Youthful Matildas too strong for Hong Kong
A youthful Australian line-up was far too strong for Hong Kong as the Matildas recorded a comprehensive 8-1 win in their penultimate Beijing Olympic qualifying match at the Hong Kong Stadium this afternoon.
The Australian team adapted well to the extremely hot and humid conditions and secured a 4-0 lead at half time in a match played on an artificial surface.
Australia showed their dominance from the opening with midfielder Ellyse Perry scoring in just the second minute. Perry, who a fortnight ago became the youngest male or female cricketer to represent Australia, completed a unique double scoring for Australia on debut with a looping shot from the edge of the penalty area.
Their were further first half goals for Renee Rollason, Caitlin Cooper and Tameka Butt (pictured) with Australia dominating their opponent.
Australia added a fifth through a Hong Kong own goal soon after the interval before Wing Sze Chan scored from close range after a rare foray forward by the home team.
Australia went on to score a further three second half goals courtesy of a second from Rollason, a second own goal and a final strike from substitute Jenna Kingsley.
Despite the comprehensive win Australia-s hope of qualification were effectively dashed in July after successive losses against DPR Korea left the Matildas six points adrift with two matches remaining. DPR Korea will play their penultimate match overnight against Chinese Taipei.
The Matildas will play their final Beijing Olympic qualifier against Chinese Taipei in Coffs Harbour next Sunday (12 August).
The team will then travel to Tianjin for matches against China on August 16 and 19 in what will be the last international matches prior to the FIFA Women-s World Cup.
The team will commence their World Cup journey when they travel to China on September 5 at the conclusion of a four-day camp in Sydney.
Australia will open their campaign at the World Cup against Ghana on September 12 in Hangzhou. The Matildas will then meet world number four ranked team Norway on September 15 in the same city, before the final group match against Canada on September 19 in Chengdu.
Match Statistics:
Australia 8 (Ellyse Perry 2-, Renee Rollason 19-, 56-, Caitlin Cooper 34-, Tameka Butt 45-, O.G. 50-, 74- O.G., Jenna Kingsley 83-)
Hong Kong 1 (Wing Sze Chan 52-)
Australian line-up: Rachel Cooper (gk); Clare Polkinghorne (c), Rachel Doyle, Caitlin Cooper (Jenna Kingsley 66-), Lyndsay Glohe; Tameka Butt, Teresa Polias, Renee Rollason; Ellyse Perry (Grace Gill-McGrath 56-), Victoria Balomenos (Kyah Simon 39-), Elise Kellond-Knight
The squad for the match in Hong Kong on August 4 is:
Goalkeepers - Casey Dumont (Gold Coast), Rachel Cooper (Sydney)
Defenders - Caitlin Cooper (Sydney), Stacey Day (Adelaide), Rachel Doyle (Sydney), Grace Gill-McGrath (Canberra), Clare Polkinghorne (Brisbane)
Midfielders - Tameka Butt (Gold Coast), Lyndsay Glohe (Sydney), Ella Mastrantonio (Perth), Ellyse Perry (Sydney), Teresa Polias (Sydney), Elise Kellond-Knight (Brisbane), Renee Rollason (Sydney)
Forwards - Victoria Balomenos (Adelaide), Ashleigh Connor (Sydney), Jenna Kingsley (Sydney), Kyah Simon (Sydney) (current home city)
BEIJING OLYMPIC QUALIFYING FIXTURES Australia v Hong Kong 15-0 Saturday 7 April, 3pm BCU International Stadium, Coffs Harbour
Chinese Taipei v Australia 0-10 Sunday 15 April, 4pm Chungshan Stadium, Kaohslung, Chinese Taipei
DPR Korea v Australia 2-0 Sunday 3 June Yanggakdo Stadium, Pyongyang
Australia v North Korea 0-2 Sunday 10 June, 3pm BCU International Stadium, Coffs Harbour
Hong Kong v Australia 1-8 Saturday 4 August, 3.30pm Hong Kong Stadium
Australia v Chinese Taipei Sunday 12 August, 3pm BCU International Stadium, Coffs Harbour
TICKETS Tickets for the Matildas matches in Coffs Harbour are available online via www.coffsharbour.nsw.gov.au, from the Coffs Harbour City Council-s central ticketing system located at the Jetty Memorial Theatre, phone: 02 6652 8088 Mon-Fri 10.00am - 4.00pm, or at the gate on match day.
TV: SBS TV will broadcast a selection of matches from the 2007 FIFA Women-s World Cup including LIVE coverage of the opening ceremony match, semi-finals, final and ALL Matildas matches.