Roar Guru
The Matildas are through to the quarter-finals of Rio 2016 after dismantling Zimbabwe 6-1.
It was all one-way traffic for the Australians from the outset, with Lisa De Vanna finding the back of the net in just the second minute.
Clare Polkinghorne would extend the margin just 13 minutes later, before Alanna Kennedy made it a three-goal advantage at halftime, sending home a header off an Elise Kellond-Knight corner.
The second half would start in much the same fashion as the first, with Kyah Simon joining in on the action with a slick finish in the 49th minute.
Michelle Heyman would then secure herself a brace in just 11 minutes of play to give Australia a six-goal advantage with 25 minutes left.
The Matildas would hold their six-goal to nil advantage right through until Zimbabwe secured a consolation goal in injury time to make it 6-1.
So after a shaky start to their Olympic campaign, the Matildas are through to the business end of the competition and will face either the United States or Brazil.
Final score:
Australia 6
Zimbabwe 1
Australia’s Matildas cannot afford anything less than a win against Zimbabwe to maintain any hope of qualifying for the quarter-finals at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Join The Roar from 5am (AEST) for live scores and coverage.
After a disappointing start to their campaign, with a 2-nil loss to Canada, the Matildas managed a 2-all draw against power-side Germany.
However, the Matildas will be disappointed with only getting a point from Germany, given the heartbreaking nature of the result.
The Aussies found themselves 2-1 up, then with just two minutes left in the match, Clare Polkinghorne scored an own goal to gift the Germans a point.
However, despite two poor results, the Matildas are still able to make the top eight – they just need a win to ensure they are in the running.
Standing in their way is Zimbabwe. The African nation has been dominated in both of their matches, going down 6-1 to Germany and 3-1 to Canada.
Zimbabwe have shown bursts of attacking promise in both their games, and have two goals to show for it. Should the Matildas get complacent at any time, they may end up paying for it.
Prediction
Australia know what’s on the line, and can’t afford anything less than a win.
Expect the Matildas to get the job done in emphatic fashion. The rest is out of their hands.
Australian Matildas 3-0 Zimbabwe