After the Matildas strong undefeated Olympic qualifying campaign in March, “we’re gunning for gold” were the messages coming from the camp.

Ironically when the chance to impress finally came, they were found out 2-0 against an outnumbered Canada in the first game of Group F.

Kellond-Knight, who was one of the better performers on the day had featured for the Matildas since 2007 and holds 73 caps to her name.

She also won the W-League twice with Brisbane Roar and has experience playing in Denmark, Japan and now Germany.

“Having all the experience I’ve had, I had a very realistic view of where we’re at. I know our level of football, we’re a good country, but I know we’re not the best country in terms of women’s football,” Kellond-Knight told FourFourTwo.

“In a tournament anything can happen, we’re capable of beating teams, but the amount of hype I think is a little bit overwhelming at times. Not all of us completely agree with it and then we start coming out making statements saying ‘we’re the world’s best and we can beat the world’s best’.

“Deep down we believe that, but it’s hard not to pump ourselves up. It’s a fine line, you want to have confidence, but you don’t want to have too much self-belief to the extent where you’re believing things that aren’t true.”

It doesn’t get easier for the Matildas turning their focus to powerhouse Germany on Sunday (7am AEST).

Kellond-Knight currently plays for Bundesliga side Turbine Potsdam and has a good level of familiarity with their style of play. The 25-year-old could also be up against club teammate Tabea Kemme should she get selected.

She conceded there was a deterioration in performance and quality since March after winning one of the last four games they had played since then.

“We haven’t been ideal in the last few months, you have to look at the previous games being a part of our preparation, so we weren’t exactly after those results,” she said.

“It was more the process and the pathways leading into these Olympic Games and the main results are the ones we pencil in are right now, so yesterday you can consider it as a slump for us, we needed and expected a result, but it didn’t turn our way.

“At the start of any tournament you have a little bit of nerves, so that could have played a part, but at the end of the day everyone has to be able to deal with those high pressure situations. You have to look at yourself individually and be able to handle that type of pressure.”

On a personal level, Kellond-Knight was enjoying her time in Germany, however had second thoughts initially.

Her shifts include strenuously training twice a day and she now believes it is the best women’s football league in the world.

“The training regiments are relentless, crazy, frequent and hard, so it took me about six months to get used to and at that point I really adapted and I started to see benefits,” Kellond-Knight conceded.

“It was pretty gruelling and I had to question whether this was right for me, but once you push through that it’s really beneficial.

“I’ve loved it, it’s exactly the challenge I needed to make that next step. It’s the type of environment we need to be in to start to improve at this stage in my career.

“Once you’ve been at the same club for a long time or playing with the same players, you’re not really getting pushed further, but stepping out of your comfort zone is good for you.”