The Matildas came back to provide us with one of the most entertaining and exciting games of the international tournament so far, beating Zambia 6-5 to keep their hopes alive of making it out of the group stages. Zambia had lost to the USWNT in the opening game, whereas the Matildas lost their first game against Germany 3-0 — giving both teams everything to play for. The game was intense, close, and high-scoring — everything we asked for when we tuned in to watch the Paris Olympics.
Matildas Beat Zambia 6-5
The Matildas showed their heart, grit, and determination to the world as they came back from behind to win against the African team and keep their dream alive in the Olympics. They were behind the Zambian team 4-2 at halftime, with a lot of ground to make up if they had any chance of drawing or winning the game for their country. The Zambian side was led by Barbra Banda, the captain who had a formidable hat trick against the tough Australian side. However, the Matildas never gave up and led one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the sport.
Heyman, a player in the A-League in Australia who was recently recalled to the squad after an absence, was the unlikely hero for the Tillies. She was subbed on around the 60th minute and eventually scored the winning goal in the last minute of play for the Matildas, sending the stadium in Paris into a frenzy.
The scoring opened in just the first minute with Banda netting, showing the Matildas they can’t let their foot off the gas for one minute. Kennedy scored in the 7th minute for the Matildas, but Zambia pulled one back in the 21st minute. Raso, a winger for Real Madrid, scored in the 35th minute to make them level. However, Zambia got the edge before halftime and scored in the 2nd minute of added time before the teams headed in for their break.
At the beginning of the second half, Kaitlyn Torpey came on for Gorry who is still working her way back to full fitness from her injury. Heyman also came in for Raso, the second goalscorer. Kundananji scored just before the subs were made, prompting Gustavsson to change something up — and it’s a good thing he did. He also brought on Wheeler for van Egmond, making the triple substitution after his team went down 4-2. Right after the subs were made, Zambia scored again. It looked like everything was going wrong for Australia, but they never lost hope.
However, an own goal saw Australia back in the game at 5-3. Just minutes later, Steph Catley scored a goal in the 65th minute. She then buried the penalty kick earned by her teammate in the 78th minute, bringing the score to 5-5. In the last minute of play, Heyman latched onto a through ball by Catley who was able to beat her defender and slot the ball into the back of the net.
Matildas Reactions
The Matildas were shocked, happy, and surprised at how the game went. Steph Catley, the captain, goal scorer, and assister who shone in the game, had a few words to stay post-match. “It was a… very eventful day,” Catley said afterward. “We obviously wouldn’t want it to go exactly how it did, but I think the way the game ended says so much about the heart and spirit of this team. We were 5-2 down around the 55th minute and didn’t drop our heads once. We knew we could get back into it. We knew we could score goals…But at the end of the day, we needed a win. And we did.”
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