Six years between Matildas appearances, Canberra United captain Michelle Heyman proved she still belonged on the big stage in green and gold.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
On Saturday night against Uzbekistan, Heyman made a strong case to earn a Matildas start in their next crucial Olympic qualifier in Melbourne on Wednesday after a stunning performance in the 3-0 win on the weekend, despite a frustrating first half for her teammates.
In the first leg of the two-match qualifying series, Heyman was used by coach Tony Gustavsson as a substitute, which drew criticism from fans when the Matildas were locked at 0-0 at half-time, producing limited chances at goal.
Without injured Matildas skipper Sam Kerr, the women struggled to deliver up front, but when Heyman came on in the 65th minute she had an instant impact, scoring eight minutes later to break the deadlock.
From there goals from Mary Fowler and Caitlin Foord sealed the victory.
Back home in the capital, Heyman's United teammates proudly watched on and immediately sent through congratulatory messages to the veteran forward in their group chat.
Canberra coach Njegosh Popovich was just as happy for the 35 year old, and after proving her attacking threat within minutes of being subbed on, he called for Heyman to have a bigger role in the decisive Olympic qualifier this week.
"She's probably the only player that can be in that number nine role, and I thought there was a massive difference which she did come on," he said.
"She definitely highlighted her worth, and the dimension of the game changed when she played.
"Everything looked a little bit different and a little bit better."
A win in the next qualifier would seal the Matildas a ticket to the Paris Games in July, and Heyman would be in the box seat to be Kerr's permanent replacement if she has another standout performance.
"It's just so nice to be back with the girls, back playing for my country and to come on and score a goal, it's a dream come true," Heyman said after nailing her first Matildas goal since 2016.
"It's nice to see how many chances we created.
"We focused on practicing that in training, all we've got to work on in the next couple of days is putting more away."
AT A GLANCE
AFC Women's Olympic Qualifiers - Round 3
Australia v Uzbekistan, Wednesday 8pm at Docklands Stadium, Melbourne
Melanie Dinjaski
Melanie Dinjaski is an experienced sports journalist at the Canberra Times with a genuine love of all sports. She's covered every code from NRL to NFL. Melanie aims to bring Canberrans all the sports news they need to know. If you have a story worth sharing, get in touch!
Melanie Dinjaski is an experienced sports journalist at the Canberra Times with a genuine love of all sports. She's covered every code from NRL to NFL. Melanie aims to bring Canberrans all the sports news they need to know. If you have a story worth sharing, get in touch!
