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In the Matildas' final pre-Olympics hit-out on home soil, second-half goals from Clare Wheeler and Hayley Raso earned Tony Gustavsson's side a comfortable victory over China in front of 76,798 fans in Sydney on Monday night.
Crucially for Gustavsson, who is already without Sam Kerr and has concerns over striker Caitlin Foord and midfield ace Katrina Gorry, there appeared to be no pressing injury concerns, though Hayley Raso did receive a slight knock to the ankle in the game's closing stages.
This game was not a final trial for an Olympic spot, however. Gustavsson submitted his 18-strong squad list to the Australian Olympic Committee on Saturday, with the chosen players notified before Monday's match.
The final squad will be announced publicly in Sydney on Tuesday morning.
The win also provided a fitting farewell to Matildas goalkeeping icon Lydia Williams, who has announced she will retire from international football following the Olympics.
Before the match, the 36-year-old was given a guard of honour by players, staff, and family and friends, and presented with a cloak made of red kangaroo skin embroidered with symbols of her home and family by fellow Indigenous sporting legend, Evonne Goolagong-Cawley.
Williams was substituted off late in the first half to a standing ovation and was able to lap up the victory from the Matildas' bench.
But while Gustavsson's side showed a clinical edge to achieve the result, they were clutching at half chances for much of the first half. Alanna Kennedy fired a long-range effort over the bar and Tameka Yallop was unable to turn in a low skidding ball into the Chinese six-yard box.
Raso had two handy chances but both times China goalkeeper Xu Huan was able to deny her. China were disciplined and well organised, and it was only on one of their few forays forward that Australia had a clear run to goal.
Michelle Heyman mazed her way past two defenders after a turnover just inside the China half, and the veteran forward did well right up until her final touch when she curled it wide of the post.
Soon after that near miss, Williams was subbed for Mackenzie Arnold, who saw out the rest of the first half.
Gustavsson turned to his bench at the start of the second half and it yielded an instant impact. Fresh onto the field, Wheeler headed in a Steph Catley free-kick in the 48th minute to send the home crowd into a frenzy.
That buzz only grew when fellow substitute Cortnee Vine, playing in a more central role, sliced the Chinese defence apart with a sumptuous throughball to the feet of Raso six minutes later.
Real Madrid ace Raso was veering away from goal when she received the ball but she was able to guide it away from Xu, steering home from a tight angle.
Arnold was relatively untested at the Australian end, parrying away an effort from Chinese forward Zhang Linyan in an otherwise routine performance.
Lydia Williams honoured by Evonne Goolagong-Cawley
A few minutes before kickoff, the lights of the stadium have gone down as fireworks and flames light up the perimeter and a video celebrating the Matildas' "Til It's Done" Farewell Tour blast across the big screens at either end.
Under the cover of darkness, a special guest joins one of the two big lines of players and staff fanning out from the entrance of the tunnel: Evonne Goolagong-Cawley, another Indigenous icon of Australian sport.
The stadium announcer reads a biography of Williams as a huge half-stadium tifo of yellow and green placards is held up on the far side.
Williams walks out on her own, through the two lines of applauding family and friends, and a whole stadium of adoring fans.
(Getty Images)
Goolagong-Cawley walks out of the crowd holding a cloak made of red kangaroo skins, with artwork burned into the skin telling the story of Williams' life and family.
(Getty Images)(Football Australia)
Williams steps up to the microphone in tears and says a short speech: she thanks everybody, says how much she loves her team-mates, and ends it with a final "go Tillies!"
I'm crying, you're crying, everyone is crying.
(Getty Images)
Final thoughts
Well, that was a much more comfortable game for the Matildas than their opening friendly against China in Adelaide, but there will still definitely be questions around their finishing and their depth in central attacking areas.
All in all, though, tonight wasn't so much about the result - a 2-0 which, really, should've been more given the chances the team crafted in both halves - but about saying goodbye to Lydia Williams, a legend of women's football and of Australian sport more widely.
The entire Matildas team and staff gather in a circle near the middle of the field, wrapping their arms around each other as Tony Gustavsson makes one final speech to them before tomorrow morning's confirmation of the 18 players who will be going to Paris.
We've seen them all out there tonight in front of 76,000+ people who took their chance to say goodbye and good luck to their heroes.
I'll have a match report up later tonight, as well as some analysis about this international window, and coverage of the final Olympic squad coming at you tomorrow.
For now, thanks so much for joining me on the blog, and I'll see you again soon!
Full time: Australia 2 - 0 China
94' Safe hands
A training-ground free kick is taken short to the left, with a Chinese player then clipping it into the box, in behind the backtracking line of players.
But the cross is too strong and it loops safely into the hands of Mackenzie Arnold.
94' Free kick China
Yikes. Clare Wheeler just lunged in on a Chinese player and totally missed the ball, stomping on the midfielder's foot instead and giving away a free kick about half-way inside their own half.
This will be the last play of the game.
Polkinghorne to Paris?
Can’t see Polks making it to Paris, sadly.
- Leo
Doubtful Polks will be on the plane to Paris given the lack of game time she's had over the past few international windows, but she might still go as a reserve who can bring some much needed experience to the side.
- Adam
Polks cannot go. Too slow. Poor valley control. The wc should have been her Swan song. Hardly any game time in major tournaments.
- The bill
I can this as the swan song for Lydia Williams and Clare Polkinghorne...only 18 in the Olympic squad doesn't leave much room for sentiment.
- stumcin
The blog-readers say: probably not.
4 minutes of added time
The Sam Kerr Effect
Is Sam Kerr playing any part in this build-up (or at the Olympics) eg as support or senior counsel or cheerleader? Or is that not the done thing?
- Ingrid
Even though she won't be in the official squad, I'm pretty confident Sam Kerr will still travel with the bigger Matildas squadron to Paris.
She's such an important member of the team off the field in terms of her leadership, energy, and experience, I'd be surprised if Football Australia didn't create some kind of staff role for her to be there.
There's precedent for it: the Socceroos did something similar after Martin Boyle tore his ACL on the eve of the 2022 Men's World Cup. He became the team's official "vibe merchant" for the tournament.
Surely they'll do the same for Sammy.
Has Clare Polkinghorne done enough to go to Paris?
This is not going to be the real end of porkyhorn. Right? Right? She is going to paris right?
- First
We haven't seen much of her in the past few windows, so I'm really not sure whether she goes or not. What do you folks think?
87' Australia substitutions
Ellie Carpenter and Alanna Kennedy are replaced by Charli Grant and Clare Polkinghorne.
85' Hayley Raso is down
As she charged in to try and shut down a panicked Chinese defence near their own six-yard line, she slid in to try and poke the ball only to get clattered into by an opposition defender.
She sat in the grass for a few moments while the ball was played out before getting up very gingerly and hobbling back into position.
Hopefully it's just a bruise, nothing too deadly.
Plenty of Cortnee Vine fans on the blog tonight
I love all the Matilda’s but I’d be so sad if Courtney Vine missed out. I’m fairly new to watching the world game but she adds such needed speed and takes the game on which is exciting to watch
