It’s ‘life and death’ for Matildas
BELIEVE in yourself. Trust the game plan. It’s life or death.
The Matildas enter their Olympic campaign with a simple message drilled into them by coach Tony Gustavsson, which they will take into Wednesday’s opening match against traditional rivals New Zealand.
Training in the baking Tokyo heat on Tuesday, the Matildas were put through their paces for 90 minutes in an energy-sapping session – before Gustavsson dragged them into a circle and rammed home his final message.
The eruption of applause after the coach finished spoke more about the squad’s optimism than any recent on-field results.
“Any game in any big tournament you’ve got to treat it as life and death,” veteran Aivi Luik said.
“When you’re playing a rival like New Zealand, and a longtime rival, you’ve got to go into the game 110 per cent, and that’s what we’re going to do.
“We’re all ready, we’ve been training hard, been prepping for a long time together. We’re waiting for that final whistle, in we go, and just trust our game plan.”
One thing is certain: Olympic debutant Luik will leave nothing out on the pitch. At 36, she’s the oldest member of the Matildas and she thought her Olympic hopes had evaporated after missing the boat in 2016 for the Rio Games.
Her concerns rose another level when Tokyo was postponed by 12 months due to Covid.
However, the veteran midfield-turned-defensive powerhouse will be charged with leading the defensive line for Gustavsson as the Matildas seek to tighten up at the back after some porous displays.
“It was always my goal to eventually play in an Olympics,” Luik said. “Towards the last few years, if I’m being honest, I definitely had doubts – for the obvious reasons.
“Missing out on the last one, and having this Olympics pushed back another year because of Covid, there were definitely uncertainties.”
Luik, a winner at every level in a career that’s taken her to success in the A-League and across Europe, had a weight lifted from her shoulders when she received her ticket to Tokyo.
However, it came with a tinge of sadness for those who were treading the path she had walked when the Rio Olympics raged on.