“Always happy to take away three points,” said Blayney. “We created a lot of chances, 30 shots to one probably tell how the game went.

 

“Yes, the match intensity dropped off a little bit but it was because we decided to take that approach from a tactical standpoint."

“We’re very mindful that it’s only the group stage and looking at the amount of games ahead of us, we have to be smart with how we approach things tactically with our pressure as well.”

 

Australia were quick off the blocks, taking the lead after just five minutes through Daniela Galic with Peta Trimis adding the second seven minutes before the break, which means a draw against Chinese Taipei on Saturday will confirm them as the group winners. 

As for Uzbekistan head coach Ilkham Khanjariev, the match represented a second straight disappointment after having lost by a similar score to Chinese Taipei.

 

“Just like how we went into the first game, we went into this one looking to win. However, Australia proved to be too strong for us,” said Khanjariev.

 

The defeat meant that Uzbekistan are eliminated from the tournament with only pride to play for in their final fixture against Korea Republic on Saturday.