Australia carried their fine form which saw them record a dominant 5-0 win in the first leg of their qualifying play-off last week as goals from Sam Kerr and Hayley Raso in the return leg helped seal a narrow 2-1 victory over the Southeast Asians and their safe passage into the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The Matildas overcame a number of off-field complications, including playing Wednesday’s final match in a closed stadium due to Covid-19 precautions, but they were rarely tested on the pitch, going five games unbeaten to secure a second successive Olympic berth.

Beaten 5-0 in the first leg in Newcastle five days earlier, Vietnam looked to be headed for another heavy defeat when they went 2-0 down before the half-hour mark, but the Southeast Asians rallied after half-time, scoring a first ever goal against the Matildas via captain Huynh Nhu’s 55th minute strike from distance.

The 2-1 result was a far cry from the 8-0 defeat Vietnam suffered at the hands of Australia less than two years ago, and Duc Chung said his side’s showing was a testament to their spirit.

Early goals from Sam Kerr and Hayley Raso, added to Australia’s 5-0 first leg lead, before Vietnamese skipper Huynh Nhu produced a moment for the hosts to savour by spectacularly lobbing Lydia Williams from distance 10 minutes after the interval.

The Matildas win means Australia will be represented in both men’s and women’s football at an Olympic Games for the first time since 2004, with China PR and Korea Republic to compete for the final Asian ticket to Tokyo 2020 in the coming months.

After a tough learning curve for a young squad at the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019, Takakura’s troops have their focus firmly on this year’s Olympics.

FIFA.com sat down with the former midfielder and FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup-winning coach to discuss last year’s “disappointing” World Cup, and welcoming the world to Japan for Tokyo 2020.

Having overcome all manner of obstacles to advance from Group B of the Final Round of the AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifiers in Sydney over the past week, the Steel Roses came within two minutes of securing top spot with a shock win over Australia.

A spirited, disciplined performance looked to have paid dividends when Tang Jiali put China ahead in the 86th minute, only for Emily van Egmond’s rocket in the third minute of added time saving the day for the hosts, whose draw was enough for them to top the group on goal difference.

The Taeguk Ladies found a way past an ultra defensive Vietnam with goals from Jang Sel-gi, Choo Hyo-joo and Ji So-yun to set up a date with the Group B runners-up in next month’s Play-offs.

Vietnam, who claimed second spot, will face the Group B winners with the triumphant teams from the Play-offs joining hosts Japan as Asia’s representatives at the 2020 Olympics.