The Matildas promised to “finish the job” in the second leg of their Olympic Games qualifier against Uzbekistan in Melbourne on Wednesday night.
The Australians put one foot on the plane to qualify for this year's Paris Games after winning the first leg last Saturday 3-0 in freezing Tashkent thanks to goals from Michelle Heyman, Mary Fowler and Caitlin Ford.
Having arrived home on Monday morning, the Matildas have no intention of disappointing the packed crowd at Marvel Stadium on Wednesday by allowing the superior Uzbek side to stage a miraculous comeback.
“Get the job done,” Matildas star Ellie Carpenter said when asked what her team would do in the second leg.
“We are three goals ahead but we don't go into the game completely different. The score is 0-0 for us. “We want to put in a very strong performance on Wednesday night to clinch the Olympic qualifiers.”
The Matildas were supposed to have a much greater advantage heading into the second leg, but wasted a host of chances in Tashkent.
“We knew it was difficult to play away from home, because of some of the travel as well, (and with) the very cold conditions,” right-back Carpenter said.
“We knew it would be very difficult to break them down, but getting three goals away from home was very important for us.”
Veteran striker Heyman broke the deadlock in Tashkent in her first appearance for the Matildas since 2018.
“It's an incredible feeling to be back playing for the Oz, and to be back with the girls and scoring goals is something I love doing,” said the 35-year-old Canberra United forward, whose first goal was for the Matildas since then. He scored against Zimbabwe at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
He added: “Scoring the goal that opened the way for the rest of the team is an incredible feeling, and I feel honored and privileged to get a second chance.”
Heyman said the Matildas would have no problems preparing properly for the second leg despite the short wait and long flight from Tashkent via Dubai.
“It's unbelievable how professional the Matildas are here. We'll have ice baths when we get back to Australia,” she said.
“For me, to be able to get out on the field and play in front of my friends and family, it will be a surreal moment.
“I've never had so many of my friends and family come out to watch me play, so it's going to be really special.”
Women's Asian Qualifiers Paris 2024 – Round 3
(second stop)
Australia vs Uzbekistan
Wednesday, 8 PM (EST)
Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
Broadcast: Network 10
(Matildas lead 3-0 on aggregate after the first leg)
Originally published as Matildas ready to seal Olympic qualifiers in Melbourne
