A trio of late goals handed the Matildas a strong first-leg advantage in their push for a berth in the Paris Olympics, with Australia claiming a 3-0 lead over minnows Uzbekistan ahead of the return leg in Melbourne on Wednesday.
The Matildas dominated the match but some wayward shooting and sloppiness in the final third saw them struggle to break down Uzbekistan’s defence in freezing conditions in Tashkent.
Eight minutes into the second half, veteran Emily van Egmond missed a golden chance when a cross from the left wing found her inside the six yard box, only for her shot to be miscued horribly.
But substitute Michelle Heyman, in her first Matildas appearance in six years, came off the bench and finally broke the deadlock in the 74th minute – and the floodgates soon opened.
A corner deflected off defender Clare Hunt’s shoulder into the crossbar and popped up, with Heyman leaping highest to head it home.
It was her 21st international goal, eight years after her last in the green and gold – against Zimbabwe on 9 August 2016 at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
A beaming Heyman called it a “dream come true”.
“Back playing for my country, to come on and score a goal, it’s a dream come true,” Heyman said.
“It’s what I wanted and I’m so happy to get it done – it’s a really nice feeling.”
Told it was her first goal since 2016, she said: “I didn’t know. That’s just wild!”
“It felt like it was just yesterday” she was last in the team, she added.
The 35-year-old had retired from international football after missing out on the 2019 Olympics, and subsequently took a year off club football, but has returned to her best goalscoring form for Canberra United this season. She currently leads the A-League Womens’ golden boot race.
Ten minutes later, Mary Fowler doubled the lead with a driving run through a pack of defenders before unleashing a powerful low shot from the edge of the area that rolled into the bottom corner in unsaveable fashion.
Two minutes later, Arsenal attacker Caitlin Foord made it three with a simple headed finish when a cross from club teammate Steph Catley found her unmarked in front of goal. It was her 34th goal for Australia.
Heyman’s selection came after captain Sam Kerr was ruled out of the entire Olympics campaign – and more – due to a serious knee injury, with the Matildas turning to the veteran striker for attacking reinforcements. It was her first game in 1,912 days.
Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson said: “Really happy for her, I know how hard she’s worked for a really long time… once she comes in she’s done exactly what she’s here to do, scoring goals off the bench.”
The Matildas were also without Cortnee Vine (personal reasons), and struggled for large periods of the match despite dominating possession.
Gustavsson said: “I think it was a very mature performance, we didn’t panic or get frustrated… at the same time there was some technical mistakes today and we need to admit we left a lot of goals out there.
“Our conversion rate would have been really bad.”
Fowler said: “I think those games can be difficult because they’re frustrating at times… we got the job done and the goals came in the second half. It just goes to show how much that patience was important today.”
She said the team “needs to be a bit more clinical with those chances” but added it was positive that the team was creating so many opportunities.
World number 47 Uzbekistan had never qualified for the Women’s World Cup or Olympics before, but fought hard and were disciplined in defence, despite managing just one shot to Australia’s 26.
The teams meet again in Melbourne next Wednesday night.
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TEAM NEWS
Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson shuffled his team, with star attacker Caitlin Foord dropped to the bench due to her high number of match minutes this league season with Arsenal.
Kaitlyn Torpey made her senior debut, wearing Sam Kerr’s iconic number 20 – though that’s because Olympics rules mean every player must wear a number between 1 and 22.
The 23-year-old fullback recently left Melbourne City for San Diego Wave for an A-League Women’s transfer record, and performed well in an attacking role before being taken off at half-time.
Torpey said: “It’s amazing, my emotions are high right now, just trying to take it all in… I’m so happy.”
“It’s a level up. I was ready for it but there’s a lot to learn… there’s so much I can improve on, which is exciting.”
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