Despite losing a comfortable lead, Australia captain Steph Catley described Zambia as an incredible team.
The Copper Queens led 4-2 at halftime, thanks to a hat-trick by captain Barbra Banda.
However, Australia rallied in the second half, scoring four goals in one of Olympic football’s greatest comebacks.
Michelle Heyman, a substitute striker, was the ultimate hero, entering the game just before the hour with the score 5-2 and eventually scoring the winning goal in the 90th minute.
Speaking after the match, Catley described the match as eventful. She stated that her side was confident of getting back into the match despite conceding five goals before the hour mark.
“It was a very eventful day,” Catley said. “We obviously wouldn’t want it to go exactly how it did, but I think the way the game ended says so much about the heart and spirit of this team.”
She added: “We were 5-2 down around the 55th minute and didn’t drop our heads once. We knew we could get back into it. We knew we could score goals.”
Catley admits Barbra Banda is one of the most in-form strikers
She has described Banda, the first female footballer to score three hat-tricks at the Olympics, as one of the world’s most in-form strikers.
According to the Matildas captain, the Zambian skipper showed her quality by scoring three goals and assisting once.
“Obviously, we didn’t want to concede all of [those], but I think Zambia are an incredible team. They’ve got one of the most in-form strikers in the world in Barbra Banda; we knew she was going to be dangerous, and she showed her quality, but we didn’t handle it very well,” she said.
The Matildas will now face the United States on Wednesday, while Zambia will play Germany on the same day.
With the United States already qualified, a win for Germany, Australia, or Zambia, who have a slim chance, could see them advance to the next round.
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