The Matildas have Emily Van Egmond to thank as they salvaged a 1-1 draw at home to China and topping Group B. They will now face Vietnam in a two-legged affair in March to earn a spot at Tokyo 2020.
AUSTRALIA
Lydia Williams - 7
Coming off her line she made Australia fans nervous. A quick whip of the hand by Alanna Kennedy chasing down a ball indicating to the keeper to "sweep it up" was tense. Williams was keeping Australia in the contest but she could do nothing about China's blistering strike.
Ellie Carpenter - 6
As Australia got more comfortable in the match Carpenter going forward was smarter. Defensively she was solid but China were finding pockets of space all across the back line.
Clare Polkinghorne - 5
Polkinghorne's first 10 minutes saw Australia finding their feet when dealing with China's counter-attacks. It wasn't a pretty first ten minutes but she was tested throughout.
Alanna Kennedy - 5
Hearts were in throats when Alanna Kennedy's passes weren't hitting the mark. She gave away possession way too many times when playing out from the back but she was often behind Polkinghorne chasing down Chinese defenders.
Steph Catley - 5
Catley going forward wasn't used as much as Carpenter and defensively China seemed to be enjoying Australia's left flank quite a bit. The counter-attack for their 86th minute goal was spring behind her.
Emily Van Egmond - 6.5
After a hat-trick last time out we knew Van Egmond was going to be in a much tougher challenge this time out. She popped up when Australia needed her, snatching a late equaliser in the 90th minute.
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