Ellie Carpenter, just 16 years old, came on for the final quarter of an hour to become the youngest player in the history of the women’s Olympic football tournament as Australia finally got the win their general play in Brazil has merited against a weak Zimbabwe side in Salvador. However, a late goal from the Africans cost them second place in the group ahead of Germany. Nevertheless with New Zealand playing France, they cannot now be eliminated and will travel to either Brasilia or Belo Horizonte for a quarter-final on Friday.

Two early goals settled any nerves the Matildas may have felt in a game which they knew they had to win to have any chance of staying in the tournament. After a minute, Elise Kellond-Knight’s perfectly-weighted through pass found Katrina Gorry racing down the left of the area, she squared for Lisa De Vanna to pass into an unguarded net. Captain Clare Polkinghorne then scrambled the ball in from four yards from Kellond-Knight’s right-wing corner.

De Vanna struck a sweet volley against the woodwork before Emily van Egmond’s free kick was pushed around the post by Chido Dzingirai. Zimbabwe’s only threat in the first half came from a moment of complacent passing from Australia but Emmaculate Msipa overran the ball and the chance went. It was otherwise one-way traffic, Caitlin Foord racing down the left pulled a shot into the side-netting before Alanna Kennedy headed a third from an identical Kellond-Knight corner straight through the hands of Dzingirai. Foord then again found the side-netting after running over 70 yards with the ball from midway inside her own half.

In the 50th minute, Steph Catley’s glorious left foot-pass was straight into the path of Kyah Simon who swept home past an advancing goalkeeper without breaking stride. Michelle Heyman came on and scored within four minutes from yet another corner. The luckless Dzingirai could not continue, stretchered off as a result of a collision with Polkinghorne but substitute Lindiwe Magwede could only hold out for ten minutes as Heyman casually ran through onto Logarzo’s pass and poked home a sixth.

With Germany losing to Canada, Australia were going through ahead of the European champions and nearly scored a seventh when Magwede saved brilliantly with her right foot from Catley after a wonderful lay off from De Vanna. It was to prove a costly miss as Msipa raced past Polkinghorne in the first minute of injury time to score off the far post. Australia are still likely to make it to the quarterfinal round, which start this Friday.