Ellie Carpenter called it a “game that we want to forget”.

“We obviously have a lot to work on. The Asian Cup is very soon, and I think tonight was a big lesson for us,” Australia’s straight-talking right-back said after the disconcerting, slightly perplexing 3-0 loss to England.

Carpenter continued her pitchside broadcast interview, reiterating the disappointment in Derby and the unfortunate predicament of going a player down in the opening 20 minutes, before finishing with: “We need to experience these losses and these situations.”

That is absolutely true. Tough lessons like these are precisely what can make a team under a new coach. A galvanising jolt that knocks the rose-tinted glasses off the end of one’s nose, prompting a clear-visioned period of good old-fashioned hard work.

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