2022 Women's Asian Cup: Five stories to watch as Matildas embark on title charge

While all competitive sport is guided by a single overarching plot — who will be the winner? — sometimes what makes sport so memorable is what happens elsewhere; the array of characters and storylines, emotions and drama, that occur away from or alongside the main action.

So as our eyes turn towards India for the 2022 Women's Asian Cup, in which the Matildas are expected to reclaim the title they last held in 2010, here are some of the other intriguing narratives we could see unfold over the next two weeks.

It seems almost predestined: Twelve years after Sam Kerr scored her first international goal for Australia, the Matildas captain is set to become the country's all-time leading goal scorer at the very same tournament.

In 2010, Kerr, then a 16-year-old winger, scored the Matildas' third goal in a 3-1 defeat of South Korea in the group stage of the Women's Asian Cup.

Kerr came on as a substitute that day, replacing veteran striker Lisa De Vanna, who held the women's national team goal-scoring record (47) until she was surpassed by Kerr in 2019.

The goal itself wasn't as glamorous or as classy as what we've come to expect from the Chelsea striker — in fact, the ball seemed to deflect off her backside and into the net after a failed Korean clearance — but it was the first time Kerr pulled out what has since become her iconic backflip celebration as she helped her team on its way to its first Asian Cup trophy.

Kerr currently sits on 49 international goals, just one away from the current all-time record-hold held by Tim Cahill, who scored his 50th goal for Australia in October 2017 before retiring.

The Matildas skipper brought up her 49th goal in last year's friendly series against Brazil but failed to find the back of the net in