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Sam Kerr nabbed her first goals as Australian captain and Lisa De Vanna erased any doubts about her worth to the Matildas in Sunday night's 4-1 defeat of South Korea in Brisbane.
The Matildas are set to win the Cup of Nations after a second morale-boosting result of Ante Milicic's tenure, sealed by a super strike from Emily Gielnik.
At Lang Park, pace was the difference.
Kerr stole in front of Korean defenders twice in the first half, winning a penalty for an early opener before racing onto a poor backpass to blast into the net in stoppage time.
Lisa De Vanna's back-post finish was also the result of hard work — bustling runs through the middle from Hayley Raso and Tameka Butt before the veteran arrived to tap home a saved shot from Butt.
The goal ended a run of 12 internationals without a goal for De Vanna, Australia's all-time leading scorer.
De Vanna was sharp but, on Kerr's performance, it won't be long until the Western Australian, nine years her junior, takes over her mantle.
The Matildas superstar was a constant menace to the Korean defence and, courtesy of Emily van Egmond's superb lofted deliveries, also had headed chances to add to her tally.
"She's a leader by her actions. She's growing into her role," Milicic said of his new captain.
"On the world stage, she doesn't get the recognition she deserves.
"Tonight, she was very active; scored her goals well. She looked dangerous.
"The World Cup is a fantastic stage for her to show herself. She's a big-game player."
Milicic made six changes to his team who defeated New Zealand 2-0 in Sydney on Thursday without a major performance drop-off, although Alanna Kennedy's absence with calf tightness left Australia's defence wanting on a couple of occasions.
That was evident when a communication breakdown left Ellie Carpenter conceding a free kick just outside the box for South Korea's goal.
Chelsea stalwart Ji So-yun, who scored a double in South Korea's 5-0 rout of Argentina on Thursday, produced a curling strike from the deal ball that beat Mackenzie Arnold.
There was no shortage of chances in the second half, although it wasn't until Milicic made his sixth substitution that the Matildas added a fourth.
Gielnik, in career-best form, dummied her marker and unleashed a strike from wide that left Kim Jung-mi no chance.
The emphatic result means Australia need only to avoid defeat against Argentina on the final match day to claim the tournament.
The South Americans, the world number 36, lost to New Zealand 2-0 in the opening match at Lang Park.
AAP
Read back on how the action unfolded in our live blog:
Topics: sport, soccer, australia, qld, brisbane-4000, korea-republic-of
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