Mumbai, Jan 26 (PTI) Title contenders Australia have secured their place in the quarterfinals after two dominating wins and they would look to continue their strong show against Thailand in their final group B match of the women’s Asian Cup here on Thursday.
That the Matildas will be one of the eight teams to advance to the knock-outs is certain, but they require at least a point against Thailand to be sure of becoming group winners.
The Thais, on the other hand, will have a complicated knockout stage equation when they face the 2010 champions at the Mumbai Football Arena.
Australia head coach Tony Gustavsson warned his players against expecting a drop in their standards during Thursday’s match.
Gustavsson’s side have taken no prisoners since touching down in Mumbai, piling on 22 unanswered goals in wins over Indonesia and the Philippines, and living up to their billing as title contenders.
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup co-hosts have fielded exceptionally strong starting line-ups in their group stage matches, with stars like Sam Kerr, Ellie Carpenter and Steph Catley all starting on both occasions.
Gustavsson hinted at possible changes for his side’s third and final match in Mumbai but declared there would be no letup in terms of how they approach the match itself.
“We’re going to treat that game the same way we’ve done with these two. We have two main targets for the group stage. One was to win the group, and two was to get out of the group peaking physically and mentally going into the playoffs,” he said.
“Now we have secured a spot in the playoffs. A tie in the last game would secure that (top in group). We’re going to do that in a way that makes sure we have as many players as possible available for the quarter-final, but also peaking.” Australia’s path to winning the group — and booking a quarter-final date with either Japan or Korea Republic — is clear, but Thailand’s position in the race for the knockout stage is far more complicated.
The Thais are level with the Philippines on points after a Kanyana Chatthabutr-inspired 4-0 win over Indonesia on Monday, but the loss they suffered to Alen Stajcic’s side in their first match means they still sit third in the group standings.
To finish second, and book a direct place in the last eight, Thailand will certainly need to avoid defeat against Australia. They are also likely to require a favour from Indonesia against the Philippines while a third-placed finish would also give them a chance of progressing, provided they don’t lose heavily against the in-form Australians.
Australia cruised to a 6-0 win the last time the two sides met, during Tokyo Olympics qualifying, but their most recent Asian Cup meeting was far closer, with the Matildas advancing on penalties after a thrilling 2-2 semi-final draw in Amman in 2018.
In another group B match in Pune, Philippines can clinch their place in the quarter-finals if they defeat Indonesia.
The Philippines opened their campaign with an impressive 1-0 victory over Thailand. Against Australia, the Philippines held their own for 45 minutes before conceding four goals.
The grit shown against Australia is what head coach Alen Stajcic expects from his players when they take on Indonesia and the Australian tactician believes his players are inspired to succeed.
Indonesia, playing in the tournament after a 33-year absence, were dealt a steep learning curve in their 18-0 defeat to Australia with Rudy Eka Priyambada’s side then suffering a 4-0 loss to Thailand.
Given Indonesia’s inexperience, Priyambada believes there is room to grow for his developing squad especially with a number of them below the age of 23. PTI PDS PDS AH AH
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