Matildas Book Their Spot At The Rio Olympics
The Australian Women’s football team, the Matildas, have secured their place at the 2016 Rio Olympics after topping the Asian confederate qualification group.
Australia’s women made what should have been a gruelling slog to the finish look like child’s play as they swept aside Japan, Vietnam, North Korea and South Korea before a draw against China marked the only slip up in their campaign.
Going into the tournament, Australia, number 9 in the FIFA World Rankings, were looking at Japan and North Korea, ranked 4 and 6 respectively, as the teams to beat, whilst also seeing China and South Korea, 17 and 18, as potential threats. Vietnam entered as the minnows of the group, ranked 29 in the world.
To throw another spanner in the works the scheduling of the tournament would see each team play five games in ten days which would be hard to manage for any team in the professional game.
The Matildas made the perfect start to qualification in their first match against tournament hosts, and favourites, Japan. A blistering opening half saw the Matildas 2-0 up within the opening 40 minutes. A goal for each team followed as the Aussies claimed their first three points thanks to a 3-1 victory.
Goals from Lisa De Vanna, Michelle Heyman and Katrina Gorry gave the side a dream start and set the tone for the next week and a half of football.
Next up were Vietnam and Alen Stajcic rang in the changes as Australia put 9 goals past the hapless Vietnamese. Stand in skipper Kyah Simon got a hat trick for the Aussies as the other six goals were shared between six different scorers, including Heyman who took her tally to two goals in two games.
Game three would go a long way to securing the coveted Olympic spot and within fifteen minutes against South Korea the Aussies had one foot on the plane to Rio. Simon kept up where she left off against Vietnam breaking the deadlock within the first minute before Emily Van Egmond would double the lead from the penalty spot.
Going into game four the Aussie’s knew a victory would send them to the Olympics as well as make a statement to the rest of the world with their air of invincibility.
In a game which swung one way and then the other, the Matildas triumphed thanks to a late goal from Gorry. With the match tied at one-all it was Gorry that would be the hero after play from De Vanna and Caitlin Foord left the Aussie forward room inside the box to score and send the travelling fans into fits of joy.
Having secured their place and with little left to play for the fifth and final game saw a 1-1 draw with China that meant little to the side other than remaining undefeated throughout the tournament.
While it is too early to engrave Australia into the Gold Medal the Matildas travel to Rio as one of the teams to beat having already dispatched of two of the top ten nations in the world.
With players such as the timeless Lisa De Vanna and Michelle Heyman, the impeccable Katrina Gorry and a squad consisting of some of the best players in world football it would be to any team’s detriment to underestimate the Matildas.
On current ranking the Australian’s go into the Olympics as the sixth highest ranked countries but with the likes of World Number One USA, and number two Germany, in the mix they may have a harder time winning than they did in Japan.
Football in the Rio Olympics kicks off on August 3.
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