CommBank Matildas defender Steph Catley said that she was still on a high from the biggest week of her life after her UEFA Women’s Champions League victory with Arsenal.
Catley, alongside Kyra Cooney-Cross and Caitlin Foord, lifted the prestigious trophy over the weekend to become the second, third and fourth Australians to ever do so. They arrived in camp on Wednesday evening after days of celebration.
The 31-year-old was speaking to media after Australia’s 2-0 victory over Argentina in Melbourne on Friday.
“It's been a big few days - biggest of my life, my career,” she said.
“It’s something I've dreamed of my entire career. It's the pinnacle of football. Being able to do it alongside my two Aussies, and being part of Arsenal, the club in England to do it again, is very, very special.
“To come back here and celebrate with the Tillies [the Matildas] and all the girls has been really lovely.”
After the victory in Lisbon, the team went back to London where they were greeted by over 10,000 fans. She said that the celebrations blew her away.
“[The parade was] one of the best memories that I think I'll have for the rest of my life,” she said.
CommBank Matildas Interim Head Coach Tom Sermanni indicated that the Arsenal trio would be available and ready to start on Monday, with Catley also reassuring fans.
“I'll be ready, and the girls will be ready,” she said.
“It's the end of the season, so it's not like we're unfit or not ready to play - we're definitely ready to play. It’ll be nice to get back onto the field again.
“We celebrated how we felt fit. It was definitely fun. But I think we stopped early enough.”
Catley said that tasting success like the UWCL motivates her to achieve the same with the national team.
“Being at a club like Arsenal, I always believed we were capable of doing it - but actually doing it is a whole other thing,” she said.
“Coming up against a club like Barcelona, sometimes it feels quite far away. But to actually do it - it makes me look at my career and think about the things that I really want to achieve, and winning silverware with the Matildas has always been top of my list.
“It definitely makes me hungry. I've got a taste of trophies. It would mean a lot to me if we were able to do that.”
Match Two
CommBank Matildas v Argentina
Date: Monday, 2 June 2025
Kick-off: 7.30 pm AEST
Venue: GIO Stadium, Canberra
TV Broadcast: Paramount+ exclusive
Radio Broadcast: ABC Listen App
Tickets:matildas.com.au/tickets