CommBank Junior Matildas defender Rubi Sullivan has praised her side's fighting spirit following their 3-1 defeat to two-time champions Spain at the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup™, while talking about the importance of team unity heading into their final Group F clash against Mexico.
Australia went down 2-0 in the opening twenty minutes of the game to the two-time champions; however, Sullivan was proud of the team's response as they fought back in the second half.
"We put in a shift. We conceded two early goals, which made it difficult for ourselves. But in the second half, we came out with the Aussie spirit. We came out firing."
"I think for me, on a personal level, energy is so important. Whether that's on or off the field, bringing the team together with all the energy just drives everyone else to work. And I think if everyone does it, just as a whole team, we lift."
After picking up a point in their FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup™ debut against Chile following a 1-1 draw, the side are still fighting for a place in the knockout stages with it all to play for against Mexico in the final group stage game.
Frida Karaberis scored the lone goal for Australia in the game, picking up the ball on the edge of the area and curling it into the top of the net.
"I think it definitely means a lot. Being our first time here, every goal is super important to us. I think you can see that in the way we celebrate."
Sullivan also reflected on the emotional moment she held up teammate Alyse Oppedisano's jersey ahead of kick-off, after the goalkeeper suffered an ACL rupture during training in the lead-up to the match.
"She's one of my best friends on and off the field. So it's really disappointing to see her in the stands when I would love to see her with me on the field."
"But my manager, she came to me. She said, 'Would you like to hold us up?' And I said, 'Of course.' And I jumped at the chance because any chance to represent her when she's not able to. I would take."
Australia will now turn their attention to a crucial encounter with Mexico, as the CommBank Junior Matildas look to advance to the knockout stage in their first-ever FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup™.
"Going into every game, we know we want to be on the front foot. We want to be aggressive. We want to play football because we want to show these people that we're here not just for numbers, but we're here to play."
"I think that's our mentality going into the Mexico game. We want to play football, and we want to score goals."
Mexico v CommBank Junior Matildas
Date: Sunday, 25 October 2026 (Local)/ Monday, 26 October 2026 (AEDT)
Time: 3.00pm (Local)/ 2.00am (AEDT)
Venue: Mohammed VI Football Academy, Salé, Morocco
Watch: Stream on Paramount+
