Football Victoria sends an enormous congratulations to Kyra Cooney-Cross, who made her much anticipated Westfield Matildas debut this morning.
The 19-year-old was brought on in the 46th minute of the Matildas' 3-2 defeat to Denmark.
The call-up was well deserved for Cooney-Cross, who has been in blistering form at both international youth and club level.
Having previously been named as a stand-by player for Australia’s 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup squad, she bagged seven goals in eight Young Matildas appearances leading up to her senior debut.
The young star developed through Victoria's National Training Centre and is a former Victorian State Squad representative.
She spent three years at Ballarat City until 2016, when she signed for Melbourne Victory in the W-League. After a spell at Western Sydney Wanderers, Cooney-Cross re-joined the Victory in late 2020, where she quickly became a focal point in the team’s attack.
She has almost averaged a goal every second game with the Victory and memorably, scored directly from a 120th minute corner to in the dramatic 2021 W-League Grand Final win over Sydney FC.
Cooney-Cross may not have to wait too long for her second appearance. The Matildas will take on Sweden at the Guldfågeln Arena on Wednesday 16 June, at 2:45AM (AEST).