Australia produced an incredible comeback to overturn a three-goal deficit and beat Zambia 6-5 in the Olympic women’s football on Sunday, as World Cup holders Spain secured a quarter-final berth and Japan stunned Brazil.
The Australians got off to a terrible start in Group B with a 3-0 defeat by Germany in their opening game and appeared to be heading for a second straight loss when they trailed Zambia 5-2 early in the second half in Nice.
But the Matildas came roaring back and won an 11-goal thriller thanks to Michelle Heyman’s 90th-minute strike in an unforgettable match.
It was a shocking collapse by Zambia, for whom Barbra Banda opened the scoring in the first minute and went on to net a hat-trick, with Racheal Kundananji scoring twice.
Alanna Kennedy quickly cancelled out Banda’s opener, only for Kundananji to restore Zambia’s lead before Banda made it 3-1.
Hayley Raso pulled one back but Banda scrambled in to complete her hat-trick just before the break and make it 4-2.
Kundananji then headed in for 5-2 on 56 minutes, but defensive gifts by Zambia handed last year’s World Cup semi-finalists a way back into the contest.
Lushomo Mweemba played a clearance from her own line off goalkeeper Ngambo Musole and into the net for an own goal, and the ‘keeper then fumbled in a Steph Catley free-kick for 5-4.
Catley converted a penalty for 5-5 and Heyman ran through for the winner.
Record four-time gold medallists the United States take on Germany in Marseille later in the same group.
