The Matildas went into the Paris Olympics confident they could win gold, but that dream already looks unlikely after they were beaten 3-0 by Germany in their first group match.
Tony Gustavsson’s side looked like a shadow at times in Marseille and were lucky not to concede five or six goals against the country ranked fourth in the world.
A first-half header from Marina Hegering gave Germany the lead from a corner, with shots from Lea Schüller and Jule Brand securing the score in the second half.
After the match, a disheartened Gustavsson described the loss as a ‘wake-up call’ – and Australia must now beat Zambia on Monday morning [July 29, 3am AEDT] to have any chance of advancing beyond the group stage.
Fortunately, you don’t need to use a calculator for this tournament, as there are no draws.
A win against Zambia is essential. A loss would spell the end for the Matildas, but with the African nation ranked 92nd in the world, it would be a seismic loss if the Tillies were defeated.
The United States have already beaten Zambia 3-0, which is bad news for Australia. It means the Matildas will be sweating on Germany beating the US to keep their destiny in their own hands.
If Germany win, they will top the group and it will be a showdown between the United States and Australia.
If the US beats Germany, the Matildas will have to pray for a ‘boilover’ result in the Zambia-Germany match [which will be played at the same time as Australia v USA]or the curtains again.
The Matildas went into the Paris Olympics confident they could win gold, but were outclassed 3-0 by Germany in their group opener (pictured: captain Steph Catley)
The US will be on a roll after their humiliating elimination in the group stage of the World Cup. We should not underestimate that.
The US may have slipped to fifth in the world rankings, but they have only lost once in 12 games this year, scoring 27 goals. That’s an average of just over two goals per game.
On paper it seems doable, but the Matildas have only beaten the US once in the 33 games they have played, and they average just one goal per game against this traditional powerhouse.
The hoodoo was broken in 2017 during the Tournament of Nations, but it remains the only time in history that the Matildas have defeated the USA.
To qualify for a medal, the Matildas simply need to beat a team they have never beaten before and who are in top form, without Sam Kerr.
And that after captain Steph Catley admitted the Matildas were second-rate against Germany.
“We have two more games and we have to turn it around quickly. We can learn a lot from this,” she said.
“We are usually much, much better on set pieces. It was not our level and we have to be better for the next game and turn this tournament around.”
Matildas fans were furious on social media during the full-time match, with Mary Fowler coming under fire after her disappointing performance
Tony Gustavsson’s team were sometimes looking for shadows in Marseille and were lucky not to concede five or six goals
Frustrated Matildas fans reacted fiercely on social media, with young Mary Fowler particularly in the firing line.
‘She [Fowler] is such a frustrating player. Like many creative players before her, she’s just so hot and cold,” said one fan on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Is Mary Fowler allowed to touch the ball or something? I honestly didn’t even know she was on the field,” fumed another fan.
And the third supporter responded with: ‘Terrible performance! The two worst players on the field were Mary Fowler and Alanna Kennedy.’
Socceroos great Craig Foster blamed the defence for the lacklustre performance.
‘Alanna [Kennedy] and Ellie [Carpenter] “They got themselves into trouble there,” he noted in his commentary after the first goal.
‘Ellie went the wrong way and her defender came in [at the far post]Her body posture [was off]she couldn’t see.’