Limited preparation and a defensive disaster was all it took to undo the Matildas as Ante Milicic's side suffered a shock loss to Italy at the FIFA World Cup. But there's no need to hit the panic button.
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So says former Matilda Ash Sykes, who believes Australia can bounce back for their heated clash against Brazil.
Australia's dream start was shattered as Barbara Bonansea netted a 95th-minute winner to claim a come-from-behind victory for Milena Bertolini's side.
La Squadra Azzurra stunned the football world as they secured a 2-1 win over the Matildas. But the damage could have been worse if Manuela Giugliano's ninth-minute goal wasn't called offside.
The disallowed goal exposed the Matildas' high defensive line employed by Milicic, who took over as interim coach following the controversial sacking of Alen Stajcic last February. Sykes said the tactic is dicey because it can either make or break a performance.
"The high line is risky if everyone isn't on exactly the same page," said Sykes, who is an analyst with Optus Sport.
"If you play it effectively then the game plan will work. Italy got called offside a lot of times so you could argue that it did work, but it's risky if not everyone completely understands it.
"My concern about it is whether there's been enough time to implement the changes that Ante wants.
"There's a few more tweaks to come but I'm kind of concerned about that during a World Cup. The tweaks should have been done beforehand but I'm sure they won't need any excuses to improve their game against Brazil."
Canberra United star Ellie Carpenter stamped herself as one of Australia's best and produced a standout performance on her World Cup debut.
The 19-year-old's rapid runs down the right broke down Italy's defence and her cross led to Sam Kerr's penalty.
"Hopefully we can start getting her in more positions forward and delivering good balls into the box," Sykes said.
"She set up a few opportunities up for us last night and we just need everyone to contribute the rest of that, which is putting it into the back of the net.
"She's young, she's plays unlimited and I'm sure she'll have another good game against Brazil."
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Carpenter will get another shot against the world's best, but rising Canberra star Karly Roestbakken may have to wait before making her international debut.
The 18-year-old fullback flew to France only last week to replace Laura Alleway, who has suffered a suspected foot fracture.
Roestbakken is competing against Carpenter for the right-back position and will most likely remain on the bench as the Matildas fight to save their World Cup campaign.
"Australia will play their best players now for the rest of the group games," Sykes said. "Karly would have got a chance if we had beat Italy because there would have been a bit of rotation for her to make her debut.
"I'm not sure how much game time she'll get but it's a great experience for her and will only develop her as a player."
Australia have lost their last two opening games of the World Cup (losing to Brazil in 2011 and the United States in 2015) and managed to qualify for the quarter-finals.
The Matildas currently hold a four-game winning streak over Brazil, who are ranked 10th in the FIFA women's rankings.
"We've had a good recent history against Brazil," Sykes said.
"If they needed any extra motivation, they've got it now. They need to get a result.
"It's almost like a rivalry game against Brazil but they won't have any trouble getting up for it. As long as everyone plays two percent better and push harder then I think we'll get the result."
MATILDAS' WORLD CUP FIXTURES:
Australia v Brazil: 2am Friday, June 14 at La Mosson, Montpellier.
Australia v Jamaica: 5am Wednesday, June 19 at Stade des Alpes, Grenoble.
Lucie Bertoldo
Lucie Bertoldo is a sports reporter for the Canberra Times.
Lucie Bertoldo is a sports reporter for the Canberra Times.
