Star forward Hayley Raso believes the Matildas play their best football when they’re up against it.
With Australia almost certainly needing a win against Canada to claw their way out of the group stage, Raso trusts her teammates will put their shock 3-2 loss to Nigeria behind them and deliver a performance worthy of the Matildas’ trademark “never say die” viewpoint.
“For us, we’ve got that never say die attitude, we’ve got that fighting spirit. It’s about belief and knowing that we can win,” Raso told Football Australia.
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“When we step out there (against Canada), when we cross that line, we are all going to be raring to go.”
While acknowledging the disappointing loss to Nigeria, Raso said the team had put the result behind them and turned their focus to conquering Canada.
“In tournament football, it’s important to make sure you turn the corner quickly,” she said.
“You can’t really relish in the highs too long and the same with the lows.
“You have to leave them behind you.
“You have to put all of your focus into the next game because they come around quickly.”
In turning over a new leaf, Raso said the team had conducted a thorough analysis of the squad’s performance last Thursday night which included getting to the root cause of some of the team’s fatal mistakes.
“You have to do a bit of analysis on it, you have to work through what went well, what didn’t, and why the result was the way it was,” she said.
“We’ve done that analysis, we’ve been back out on the training pitch, everyone is in a really good state of mind and looking forward to the next game.”
Sitting third in group B, the Matildas are precariously placed. Losing, in any case, would see the Matildas bomb out.
A win against Canada would ensure the Matildas advance to the round of 16. However, there is another situation in which they can progress if they draw.
In the event the Matildas draw with Canada, they would be on four and five points respectively.
If Nigeria beat or draw with the Irish, then Nigeria would advance. If the as-yet winless Irish beat Nigeria then the Matildas and Nigeria will end up level on points.
Tie-breaker rules would come into effect. Goal difference is the first determining factor. The Matildas currently hold a goal difference of zero, to Nigeria’s one
A one-goal win for Ireland would leave Nigeria and the Matildas level on goal difference.
If Ireland wins by two goals, then the Matildas are through.
An even goal difference would then defer to the greatest number of goals. To date, each side has three goals.
A third determinator, head-to-head results, would see Nigeria progress.
While there are a myriad of ways the Matildas can advance, Raso is confident the squad can make diamonds under pressure and get the win over Canada to make it as straightforward as possible.
“It means that the playoffs start now, so far us we know it’s a must-win,” she said.
“We’re fighters. I think we play and perform well when our backs are up against the wall. So, we know we have to win and we’ll go out there and make sure we do that.
Australia go into the match having come up against Canada twice in friendlies on home soil last September. On both occasions they were unable to get the job done, succumbing to the reigning Olympic champions 2-1 and 1-0.
“I think it’s important that we’ve played against them recently,” Raso said.
“We know the way they play, we’ve watched a lot of clips on them as well.
“It definitely helps when you’ve played against them recently to be able to know what you need to do to win the game.”
Making the trip to Melbourne, AAMI Park is traditionally a happy hunting ground for the Matildas.
But to make certain that Australia get over the line, Raso called on stadium-goers bring their loudest voices.
“It’s exciting going to Melbourne – they say the sporting capital. I’m sure we’ll have a lot of fans there,” she said.
“We need to make sure they get behind us because we hear them, we always do.
”We’re looking forward to being in Melbourne, being in that stadium and getting the game started.”
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