- Matildas failed to progress beyond group stage at Olympics
- Frustrated fans made their feelings known on social media
- Is Matildas’ earliest Olympic Games exit since 2000
Matildas fans have spoken following a deplorable showing at the Paris Olympics – and coach Tony Gustavsson is in the firing line.
His team failed to progress beyond the group stage after a 2-1 loss to the USWNT in Marseille, and the Swede now appears to be on borrowed time.
The result condemned the World Cup semi-finalists to their earliest Olympics exit since 2000.
And it didn’t take long for fed up fans to vent their frustration on social media, with Gustavsson’s questionable tactics a major talking point.
‘Gustavsson’s position as Matildas coach [is] pretty much untenable now. Time to move on,’ said one fan on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
‘Who is your Matildas coach for the Asian Cup in 2026,’ bluntly asked another supporter.
A third weighed in with: ‘Save to say Tony G is already lining up a job application via Centrelink.’
If Gustavsson is given his marching orders by Football Australia, he can have few complaints.
Matildas young gun Mary Fowler had a quiet tournament by her own lofty standards
Alanna Kennedy (pictured) scored a late goal for the Matildas against the USWNT – but it proved to be in vain as the were bundled out of the Olympics at the group stage
Coach Tony Gustavsson appears to be on borrowed time when it comes to his time in charge of the Matildas
Matildas fans didn’t hold back in their assessment of Tony Gustavsson on X at fulltime
This fan declared the Matildas need a ‘major overhaul’ before questioning Gustavsson’s tactics
Another supporter felt the Matildas have gone backwards after their World Cup run last year
Conceding 10 goals across three group games is unacceptable – especially five against minnows Zambia.
Speaking at fulltime, midfielder Hayley Raso lamented what could have been.
‘It’s a tough one to take for us. We left it all out there,’ she said on Channel 9.
Teammate Clare Wheeler added: ‘You can tell we are all devastated….we are sorry we couldn’t get the job done.’
The fate of the Matildas was then sealed by results in other games.
Brazil’s 2-0 loss to Spain saw them finish above Australia on goal difference, while Canada – who were docked six points for using drones to spy on opposition teams – defeated Colombia 1-0.
The victory saw Canada secure second spot in Group A while Colombia’s goal difference saw them progress to the quarter-finals as the best third-placed team.
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