Matildas star Mary Fowler says the national team’s flop at the Paris Olympics will serve as motivation for the 2026 home Asian Cup.
Australia entered the 2024 Olympics aiming for a podium position after finishing fourth at the 2021 Tokyo Games and fourth at the 2023 World Cup.
But it was clear from the outset in Paris that the Matildas were off their game, losing their opener 3-0 to Germany, scraping to a lucky 6-5 win over lowly Zambia, before finishing their campaign with a 2-1 loss to the US.
The poor on-field displays led to rumours about team disunity and potential pampering.
Tony Gustavsson stepped down as coach after the Olympics, with the Matildas still on the lookout for his replacement.
Fowler hopes the hard lessons learned at the Olympics will hold the Matildas in good stead for the Asian Cup.
“Obviously it’s hard looking back at the Olympics not to feel disappointed with the results from that,” Fowler said.
“I think we definitely worked as hard as we could to prepare for the tournament. Sometimes football just doesn’t go your way.’
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“Being at home and having that home advantage, it’s very different playing a home World Cup versus being overseas.
“Sometimes things just don’t go your way. we reflect on that as a team and I’m sure the girls have done that individually as well.
“We all really want to win something with the national team.
“So having another opportunity to do that (at the Asian Cup in 2026) is really good for us, and a lot of us will work for the next year and a bit to get there.”
When asked whether it was a technical or psychological issue that affected the Matildas at the Olympics, Fowler replied: “I think probably a bit of both.
“There’s other things that went into there that could probably be improved.
“From a personal level, I definitely reflected on how I was mentally.
“It was a different kind of pressure than what I’ve dealt with before.
“It’s kind of nice to have those experiences and know that next time you get into that same situation, you’ll be able to deal with it better.
Mary Fowler. (Photo by Tolib Kosimov/Getty Images)
“I’ve taken a lot of good positives from that and am trying to use that to grow as a player and as a person.”
Fowler is currently in Perth to prepare for the Perth International Football Cup, which will pit Manchester City, West Ham United, Leicester City and Paris Saint Germain against each other.
Manchester City, featuring Fowler and Matildas teammate Alanna Kennedy, will face off against Courtney Nevin’s Leicester City at HBF Park on Wednesday night, with West Ham taking on Paris Saint Germain on Thursday night.
Sunday will feature a doubleheader pitting winners against winners and losers against losers.
© AAP