Matildas target world’s best ahead of do-or-die clash
WATCH out Team USA – the Matildas are coming ‘for the kill’.
Declaring ‘our time is now’, Australia have put a target on the gold medal fancies and world’s No.1 team ahead of Tuesday’s all important fixture – where a win would secure safe passage to the quarter-finals for either team.
Australia didn’t attempt to hide their disappointment after the 4-2 defeat to Sweden, conceding that a sloppy 15-minute period in the second half – in which they conceded twice to give up the lead – was extremely costly in a match they’d dominated at times.
And while, with a win over New Zealand already to their name, it’s possible Australia could progress to the quarter-finals regardless of their result against the USA, they insist only a win will satisfy.
“This next game, the US, it’s a lot for us just to prove how good we are – we should’ve got that win (against Sweden) and we didn’t but now we have another chance to show what we’re made of,” Emily Gielnik said.
“We don’t want to have to leave it up to any sort of goal difference or anything like that. We’re going after the US and we need it to be a promising, convincing win right from the start.
“It gives us confidence knowing we played so well against Sweden and they demolished the US 3-0.
“At this point we’re going into every game no matter how good they are, ranked 15, ranked No.1, we want to win. It needs to be our best performance by far … It doesn’t matter how big of a team or country (the USA) are, we’re going in for the kill.”
Like coach Tony Gustavsson, Gielnik and defender Clare Polkinghorne felt they deserved more from the Sweden clash.
“I actually believe we were the better team,” Gielnik said.
“I felt like we had a lot of good possession, but it just comes down to chances and taking them and we just aren’t converting those chances.
“There’s lots of positivity because we’re creating those chances. But it’s bittersweet because I felt like we really had the upper hand and didn’t capitalise when we needed to.”