As it happened: Matildas on track for Paris after 3-0 win over Uzbekistan in Olympic qualifiers

Well, a very successful night at the office for the Matildas, who can almost treat the second leg as a bit of a homecoming party.

They looked so much better when Michelle Heyman came on… her performance will give Tony Gustavsson plenty to think about when it comes to his Olympic squad and the team’s structure. For a team that was creating chances but failing to convert them, the introduction of a natural striker changed everything.

You can read Emma Kemp’s match report here.

Thanks for reading along. Have a great night.

The Matildas are heading straight from the stadium to the airport in Tashkent, and will fly out to Dubai tonight.

Tomorrow they’ll fly directly to Melbourne, while the Uzbeks will also make their own way there - and be greeted by a stinking hot day in the Victorian capital, with forecasts of around 36 degrees come Wednesday. Good luck with that.

For Uzbekistan to have any hope of qualifying for the Olympics, they’re going to have to come forward at Marvel Stadium - and that means the Matildas will have space to attack into from the very outset.

And that means if you’ve got a ticket to what will be the team’s 12th consecutive sellout, you will probably be treated to a few more goals, in this humble blogger’s opinion. It’ll be a fun atmosphere, and a tension-free evening.

That’s the question I’m asking myself right now.

Remember, at the Olympics, only 18 players are able to be selected - not 23 like at the World Cup.

Michelle Heyman scores the opener.Credit: Getty

Can Tony Gustavsson crunch the numbers in a way that makes room for Michelle Heyman?

Good news and bad news on that. First, the good news: my colleague Emma Kemp, who is currently working on our match report from tonight’s clash, has already tried to figure this out, and you can read her projected squad analysis here.

The bad news? Well, read and find out where Heyman fits in the picture.

And that’s all she wrote.

The final whistle has just gone in Tashkent. The Matildas have prevailed 3-0, and that tense first half feels like an absolute lifetime ago, doesn’t it?

What a wonderful story to see Michelle Heyman come on and score the goal that broke it open - in her first appearance for the Matildas in six years.

That killed off the spirit of a super impressive Uzbekistan side, who did really well to hold them out for 72 minutes.

All in all, that’s a terrific win by the Tillies - and it turns Wednesday night’s second leg in Melbourne into a bit of a dead rubber. They’ve as good as qualified for the Paris Olympics.

Ellie Carpenter has just been subbed off for Charlotte Grant. That’s Australia’s final change and we’re about to enter three minutes of stoppage time. Can they find a fourth? I reckon probably.

Huge bits of space are now opening up in Australia’s final third - those gaps weren’t there in the first half. The dam walls have burst… and just as I was about to tell you to not be surprised if they score another, they score another!

This time it’s Caitlin Foord, and she makes no mistake with this header. It’s Steph Catley’s ball from the left, the Uzbek defence had no idea she was there lurking behind them, and bam - that’s how it’s done.

3-0 to the Tillies. It’ll be a party in Melbourne on Wednesday night.

Obviously sick of seeing her teammates waste chances, Mary Fowler has just taken matters into her own hands, dribbling through midfield and unleashing from the top of the box. The Matildas are 2-0 up.

Wonderful finish, too - low and hard into the bottom-left corner, it skids beautifully into the net. That’s all class.

Tony Gustavsson has gone to his bench again - Hayley Raso and Alanna Kennedy have come off, and Tameka Yallop and Aivi Luik are on to see out the final 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, Ellie Carpenter just missed - and only just. Mary Fowler’s cross was amazing, and Carpenter did well to meet it at the far post, but from a narrow angle, she puts it over the bar.

UZB 0-1 AUS - 83′

You can tell that goal has lifted Australia’s spirits and almost broken Uzbekistan’s. They were doing so well there for a while.

The Matildas are looking to double their advantage and are continuing the pressure - cross after cross, corner after corner. Clare Hunt’s just put another lofted ball over the target. So many aerial chances tonight. If only Sam Kerr was there to finish some of them off...

UZB 0-1 AUS - 80′