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Mark Bosnich's truth bomb for Matildas ahead of crunch Olympics showdown against USA

The Matildas' hopes hinge on their final group game at the Olympic Games.

Socceroos great Mark Bosnich says it's imperative the Matildas play on the front foot and take the game to the USA if they hope to keep their Olympic Games hopes alive in Paris. Only a win against the mighty US Women's National Team (USWNT) on Thursday morning (3am AEST) will guarantee the Matildas progress to the knockout stage of the Olympics, although a draw or even a loss could be enough depending on other results.

The Aussies were thumped 3-0 against Germany in their opening game, before coming from 5-2 down against Zambia to snatch an extraordinary 6-5 win against the African powerhouse to get their campaign back on track. And Bosnich says the epic comeback against Zambia provided a blueprint for how coach Tony Gustavsson's side will need to play against the Americans.

Socceroos great Mark Bosnich has urged Mary Fowler and the Matildas to play on the front foot and take the game to USA in their Olympics showdown. Pic: Stan Sport/Getty
Socceroos great Mark Bosnich has urged Mary Fowler and the Matildas to play on the front foot and take the game to USA in their Olympics showdown. Pic: Stan Sport/Getty

Sure, the Aussies will need to considerably tighten up their defence after conceding eight goals in two games, with Gustavsson describing the defending as "s***" after the victory over Zambia. But Bosnich says the match showed the approach he believes is crucial to the Matildas' hopes in Paris. It took for the Aussies to go three goals down and with their Olympics campaign on life support to finally throw caution to the wind and attack the Zambians. And Bosnich says Australia needs to play with that mindset from the start against the USA.

"I think the Matildas are a far better unit when they are on the front foot," the former Socceroos goalkeeper said on Stan Sports' Paris Preview. "When teams sit off them they tend to struggle. I'd rather teams sit off if I'm playing against them, because it's basically an admission that you think you're a better football team and this is the only way that we can beat you.

"Go on the front foot - if America takes you down the right-hand side, attack them back down the right-hand side. Don't leave anything out there and don't be wondering in 10 years time, sitting back as you do when you retire and say 'maybe we should have'.

"Don't do that, just go for it. We saw that (against Zambia), when they were 5-2 down and everything seemed lost - they really went for it. They were helped, they had a bit of luck... but it doesn't matter, because you make your own luck the harder that you work."

Michelle Heyman celebrates with teammates after her match-winning goal for the Matildas against Zambia. Pic: Getty
Michelle Heyman celebrates with teammates after her match-winning goal for the Matildas against Zambia. Pic: Getty

There is no escaping the enormity of the task the Matildas face though, with the Aussies only beating the USWNT once in 33 attempts. The Americans have won four of the seven gold medals since 1996, when women's football was first introduced into the Olympic program. And the USA beat the Matildas in the bronze medal match at the Tokyo Games three years ago, with revenge firmly on Aussies' minds.

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The Americans also thumped Germany 4-1 in their last game and Gustavsson knows a better defensive display - particularly from set pieces - will be crucial to the Matildas' chances. Australia's coach will also need to try and figure out how to get the best out of star forward Mary Fowler, who is yet to score so far at the Olympics and has looked a bit lost playing as a striker in the absence of Sam Kerr.

Despite the Matildas putting six goals past Zambia, Fowler failed to get on the scoresheet for a second game running. And it's led to many fans questioning whether Fowler is better off being used as a ball-player in the midfield to give her more time on the ball. Gustavsson could be tempted to start Michelle Heyman up front and push Fowler deeper, especially after seeing the impact the veteran striker had off the bench against Zambia, before curling home a superb winner for Australia.

Eight of the 12 teams will advance to the knockout stage of the competition, with the top two from each of three groups to be joined by the two best third-placed teams. The Matildas head into Thursday morning's crunch clash sitting third in the group behind the USA (6 points) and Germany (3 points), with Zambia (0) winless after two games, meaning all four teams still have a chance to advance.

with AAP