Golden generation fizzes out as Matildas’ Olympic collapse exposes wider frailties | Kieran Pender
Australia’s failed football campaign at Paris 2024 is painful proof the squad, coach and systems need an urgent reboot to keep pace with the world
Tournament football comes at you fast. Two weeks ago, the Matildas were happy campers. After the team had gone through their final paces at a training site on the outskirts of Marseille, coach Tony Gustavsson was buoyant in greeting journalists. It had been, he said, the best pre-tournament training session he had seen during his career. “The energy is really, really good,” added his captain, Steph Catley.
Fourteen days later, the Matildas’ Olympic campaign came to a juddering halt. For the first-time since Sydney 2000, the Australians failed to progress beyond the group stage at the Olympics (they failed to qualify at all in 2008 and 2012). The Matildas leave France with just three points, after a frenetic comeback win over Zambia was bookended by defeats to Germany and the United States.
