The report says Australia lost the opening match 1-0 before responding with a 3-1 victory in Sydney. Montemurro’s focus, however, was on the problems Mexico created rather than the split result.
High pressing forces defenders and midfielders to make decisions before they are fully comfortable. It can expose loose touches, rushed passes and gaps behind the first line of pressure. Those are precisely the situations Australia must learn to manage against elite opponents.
Montemurro described the response as containing “a lot of positive signs”, while acknowledging that the performance was not flawless.
The Matildas’ challenge is not simply to avoid pressure. They must recognise when to play through it, when to go forward early and when to take the safer option.
“It is going to be risky,” Montemurro said, adding that Australia must become “smarter” in those moments. That balance will be vital at a major tournament, where one poor decision can change a match but excessive caution can invite wave after wave of pressure.
The reported goals from Caitlin Foord and Alanna Kennedy, alongside a Mexico own goal, reflected a more forceful attacking response. Yet the greater takeaway was the education offered by the contest itself.
Montemurro also believes Australia had not recently faced this particular level of sustained pressing. That makes the Mexico series useful even if it exposed vulnerabilities that cannot be solved overnight.
The Matildas are not expected to regroup for another four months, with a European window reportedly next on the horizon. The next opponents may be different, but the question will remain the same: can Australia turn this experience into calmer, quicker decisions when the pressure arrives again?