After two dominant 5-0 wins against Chinese Taipei and India at the 2026 AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup respectively, the CommBank Young Matildas came up against U20 World Cup runners-up Japan in match three, facing their first defeat of the tournament.
Now, they look ahead to their quarterfinal match up against a formidable opponent in Korea DPR, the current World Cup champions.
Managing the disappointment of a young squad and ensuring they bounce back ready for the next challenge, is an important part of the job for Young Matildas head coach, Alex Epakis.
“It's always difficult when you don't have a result go your way. Obviously, the players were down and that’s to be expected. We have high expectations of ourselves and don’t want to lower that,” he said when reflecting on Australia’s loss to Japan.
“Our Japan fixture was a tough one. When you play the World Cup runners-up, there are going to be moments where you're not going to be the dominant team, and we wanted to be better in some of those."
With 12 goals scored across three matches, there were still many positives to take away. Epakis says he has been pleased with the way the Young Matildas have been employing a never-say-die attitude,
“There were definitely some spotlight moments that were trending in the way that we wanted,” he said.
“Until the end of the match, we were looking to create goal-scoring threats. I don't believe there have been too many instances where you've got opportunities against Japan happening readily, so the fact that we were able to do it from both pressing and also build-up play was a highlight. We just would have loved for more of them.
“Additionally, the ability to absorb pressure from the opposition was there to be seen for large periods, especially in that first half. To then find a way with some individual brilliance from Avaani Prakash to create a goal-scoring chance and put that away under pressure, was a really great moment for the team.”
Ahead of the Young Matildas quarterfinal, the senior Matildas sent some words of wisdom in hopes of encouraging the youngsters. After all, it was just weeks ago that they faced their own defeat to a Japanese powerhouse in the final of the 2026 Women's Asian Cup on home soil.
“To watch the video, was a nice little moment, especially the timing. It was a perfect reset,” the head coach said.
“The messages from Kaitlyn Torpey and Sam Kerr were really clear. That in tournament football, anything can happen and we've got to pick ourselves back up, and fight. It's the Aussie spirit. It's the Aussie way. It was very well received, and we greatly appreciated that message and that support.”
In terms of his assessment of the team’s overall performance throughout the tournament, Epakis said he is pleased with his young squad - who are mostly in the lower half of the 17-20 year-old age bracket, with each match providing valuable building blocks for the future.
“I think it's easy to use it (youth) as an excuse, but the reality is, we're in the business of developing players to be ready for major tournaments, so exposing players early is certainly not a disappointment, or a negative, it's very much a positive,” he explained.
“We came into the tournament with high aspirations, and we still maintain those. For the most part, we've been a really aggressive, dominant team with the ball and I like the fact that when we play, it's really exciting to watch.
“We've also shown moments where we need to improve our maturity as a defensive team and as defensive individuals, but I think tournaments like this can help the evolution of a Matilda grow within the ecosystem and develop those players for what it looks like at senior tournaments.
“Across the tournament, we've had really good learning and development moments for a lot of players, and the Matildas ecosystem as a whole will be stronger because of it," he continued.
“I don't believe the players would have played world cup runners-up and world cup champions in the space of three days prior in their career. So, this is exactly the type of learning and development we need as a nation and as a group, and we need more of it. You can't just get this exposure once every two years or four years. We need it more often.
“As a result, the level improves, the development improves, the expectations become clearer."
Epakis spoke about what type of quarterfinal fans can expect to see on Sunday and how the Young Matildas can ensure they are victorious.
“The opposition are extremely powerful. They're athletic. They've scored a lot of goals, so, there's going to be some threat there and we're going to need to manage that," he said.
“Without the ball, we're going to need to be defensively organised and collective in our approach. Then also, with the ball, we need to be able to play through their pressure.
“The reality is, we want to go toe-to-toe as best as we can, and I've got great optimism in what the group can produce under pressure.
“I really believe that we're going to go out and give it our best and see where we stack up. I think the Aussie spirit is really strong within the team, and I'm excited to see how it plays out.”
Thinking about what’s made him most proud of his team throughout the tournament, Epakis says it’s been their indomitable spirit and drive to take on the best in the world.
“The reality is, when you get drawn against teams like Japan and North Korea, you can't avoid the luck of a draw. But the players have been really optimistic about it since day one. They've wanted this challenge. They've been excited by the challenge. They certainly haven't felt a defeatist mindset. They've been really up for it,” he shared.
“I think that shows the characters that we want within the pathway. I think it's really critical. So, that makes me really proud. I haven't had to try and sell the idea that they've wanted this. They've been ready to take it head on and that’s what has stood out for me and for the staff.
“The team know that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They've evolved as a group, as a team and as individuals across the whole tournament, and that growth's really important.”
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AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup™ Thailand 2026
Korea DPR v Australia
Date: Sunday, 12 April 2026
Time: 4.00pm (Local)/ 7.00pm (AEST)
Venue: Pathum Thani Stadium, Pathum Thani
Watch: Channel 10
