In the 2012 Olympic qualification tournament held in China, Australia’s women footballers rallied from behind to secure a 2-1 victory over South Korea, finishing in third place.
However, the Matildas did not qualify from the five-team tournament, as North Korea triumphed over Thailand with a score of 5-0, securing second place behind the winners, Japan.
After going down by a goal early in the first half, the Matildas clinched the match with two goals in the second half.
Coach Tom Sermanni expressed satisfaction with the improved performance following defeats to Japan and North Korea, each by a single goal, along with a victory over China with a score of 1-0.
“I was very proud of the effort and the character our players displayed to come back in the second half and win the game,” he remarked.
“Given that we lost two of our first three games, it could have been easy for the tournament to slip away from us and become insignificant.”
“The way we bounced back shows the character of this group of players.”
“If you examine all the matches in this tournament, I don’t believe any team has come back from behind to win.”
by Buford Balony
