A smart finish from Emily Gielnik and a brilliant solo effort from comeback star Hayley Raso saw the Matildas record a 2-0 win over New Zealand at Leichhardt Oval.

In what was their first game of this Cup of Nations tournament and the first match in charge for interim boss Ante Milicic, the Matildas dominated the game from the outset, were composed and patient on the ball and ruthless often enough to record the win.

The sense of a new era beginning was palpable, not only with Milicic — the replacement for Alen Stajcic, who was ousted from the role in controversial circumstances — on the touchline, but with Sam Kerr owning the captain's armband after being named the team's new skipper on Wednesday.

And despite some periods of rustiness, and the constant bellowing of Milicic on the sideline, the Australians looked fairly cohesive even with limited preparation time. The midfield pairing of Emily Van Egmond and Elise Kellond-Knight directed traffic, and a dynamic front three featuring Caitlin Foord, Kerr and Gielnik was too hot for the Football Ferns to handle.

Eventually it was Gielnik who broke the deadlock not long before half-time. An overlapping run from Steph Catley on the left — one of many from Catley and her fellow full-back Ellie Carpenter — was followed by a whipped cross that evaded both the defence and Kiwi keeper Erin Nayler, and fell to Gielnik at the back post.

Hayley Raso scored a sensational second to seal the result. ( AAP: Brendan Thorne )

Her shot perhaps should have been blocked by Meikayla Moore, but Gielnik cared little. The ball crept in, and Australia's good work had been rewarded.

Australia upped the tempo even further in the second half, but with Kerr tightly marked and the New Zealand back three sitting deep, a second breakthrough was difficult to come by.

A flurry of substitutions broke up the flow of the match, but also brought Raso onto the pitch for the first time in a Matildas shirt since a horrific back injury in August.

Her impact was immediate. Her pace quickly troubled the back line, and after only a handful of minutes on the pitch, she illuminated the match and scored Australia's second.

Raso collected the ball on the half turn just outside the penalty area, and immediately turned on her substantial jets. A drop of the shoulder and burst of pace was enough to elude defender Ali Riley, and a firm finish low and hard to the right of Nayler doubled the Matildas' advantage.

It was the high point of a solid game for Australia, one that will encourage Milicic and Matildas fans, but one that indicates much work is still to be done before the World Cup in France in June.