THE MATILDAS face a huge struggle to make it to London 2012 after they went down 1-0 to world champions Japan after being under siege for most of their vital Olympic qualifier.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MATCH PICS
Japan dominated for most of the match as the Australian women struggled to retain possession in the face of an onslaught from the the current World Cup holders.
Only a series of stunning saves by Lydia Williams kept the Matildas in the match but even her luck ran out late in the second half.
Japan took the lead with an impressive strike from Kawasumi to take the lead after 63 minutes.
Australia applied more pressure after a flurry of substitutions but were unable to find an equaliser.
After losing their opening match to DPR Korea 1-0, and despite following that up with a 5-1 win over Thailand, the Matildas now have it all to do in their remaining two games in the series of qualifiers being held in Jinan, China if they are to book a place at London 2012.
Japan now top the group with nine points, DPR Korea second on seven, Australia third on three, China on two, South Korea one one, and Thailand with zero.
The Matildas play China on September 8 and South Korea on September 11. Only the top two from the group qualify but Australia are now depending on North Korea losing to Thailand if Japan win or draw either of their remaining games.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Westfield Matildas Head Coach Tom Sermanni congratulated the Japanese team on their victory, and said they were the better team on the day.
“In reality, we were completely outplayed by the Japanese,” said Sermanni. “Japan are playing with a huge amount of confidence and belief at the moment.
“We knew the games in this tournament were going to be very tight, with a question mark about where we would be at having to back up after the Women’s World Cup.
“We felt that we were well prepared and well rested going into the game, which we thought might have given us an edge. But that turned out to be incorrect.
“The key thing now that is a test of our abilities and of our character is that we still have two games left in this competition.
"There is still the possibility of qualifying for the Olympics. While that’s still alive, we need to go out and perform.”
Related Articles
Socceroos midfielder embraces move to England
'Timing not right': Montemurro's verdict on Matildas vacancy
