https://www.matildas.com.au/news/commbank-matildas-23-player-squad-named-contest-vital-paris-2024-asian-qualifiers

Arnold
Carpenter - Hunt - Kennedy - Catley
Raso - Gorry - CooneyCross - Foord
Vanegmond - Fowler

Micah
Torpey - Polkinghorne - Luik - Grant
Vine - Wheeler - Yallop - Logarzo
Sayer - Heymann

Whyman

https://youtu.be/9faqOTbItIo?si=mZUokhyArmk1beGB

https://www.news.com.au/sport/football/matildas-and-mexico-to-meet-in-april-for-the-first-time-in-13-years/news-story/c08de013f6709f9e3a414d66169d98c2

It's been a long time coming, today we take on 🇺🇿 in our #Paris2024 play-off first leg! 💚💛

⚽: #UZBvAUS
⏰: 2.00pm (local) / 8.00pm AEDT
🏟: Milliy Stadium, Tashkent
📺💻📱: LIVE on 10 Football, Paramount+ & 10 play

#Matildas #TilitsDone #AllezAUS

Hopefully put the tie away with a few goals in the first half. Interesting the betting odds have us a 5 goal fav for the away leg. I can see it being more difficult than that tonight. 

France and Spain finished top 2 in Europe, given France qualified automatically anyway their spot will go to third which is Netherlands v Germany Thursday morning. 

So it's feeling of minus 1 in Tashkent. Not something that'll faze the European based players though. A strong and experienced line up named. 

https://www.youtube.com/live/AOuO2khrz1o?si=vLgI53wrx7IW-r3f
Works in some countries 

That was painful to watch the 1st half from the Matildas. 

Playing better 2nd half, but finishing is horrific.

Van Egmond misses an open goal from half way inside the 5 yard box. 

1:0 Australia. Heyman's header will probably be given as an own goal as the defender flicks it in.

Was going in anyway though? In all seriousness we should be winning the home leg by double figures. 

Pretty hard for the defender to keep out.

The finishing here is ridiculously poor. These players are full time professionals, and their execution is that of weekend warriors.
And now Fowler at least shows how to do it.

Nicely taken goal by Fowler. 2:0

A lot of arrogant complacency today I feel. Ruso had an angle shot earlier. On target but so soft. I guess every game is its own thing so the energy needed against Canada isn't comparable to this one today as we just score a third. It's always the question. While slow and lethargic against weaker teams, will we lift against the bigger ones Generally that seems to be the case with both national teams.

They've tired badly Uzbekistan. The tie is over now and pressure off the home leg, we really should put up a big score at home. 

That was 60 minutes of Van Egmond wrecking every attack as striker. I have to say it is not her fault she was put there, but she is slow, does not anticipate well as a striker (if at all), has bugger all finishing grace and composure, and gets in the way of players who do know what they are doing.

There were so many opportunities wasted in those 60 minutes as we were crying our for a genuine striker. Not the greatest first half - we were quite jaded in our build up and choices. Conditions would have had something to do with that, and the Uzbek organisation, commitment and no small amount of individual skill all over the pitch made sure we were in a game.

Gorry has lost her passing ability. We saw it at the World Cup and she did the same this game. Her work rate and defensive ability is great - owning the midfield and stopping countless attacks, but her turnovers and misplaced passing reduces her impact significantly. Teams who can punish turnovers in the back half would make that a negative we could not ignore.

I cannot stand the commentators always talking up the players as they play. I am all for supporting the team, but to say that everything is unlucky, or that they are just a bit off, or whatever other spin they come up with when players get in each other's way, make hideous decisions, or otherwise make error after error is annoying. It is as bad as listening to the NZ commentators in a Nix game. Give us some honest balance to the calls please! To hear how we knew we were going to need patience, and keep at it until the 60th minute substitutions then hear that we are finally wearing them down and showing some form is insulting to our football intelligence. It was finally putting a striker in the strikers role FFS and that was all it took.

I cannot understand our idiot coach putting Van Egmond up front when he has sensibly brought Heyman into the team. It is the inflexible self-belief in his own model and playing group that makes him such a bad coach and is seemingly a quality of a national coach for us. But at least the players all like him so he must be good...

I did not enjoy the first 60minutes and we were lucky not to concede first (taking into account how we actually should have been up by several goals in the first half and couldn't finish). It was only after we had a striker on that the team was finally able to play a full pitch of football. That is once again entirely on Gustavvson. The team played without group focus and cohesion in the first hour despite many players doing an excellent job individually.

Conditions, lack of training together, unsettled by the unusual travel to Uzbekistan, whatever things had a part in the poorer aspects of our game tonight. Those things we can look forward to being removed from our next game. If The Idiot does not replace Van Egmond with Heyman from the start, keeps Van Egmond anywhere near the forward line, or in my own personal opinion even has her in the run on side - then to be honest I will not be surprised. But I will be screaming on the inside once again.

We are so much better than what we saw tonight.

Should be fine. An early goal to settle things then try some stuff.

I see North Korea Japan had a goalless draw and it was played in Saudi Arabia. Surely Japan win the home leg. 

3-0 within 10 minutes. 

Japan North Korea has just started.

Crazy Uzbekistan made it this far really. Looking at previous results they lost 7-0 to China and 8-0 to North Korea late last year. 

Poor bloody Uzbekistan.

Time to take the foot off the pedal.

They beat Vietnam and india and only lost to Japan 2-0

Why oh why does Gustavsson put van Egmond on. We all know what she does, i.e., slow everything down, not track back, lose possession regularly, etc. Perfect time to look at someone else.

I am afraid that the scoreline is going to hide a lot of weakness in this side.

Mckenzie-Arnold made a terrific save one on one to deny the one golden opportunity Uzbekistan had - but what the fuck was our defence doing? Our striker was the only player putting pressure on the entire track back and we did have one other defender around there making the effort but not good enough. Are they just slow or lazy? The scoreline may be making them overconfident and that is such a worry looking forward to better opposition.

In the first 2 minutes of the game our 'passes' were intercepted 4 times - the last of them unfortunately redirecting the ball into the net for our opening goal. We really have not improved that much for the rest of the game - with just about every good bit of play marred by a bad pass.

Heyman is a quality striker. She earns goals as much as she takes opportunities. Nothing bad to say about her. Same with Fowler - such quality and composure she belongs at the top level.

Kennedy reminding me of why I used to cringe when she was selected - mistakes that cost games - only we are lucky enough to have a struggling Uzbekistan as our opposition. With the team able to dominate and control the play why is she storming through looking for a goal? She is a CB and that is where we needed her in case the Uzbeks got away (like they did).

Foord is her ball hogging, goal blind normal selfish self tonight. She scores goals, but I look at how many she stuffs up when there are open players in better positions. Tunnel vision is a huge weakness with her.

Torpey concerns me. She has passed to Uzbek players or been intercepted so many times tonight that it overwhelms the positive aspects of her game. Defensively she is pretty good, and she makes great positional runs, but her inaccurate passing to better teams will see us exposed and gone. Same as Gorry. All well and good to get on the scoresheet when the scoreboard is heavily in your favour, but it would make much more sense to play controlled football and try and get that back. We need to improve that facet of our play and theplayers who are most guilty of inaccuracy are not taking their chance to work on it under lesser pressure.

The rest are doing pretty well - constructing and defending and showing us what we should be able to do. I am liking it when we genuinely play through and around the Uzbek team - who are still harassing us enough to make it an achievement to play well through them.

Too much of a party game tonight. Now should be when we look to improve our teamwork and quality so it is sharpened when we need it. I fear what we take out of this game will be an 'invulnerable' feeling that is not deserved.

Hopefully not a second half of sweeping changes and Van Egmond. Come on Gustavsson - earn your money and get us playing better regardless of goals.

Play as poorly against better teams and we are screwed again.

For a supposed attacking player, Sayer has butchered some very good chances. And as I type Raso finally manages to put one in the net after having multiple opportunities to score or set someone up.

Yeap

The Matildas certainly butcher so many chances. Playing better teams there is no way they can afford to be such poor finishers.