The Matildas took a giant step towards Tokyo with a comprehensive 5-0 victory over Vietnam at McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday night in the first leg of their two-match Olympic qualifier.
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Australia went into the home-and-away qualifier as the highly fancied favourites to book passage to the Tokyo Olympics in July, which remain under threat by the ongoing international Coronavirus crisis, and had Vietnam camped in their half for the majority of the clash.
In their third game in four years in Newcastle, the Matildas gave the 1404-strong Newcastle crowd plenty to cheer about.
Superstar and captain Sam Kerr opened the Matildas' account with the match only 10 minutes old when she streaked unmarked into the goalmouth to head home Ellie Carpenter's textbook cross from the right edge of the 18-yard box.
Chloe Logarzo's right-footed shot from the centre of the box in the 27th minute made it 2-0. This time it was Caitlin Foord delivering a cross from the left and Newcastle's Emily van Egmond nodding it on for Logarzo to finish.
The Novocastrian then found a goal of her own, and the first for Australia in her home town, when she headed home from close range after Kerr's classy back-heel found Steph Catley in the left corner to cross.
It came moments after van Egmond had looked certain to score from directly in front only to send the ball over the bar.
While the traffic was going mostly one way, Vietnam, ranked No.32 in the world compared to Australia's No.8, did have two chances in the first half which made the Newcastle fans nervous.
The visitors looked to find an unlikely equaliser in the 18th minute when Pham Thi Tuoi's left-footed shot from the centre of the box glanced just wide of the goals.
Vietnam's other chance came from a free kick to the left of the box in the 33rd minute which was struck sweetly by Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy but sailed over the bar.
Van Egmond, who is relishing a more attacking role in the national team and looks in career-best form, could have made it a brace in the 51st minute. Foord had done well to keep the ball in over the byline and slide it into the box to find van Egmond sprinting onto the ball only to have her shot blocked.
But she provided the fourth goal for Matildas defender Clare Polkinghorne in the 67th minute. It started with a corner kick which van Egmond played short to Catley then regathered in the box for a square cross to find Polkinghorne for a right-footed tap-in.
Kerr completed a match brace when she scored from the spot in the 81st minute after Hayley Raso was felled in the box. Kerr's penalty was struck with force and hit the underside of the crossbar on its way into the net.
The second leg is in Vietnam on Wednesday.
