India’s Asian Cup dismissal has Matildas wary of similar Covid-19 fate ending their Asian Cup dreams

The Matildas are doing ‘everything possible’ to avoid a tournament-ending Covid-19 outbreak at the Asian Cup.

Emily van Egmond (left) celebrates with Matildas captain Sam Kerr at the Asian Cup. Picture: Thananuwat Srirasant / Getty Images

The Matildas’ joy surrounding their impressive start to the Asian Cup is mixed with the stark reality a Covid-19 outbreak could kill their dreams of winning their first major tournament since 2010.

The Australians have already scored 22 goals in two group matches, courtesy of 18-0 and 4-0 wins over Indonesia and the Philippines respectively.

However, the plight of tournament hosts India – who have been kicked out of the tournament after being unable meet the minimum match-day requirement of a 13-player squad due to several players testing positive to Covid-19 – has every other squad on high alert.

“Obviously, it’s a pandemic,” Matildas midfielder Emily van Egmond said.

“It’s turned around the whole entire world, but we have the best protocols in place to keep us safe.

“We know that we’re ensuring we’re doing everything possible to make sure we’re all healthy and able to do our part for the team and that’s a credit to our medical staff.

“The most important thing is to have 23 players who are healthy and available.”

Emily van Egmond (second from right) and her Matildas teammates celebrate at the Asian Cup. Picture: Thananuwat Srirasant / Getty Images

Despite the Covid-19 concerns, van Egmond, who was among the scorers against the Philippines, said the Matildas’ “sole focus” was football.

“We’re here to perform, we’re here to do a job,” she said.

And that they have – both in attack and defence.

Much maligned defensively heading into the tournament, the Matildas’ ability to keep successive clean sheets – albeit against weak opposition – has pleased them just as much as their goal-scoring exploits.

“It’s been awesome and it’s been a massive talking point for us,” van Egmond said ahead of Australia’s final group game on Friday morning (AEDT) against Thailand in Mumbai.

“We’ll be looking to do the same against Thailand.

“We want to win against Thailand and have a good statement going into these quarter-final games.”