Olympic Games ~ Sydney 2000
13-28 September

 
MATILDAS SO CLOSE TO SEMIFINALS BERTH

19 September 2000
Brazil 2 (Raquel 56, Katia 64) defeated  Australia 1 (Sunni Hughes 33)
Sydney Football Stadium
Crowd 29,400

A win to Australia in this clash against world number three Brazil would have sent the Matildas into the Olympic semifinals. A brilliant performance earned the Matildas the first-half lead, only to give away two errors and the dream quickly dissolved.

The Aussies immediately took the game to Brazil and were clearly the better team. Alicia Ferguson and Sharon Black came close within the first eleven minutes of play, both with neat first-time volleys.

Then in the 33rd minute, the home side took the lead to send the vocal crowd into raptures. A Sunni Hughes slice of absolute magic was soon deservedly dubbed the goal of the tournament, a goal even the Brazilians would have been proud of. A ball inside from the left found Hughes with her back to goal. The veteran striker took one touch then dinked the ball backwards over the top of her marker, ran through to collect the ball on the other side before finishing with a drive from 16 metres into the back of the net. The goal also gave Hughes the share of the lead with Salisbury for all-time top scorer.

But the 56th minute equaliser proved the turning point of the game, a misdirected pass at the back allowing Raquel in with a long distance lob into the open net over the stranded keeper. Just eight minutes later, the Brazilians' second goal put the game out of reach of the Matildas. With the ball not cleared out of defence, Katia won the race to the loose ball, beat two flat defenders, and drove home.

Australia almost breathed some life back into their cause in the 88th minute, an Alicia Ferguson goal disallowed for a mystery offside.

Australia : Wheeler, Salisbury, Starr, Alagich, Tann-Darby, Black (Garriock 70), McShea (Golebiowski 74), Forman, Duus (Wilson 62), Ferguson, Hughes.

Brazil : Andreia, Juliana, Daniela, Tania, Cidinha, Katia, Sissi, Pretinha (Roseli 74), Raquel (Formiga 57), Simone, Rosana (Maicon 46).

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