Matildas qualify for Paris Olympics with 10-0 win over Uzbekistan
Four-goal star Michelle Heyman prepares to shoot in Wednesday night’s Matildas win against Uzbekistan. Photo: Getty
The ruthless Matildas have thrashed Uzbekistan 10-0 to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games in style, with Michelle Heyman scoring four goals to put her hand up for a ticket to Paris.
Australia led the tie 3-0 after Saturday’s first leg in Tashkent but blew Uzbekistan out of the water to win 13-0 on aggregate, with Caitlin Foord, Kaitlyn Torpey, Mary Fowler, Hayley Raso and Amy Sayer also scoring.
Temperatures hit 36 degrees Celsius in Melbourne earlier on Wednesday, but it didn’t deter a crowd of 54,120, which included Olympic greats Cathy Freeman and Anna Meares.
The Matildas took the lead inside 34 seconds at Marvel Stadium and never looked back, with Fowler at her spellbinding best in an eight-goal first-half rout.
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Heyman, 35, who also scored in Tashkent, replaced Emily van Egmond for her first international start since March 2018.
The striker’s movement and guile proved far too hot for Uzbekistan to handle as she snared a hat-trick inside the first 16 minutes.
Second-gamer Torpey, 23, had a hand in three goals and scored her first international goal in her own compelling audition for the 18-player Olympics squad.
Australia took the lead when Torpey’s squaring ball deflected off Uzbek defender Dilrabo Asadova for an own goal.
Three minutes later, Fowler launched a diagonal ball from the left and Torpey brilliantly stuck out her right leg to cut the ball across goal.
Clare Hunt fluffed her shot but Heyman was on hand to tuck it away.
Matildas fans show their passion for the team during Wednesday night’s goalfest at Marvel Stadium. Photo: Getty
For the third, in the eighth minute, Steph Catley lofted a ball in from the left that dipped for Heyman to nod home.
Heyman sealed her hat-trick when Fowler threaded a great ball behind the Uzbek defence for the striker to put away.
Torpey scored the fifth in the 22nd minute when Uzbekistan failed to clear a corner and she rifled a close-range strike into the roof of the net.
Rarely troubled, Mackenzie Arnold made a strong save to deny Uzbekistan captain Lyudmila Karachik in the 28th minute.
Six minutes later, Katrina Gorry picked out Fowler with a wonderful inside pass and the playmaker rifled home.
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In the 38th minute, Uzbekistan failed to deal with a Kyra Cooney-Cross free kick and Foord pounced for Australia’s seventh.
On the stroke of half-time, Uzbekistan cleared a corner off the line but Torpey squared it for Heyman to stoop and head home her fourth.
Heyman, Foord, Gorry and Ellie Carpenter came off at half-time, for Sayer, Tameka Yallop, van Egmond and Raso, while Charli Grant replaced Catley in the 65th minute.
Raso rifled home in the 68th while Sayer’s first international goal in the fourth minute of injury time put an exclamation mark on the victory.
