![]() ![]() “It’s a little bit easier to lose concentration in these kind of games if you don’t get too much of the ball, goalkeeper especially. ![]() “ is to stay switched on,” goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold said. Much talk in the buildup has centred on the need for Gustavsson’s charges to remain patient and avoid getting frustrated when faced by a solid defensive block. Only Japan managed to get the better of them in a 2-0 win at Bunyodkor stadium – the venue which hosts the Matildas on Saturday.ĭefensive solidity and a willingness to sit back and soak up pressure has served the Uzbeks well on their journey so far, and the Matildas are expecting similar tactics to be employed over the course of the next week. Uzbekistan have reached this stage of the qualifying process on merit – upsetting Vietnam – who had smashed them 7-0 at the Asian Games just weeks earlier – and beating India on their way to placing as the best runner-up across the three qualifying groups. ![]() The two sides have only met once before – also in an Olympic qualifier, all the way back in 2007 when the Matildas won 10-0 in 2007 – but a similarly lopsided result is unlikely to be repeated. But Australia know they underestimate their opponents at their peril. The 12th-ranked Matildas, fresh off their barnstorming run at last year’s Women’s World Cup and with a squad filled with players who ply their trade in the top leagues in the world, understandably enter the tie as heavy favourites. Lose and their Olympic dream will be over for another four years. Post an aggregate victory and they will stamp their tickets to Paris in July as one of 12 teams contesting for medals in France – and give themselves a chance to go better than their fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Games. ![]()
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