Australia has qualified for the 2015 AFC U19 Championships after a 3-0 win over hosts Vietnam at Youth Football Training Center, Hanoi.

A first half goal from captain Amy Harrison and second half goals from strikers Beattie Goad and Sunny Franco was enough for the Young Matildas to defeat Vietnam and top Group C.

Australia now joins Korea Republic, DPR Korea, China and Japan in the eight nation finals held in Nanjing, China PR from 19 – 30 August, 2015.

The match started a little shakily for Australia with Vietnam going on the attack early.  Goalkeeper Hannah Southwell was called on in the opening minutes with the Newcastle Jets custodian tipping away a sharp free kick for an early corner.

The scare was the wake up call the Young Matildas needed. They quickly took control of the match and were rewarded with an 8th minute penalty which Harrison duly dispatched.

On top thanks to the hard working midfield trio of Harrison, Natalie Tobin and Kobie Ferguson, Australia kept the hosts on the back foot despite Vietnam looking dangerous on counter attack.

A series of corners saw the Young Matildas go close with Brooke Goodrich attempting her last game heroics but she couldn't keep her 24th minute effort down. Minutes later the side netting was disturbed from another corner as Australia turned up the pressure.

Harrison and Goad started to plague the Vietnamese defence and in the 36th minute the Sydney FC midfielder cut a swathe through the defence only for her shot to be blocked late.

Three minutes later Goad and Harrison combined to release the pacy Franco. In space the Brisbane Roar striker could only watch as her stinging strike ricocheted into the crossbar.

Ante Juric's plans were disrupted briefly in the 44th minute when defender Goodrich went down with an ankle injury forcing the injection of Western Sydney Wanderers defender Chloe O'Brien into the back line.

Despite the change, Australia went into the break with a 1-0 lead.

After the restart a revitalised Vietnam surged at the Australian defence with Emma Checker, O'Brien and co holding firm despite the challenge.

With Vietnam pressing forward, space was left at the back and Goad took full advantage of it as the Melbourne Victory striker doubled Australia's lead on the counter attack and netted her fourth goal of the tournament.

Five minutes later Larissa Crummer, who had been busy all night, almost added a quick third when she found herself one-on-one with the goalkeeper but there wasn't enough power in the strike to pass Tran Thi Hai Yen.

Sparked into action, Australia went on all out attack as they looked to kill the game early with Crummer causing all sorts of problems for the Vietnam defence but unable to get her reward.

The 81st minute saw the Young Matildas eventually put an end to the Vietnam resistance with Franco, again on the counter attack, sealing Australia's passage into the 2015 AFC U19 Championships.

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Australia 3 (Harrison 8’(p), Goad 56’, Franco 81')

Vietnam 0 

9 November 2014

Vietnam Youth Football Training Center, Hanoi

Kick off: 7:00pm (AEDT)

Australia Starting XI: 1. Hannah SOUTHWELL, 2. Emma CHECKER, 3. Larissa CRUMMER, 5. Angela BEARD, 6. Sunny FRANCO, 9. Natalie TOBIN, 10. Amy HARRISON (20. Alexandra CHIDIAC 84'), 11. Beatrice GOAD, 13. Brooke GOODRICH (23. Chloe O'BRIEN 44'), 14. Monique IANNELLA, 16. Kobie FERGUSON (22. Dylan HOLMES 63')

Young Matildas Squad

Angela Beard (Brisbane Roar), Jordan Baker (Western Sydney Wanderers), Emma Checker (Melbourne Victory), Ellie Carpenter (NSW), Alex Chidiac (Adelaide United), Emily Condon (Adelaide United), Larissa Crummer (Brisbane Roar), Gabrielle Dal Busco (Perth Glory), Kobie Ferguson (U17 WNT), Sunny Franco (Brisbane Roar), Beatrice Goad (Melbourne Victory), Brooke Goodrich (Brisbane Roar), Amy Harrison (Sydney FC), Isabel Hodgson (Adelaide United), Dylan Holmes (Adelaide United), Monique Iannella (Adelaide United), Princess Ibini (U17 WNT), Chloe O’Brien (Western Sydney Wanderers), Olivia Price (Sydney FC), Natasha Prior (FNSW Institute), Hannah Southwell (Newcastle Jets), Natalie Tobin (Sydney FC), Georgina Worth (ACTAS)

Matches and Results

Australia 6 (Crummer 25', Harrison 49', Ibini-Isei 65', Condon 73', Goad 76’/83')  - 0 Hong Kong

Australia 19 (Franco 5’/11’/29’/35’/44’/59?, Chidiac 23’/70?, Baker 25’/45’/72’/80', Goodrich 34', Goad 50', OG 68', Condon 74', Price 83’/86', Harrison 90 +2')  – 0 Singapore