The most anticipated Matildas games of the Olympics disappointed from an Australian perspective. Yes the USA are a fantastic side under Emma Hayes, however that doesn’t automatically result to playing poor football. There were times of greatness and individual brilliance, however this game was the cherry on top of the Tony era.

To begin, the decision to not start Michelle Heyman will remain the biggest mystery. You cannot expect to substitute a player into the game at the 60th minute to perform miracles. The only reason for her not to start would be not performing the press correctly.

If that is the case, it’s about weighing up rewards and risks. In a game where we had to win, would it have made more sense to start a striker? Possibly.

Sitting in a low block during the first half worked, however we still managed to concede a poor goal from a set piece. Defending set pieces has been an issue all Olympic Games, and has cost has advancing through to the quarter finals.

The decision to substitute Kyra at half time was interesting, especially considering Gorry cannot last nearly a full game. The only justifiable reason was if she was injured.

After substitutions were made by both teams, the game opened up. Conceding a poor goal from an error from the backline. Yes Wheeler failed to clear the ball, however, the turnover came off a long ball from a goal kick. The failure to keep the ball high on the field puts our defence under constant pressure. Overall, our performance all tournament did not deserve a position in the quarter finals.

Everyone did not perform. Foord, Raso, Carpenter, Hunt, Arnold, Kennedy all did not play close to the best of their abilities.

Was the preparation before the tournament poor?

Were the girls too fatigued going into their first game?

There will be many questions that will need answered from both Tony and Football Australia. The Olympics are a tough competition to progress into. People who genuinely know the Matildas know that a medal was not an exception.

However playing good football was. And they did not deliver.

We were outclassed all over the park technically, physically, tactically and mentally in all 3 games.

Goodbye, Tony era.