a place in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup final in Sydney on Saturday.
The pinpoint finish, in the 58th minute at Perth’s Optus Stadium to give the Matildas a match-winning 2-1 lead, was another reminder of her quality, and the perfect opportunity to reminisce about classic Kerr goals. And, many pre-date the Matildas fever that took hold of the country during the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Kerr often makes it look easy. Her awareness, foresight and touch are just some of the key attributes that make her one of the best strikers in the game.
Whether it be a header that nudges past a world-class goalkeeper, a cracking volley or a long-range goal that has a crowd of 80,000 on its feet, Kerr has it all in her bag of tricks.
Kerr is Australia’s all-time leading international goal scorer after taking the title from Tim Cahill in 2022. Tuesday’s goal takes her to 73. That figure would be higher still if Kerr hadn’t been sidelined for 18 months with an ACL injury. And there’s also the 70 goals she’s scored in the Women’s A-League, 78 in the American leagues and the 60 (and counting) for Chelsea.
Here are a few of our favourites from Kerr’s 18-year career.
2012-13 Women’s A-League grand final: Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory
As Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory prepared for the 2012-13 Women’s A-League grand final, the league’s official website had some advice for fans in the match preview: “One Sydney player to keep an eye on is Sam Kerr.”
It’s a shame Victory didn’t take the advice, as Kerr – a striker for Sydney at the time – launched herself at a cross from teammate Kyah Simon to score a fine header. Sydney won 3-1.
2021-22 Women’s Super League: Chelsea v Manchester United
Kerr was the top goal scorer in the Women’s Super League in England in the 2021-22 season, and she added another to her tally as Chelsea were again crowned champions when they defeated Manchester United 4-2.
The Australian scored two goals that day. The first she launched into the back of the net to make it 2-2, before a long-range volley over the top of United goalkeeper Mary Earps to score the final goal of the match in the 66th minute.
2023 FIFA World Cup semi-final: Australia v England
For all the goals and all the moments, this is the one people remember most from Kerr’s career.
It didn’t matter that they went on to lose this semi-final 3-1 to end a phenomenal run at a tournament that lifted the Matildas to the status of one of Australia’s most-loved sporting teams, and delivered moments such as the dramatic 7-6 penalty shootout against France that will live long in the memory.
What mattered was 80,000 fans on their feet screaming after Kerr scored a long-range cracker against England. When the ball hit the back of the net, I turned to colleague Vince Rugari stunned, with neither of us quite believing what we had just watched.
2023-24 UEFA Women’s Champions League: Chelsea v Paris FC
Chelsea are a powerhouse in women’s football, and Kerr is one of their most lethal weapons.
In this match against Paris FC in the 2023-24 Champions League, Kerr was unstoppable, scoring a hat-trick to lead Chelsea to a 4-1 victory.
Kerr’s third goal, when she sent a lob soaring over the top of Paris goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie and into the net, was the best of them. Perfectly timed, perfectly weighted.
2026 Women’s Asian Cup semi-final: Australia v China
And, finally, we come back to the goal that prompted this walk down memory lane. Kerr’s match-winner against China.
Her latest is one of her greatest. Sure, it might not be the flashiest goal, but it’s the pressure, the expectation and the execution that make it one of the best.
Kerr signalled to Caitlin Foord very early on where she wants the ball. Kerr sees how that moment can unfold, and she goes for it – going around the goalkeeper and slotting in from an acute angle with her left foot. She delivered in the big moment, on the big stage for Australia, and put her team in a position to win the Asian Cup for the first time since she last did it with the Matildas in 2010.
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