Having endured a horror few weeks following the controversial dismissal of Alen Stajcic, few would begrudge those Matildas players who wanted attention to shift back onto actual football. Finally, they got their wish at Leichhardt Oval, where Ante Milicic’s first outing as coach resulted in a comfortable 2-0 win over New Zealand.

It was with a certain sense of relief, under the floodlights of the atmospheric old suburban ground in Sydney, that the players were able to return to centre stage as goals from Emily Gielnik and Hayley Raso ensured Milicic was able to enjoy a winning debut.

“Move forward”, “look to the future” and “focus on football” have been the oft-uttered mantras in the days since Milicic took over as Stajcic’s replacement – at least from the coach himself, his players and under-fire Football Federation Australia. Of course, there remain many unanswered questions about the events of the past five weeks that still need addressing, but on Thursday night, it was time to allow the spotlight to settle back on the pitch.

There have also been questions regarding the appointment of Milicic, in his first head coaching role, and first in the women’s game, albeit altogether less searching ones, but the answer to the most obvious one – how this incarnation of the Matildas will shape up on the pitch – was immediately apparent.

Milicic opted not to rock the boat too much with his squad selection for this Cup of Nations tournament, and nor did he discernibly change the formation or style of play of the team his predecessor led to No 6 in the world. The starting XI that took to the pitch – a full-strength team, with the injured Katrina Gorry arguably the only first-choice player to come in – set up in a familiar 4-3-3 formation.

The continuity in personnel and tactics appeared to serve the home side well early on, as they imposed themselves on a New Zealand side ranked 13 places below them by Fifa and who have now not beaten Australia in their last 29 attempts. Emily Gielnik in particular started brightly as most of the Matildas’ forward play came down the right hand side.

Melbourne Victory player Gielnik switched flanks on occasion with Caitlin Foord but she was stationed back on the right – and in the right place at the right time – just before the half-time break to deliver the opening goal of the game. There was an element of fortune about her finish once Steph Catley’s cross reached her, which squeezed under the boot of a defender before nestling in the corner. But it was nothing if not deserved by Gielnik, and the Matildas, who had dominated the game to that point.

There could have been more than that solitary strike in the first half, but Sam Kerr, having already won a free-kick which Elise Kellond-Knight crashed against the cross-bar then brought a good save out of Erin Nayler with a snap header, deliberated too long while clean through on goal when scoring seemed the more likely outcome.

Kerr, captaining the side for the first time, had been described by Milicic during the week as the female version of Tim Cahill – a leader, fearless and confident. If the comparison has to be made, it is probably a fair one, although Kerr – whose every move was shadowed by a designated defender – was unable to add to her international goal tally by the time she was withdrawn after the hour mark, along with Kellond-Knight, Emily Van Egmond and Alana Kennedy.

Milicic will have been pleased with what he saw in midfield, with Kellond-Knight and Van Egmond controlling the tempo of the game, and at the back where the defence was imperiously marshalled by Kennedy, ably assisted by Clare Polkinghorne. New Zealand striker Sarah Gregorius barely had a sniff, and when she did, on just two occasions, she was first foiled by Lydia Williams and then saw a dinked effort bounce just wide of the post. Gregorius’s replacement later in the game, Paige Satchell, also brought a smart stop from Williams, but otherwise the Australia keeper enjoyed a comfortable night.

Mass substitutions have a habit of killing games, but with a new boss to impress the Matildas entering the fray for the final half hour were unwilling to settle for a 1-0 scoreline, and two of the new arrivals combined beautifully to craft a second on 74 minutes. Amy Harrison, brought into the squad as a late replacement for the injured Chloe Logarzo, played in Raso who finished neatly past Nayler to cap a remarkable comeback from fracturing three vertebrae just six months ago.

“They delivered what I was after,” Milicic said afterwards. “The girls were fantastic. There’s already a clear distinct playing style, and that’s important. I was very pleased with the way they went about their game plan.”

Next up for the Matildas are South Korea, who earlier in the day dished out a 5-0 thrashing to Argentina, before the South Americans follow in the tournament’s final match on Wednesday. Two further games for Milicic to get to know his players, and two further games for them to raise their levels in preparation for their World Cup campaign later this year.

“I’m really looking forward to our pre-World Cup camp,” Milicic said. “I think this team can go to another level.”