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Fan footage captures Matildas players in brilliant post-match act

Sam Kerr and her Matildas teammates, pictured here signing autographs for fans over an hour after the match.
Sam Kerr and her Matildas teammates were spotted signing autographs for fans over an hour after the match. Image: Getty/Twitter

The Matildas have been praised for their classy gesture towards fans after their win over New Zealand on Tuesday night.

Sam Kerr's first-half double drove the Matildas to a strong win against the Kiwis in their first match in Canberra since 2013.

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The nation's all-time leading scorer was at her damaging best, bringing up her 58th and 59th international goals as Australia triumphed 3-1 in the international friendly.

The win marked back-to-back victories for the Matildas in their two-game series after winning 2-1 in Townsville on Friday night.

The Aussies needed 37 shots to score twice in the first game, but it only took five attempts to reach that mark in the nation's capital, with captain Kerr and Hayley Raso giving them a 2-0 lead after 17 minutes.

Kerr struck again shortly after the half-hour to complete a 25-minute spell that coach Tony Gustavsson labelled "phenomenal".

"I do think we played well in that first game, but it didn't pay off with chances," he told reporters.

"We spent a lot of time doing reviews and in training talking about the final pass and finishing ... the players were 100 per cent focused on that final third, especially in the first half.

"From the fifth minute onwards to that third goal, it was phenomenal football."

Sam Kerr, pictured here signing an autograph for a young fan after the Matildas' win.
Sam Kerr signs an autograph for a young fan after the Matildas' win. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Kerr and her teammates could be seen signing autographs and interacting with fans over an hour after full-time.

Kerr was particularly popular, with an enormous line stretching around the boundary of the field to get the star's autograph.

Matildas veteran Aivi Luik also shaved her head on the field after the match to raise money for brain tumour research following her brother's diagnosis.

Matildas forwards click into gear against Kiwis

Raso marked her return to the city where she began her professional career with Canberra United with a lovely goal, bending the ball home from outside the box.

Gustavsson had called for fast combinations in the final third after his side lacked killer instinct on Friday night.

Of a front third laden with talents such as Kerr, Emily van Egmond, Mary Fowler and Caitlin Foord, Raso said things were really starting to click.

"We jell quite well," she told reporters post-game.

"We're all off at different clubs working hard there, but I feel like whenever we come back to the national team, there's a really good cohesion.

Aivi Luik, pictured here having her head shaved after the Matildas' win over New Zealand.
Aivi Luik has her head shaved after the Matildas' win over New Zealand. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

"That also goes with whoever's playing, whoever's in the forward line on any given day ... we can combine well and it paid off for us tonight."

But while Raso notched her ninth international goal, it was someone with 50 more than that who stole the spotlight as usual - Kerr.

The Matildas captain was in trademark devastating touch, heading home a corner from close range before latching onto an inch-perfect through ball from van Egmond and making an intricate finish look anything but difficult.

"She makes most of her finishes look easy," Raso said.

"She's a quality player and I feel like if she's ever in front of goal, she's going to put them away.

"It's a great ball to her from Emily ... (Kerr) was making those runs in behind all night and when you feed her like that she's going to put them away."

with AAP

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