Gustavsson and Simon: "We're never going to change the way we play."

The Commonwealth Bank Matildas will be looking to qualify for a sixth straight semi-finals at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup when they face South Korea tonight.

Having successfully navigated the group stage with three wins and a healthy, positive goal difference, the focus now turns to knockout football.

While there are no second chances at this stage of the tournament, that will not change the way the Commonwealth Bank Matildas play the game.

“We're never going to change the way we play,” Tony Gustavsson told media in the pre-match press conference.

“We're going to be true to who we are. And it's not me applying that game style. It's the Matildas for decades, that stand for this aggressive mindset, pressing game, attack with numbers, being brave out there. I'm just happy and proud and love to be a coach for a team with that mindset.”

“We're never gonna give up on that. It's just that we need to learn to do it well enough to win games in a knock out stage here as well.”

While the Commonwealth Bank Matildas will come out with a strong attacking game style and focus first and foremost on themselves, they have analysed their opponents in South Korea and will expect another tough test.

“We know this is going to be a completely different game than all three in the group stage,” Gustavsson explained.

“They showed in a friendly against the US late last year when they kept the clean sheet and played nil-nil against the US, the number one ranked team in the world, that they're a really hard team to break down. Collective defending, working really hard together.

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“They showed in the game against Japan, even though they conceded a very early goal, they didn't break. They stayed to the game plan, they grew into the game and scored one.

“So this is a team that we know is going to cause some problems for us. We've looked into every single detail around how we can deal with that. But at the end of the day, it's about us performing our game plan and being true to who we are.

"If we're up to our standards and keep playing our A-game, I think we're in a good place.”

With the final and a potential trophy now closer than ever, there is some focus on the fact that Australia hasn’t lifted an AFC Women’s Asian Cup in 12 years.

Australia is focusing only on the game ahead of them, but for Kyah Simon, one of the members of that 2010 winning team still in the national team, that triumph was something that was discussed in the Dubai training camp.

“We had a bit of a group chat when we were in Dubai in our pre-camp. There was only, I think, four or five of us that were actually at the 2010 Asian Cup, and I think the thing that stayed consistent with a lot of our experiences was it's been 12 years since we've won that. So I guess as an 18 year-old when I was there in 2010, I thought that was just the norm.

“You just go on and win trophies, and it comes to you that it’s easy and not realising the significance at such a young age. So I think as we've experienced a lot more international football than some of the young girls that have come in, we've voiced to them to just embrace this experience.

"Let's leave it all out there. We've got an opportunity now to win it again 12 years down the track and we've got such a great group of girls that we wouldn't want to do it with anyone else.

"I think it's about soaking up the experience making the most of it and taking the opportunity that's at hand.”

Commonwealth Bank Matildas v South Korea
Date: Sunday, 30 January 2022
Venue: Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Pune
Kick-off: 1.30pm (local), 7:00pm (AEDT)
Broadcast: Live and Exclusive on 10 Bold and 10 Play

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