Cymru v Australia
25th October 2025
Cardiff City Stadium
What is there left to say about one of greatest players to ever pull on the red shirt of Cymru? 19 years playing for our country, 166 Caps and 48 Goals. Where would we be without the most capped and highest goal scorer in Cymru’s history, male or female? The Seattle Reign star has played in two-thirds of all Cymru’s matches! An unbelievable stat!
Jess has taken the women’s team from playing in front of one man and his horse (yes there was a horse in attendance in one match) and wearing hand-me down kits from the men’s team, to finally getting their own kits with their names on the shirts and playing in international tournaments, scoring our first goal in the Euro’s.
Rhian Wilkinson will have her work cut out finding a replacement but because of Jess, there are many youngsters coming through. We will have to be patient and give them time. Three players had their first Caps Saturday, Gwen Zimmerman who started, and Scarlett Hill and Tianna Teisar who both came on as late replacements. Add Mared Griffiths with her first start too. She’s just 18 years old, born a year after Jess made her debut for Cymru.
The time came today that we all dreaded when Jessica Anne Fishlock MBE made her 166th and final appearance for Cymru against Australia. Over 11,000 fans came to the Cardiff City Stadium to see Cymru (31st in the rankings) take on the 15th ranked team in the World.
It was always going to be a tough match for Cymru. Gwen Zimmerman played well in a three woman defence, and we will definitely see more of her in the red of Cymru. Until the first goal Cymru held on well against the Australian attack, including the great Sam Kerr who made her first appearance in the gold of Australia for two years. Australia had one clear chance when Katrina Gorry hit the crossbar from 20 yards in the fifth minute, but other than that the Cymru defence held firm.
However, Cymru were finally broken down in the 28th minute when Australia was given a free kick on the edge of the penalty area. Courtney Nevin took the free kick crossing it into the unmarked Sam Kerr in the middle of the area. Kerr wisely left the ball go past her into the back of the net for Australia to take the lead.
In a stronger second half, the Cymru equaliser came in the 55th minute. Mared Griffiths scored her first of hopefully many goals for our country. Courtney Nevin made a wayward pass inside her own half that was latched on to by Hannah Cain. She ran 20 yards through the middle of the Australian midfield before passing to Jess Fishlock on the edge of the area. The retiree somehow got the ball to Griffiths who ran around the ball and floated the ball over the keeper into the opposite corner. Great way to open your goal scoring account.
Cymru managed to hold on until five minutes before the end of play, when Australia worked the ball down the right hand side with Ellie Carpenter taking it into the Cymru half, She passed to Kyra Cooney-Cross who ran down the line of the penalty area, crossing into the middle of the box to the unmarked Caitlin Foord who turned the ball in for the winning goal.
Today the result didn’t matter, it was Y Wal Goch’s chance to say diolch to Jess. Hopefully it’s not goodbye and she takes up a coaching position with Cymru to help all these good young players that are coming through.
Thank you Jess for all you have done for football in our country, we wouldn’t be where we are if it wasn’t for you. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Words by @StephenJBaker