Alen Stajcic: Matildas can compete with anyone in quarter-finals

Alen Stajcic: Matildas can compete with anyone in quarter-finals

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Triumphant Matildas manager Alen Stajcic says his team can challenge any team in the Olympic quarter-finals, regardless of opponent.

Australia qualified through to the quarter-finals after their 6-1 thumping of Group F cellar-dwellar Zimbabwe, clinching a best third-place finish ahead of New Zealand and Sweden.

Michelle Heyman led the charge, notching up a double.

The Matildas are expected to draw a power of women’s football, likely Brazil or the USWNT.

Talking Points: Rio Olympics – Australia 6 Zimbabwe 1

Regardless of who the Green and Gold are pitted against, Stajcic backed his team to cause headaches for the world’s best.

“We played Brazil two weeks ago and they beat us 3-1 in a friendly game and we beat them at the World Cup. They toured Australia two years ago and they won one game and we won one game … whether we play Brazil or America (USA), it only matters what you do in the next game,” he said.

“We know that we can beat them (Brazil) and they know that they can beat us, so it’ll be a very even game.

“They’re in good form and they’ve obviously got some world-class players, but I know that we can compete with everyone on the day and if we play our best, it will be a very exciting match.

“We were pushing hard for that seventh goal and we knew it would change the result of the group.

“At the end of the day, in the big picture, we got through to the quarter-finals and that’s the main objective, that was always our main objective, and when you get there, I don’t really care who we play.

“I don’t care if it’s Brazil, I don’t care if it’s America, Germany, Canada, it doesn’t matter, they’re all tough games, they’re all very good and we don’t need to worry about them because they’re all very good.

“If we play our best against any one of them, we’ll be very, very competitive.”

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