Matildas coach Tom Sermanni picked 31 players for the three-day gathering at the Australian Institute of Sport.

The Aussies take on New Zealand in late June at WIN Stadium in Wollongong prior to a meeting with Japan in Tokyo on 11 July.

"With the matches in June against New Zealand fast approaching it's time to start pushing the younger players to force themselves into selection and also for some of the more experienced players to start guiding the team towards competitive football," Sermanni said.

"We are bringing in some of our injured players for treatment too which will help us get a better idea of who will be available for the New Zealand and Japan matches.

"I just read on her Twitter account that Bubs (Westfield Matildas captain Melissa Barbieri) has been given the all clear to train (after ankle surgery) which is a great boost for the squad."

Matildas development squad is:
ALLEN Teigen
ANDREWS Tara
BISSET Jennifer
BOLGER Nicola
BROGAN Danielle
BROWN Ashley
BRUSH Ellie
CANNULI Catherine
CATLEY Stephanie
CHECKER Emma
COOPER Caitlin
FOORD Caitlin
KENNEDY Alanna
PERRY Ellyse
POLIAS Teresa
POLKINGHORNE Clare
RASO Hayley
ROLLASON Renee
SLATYER Thea
SYKES Nicole
WALSH Sarah
YEOMAN-DALE Georgia
BARBIERI Melissa (GK)
ARNOLD Mackenzie (GK)
BURKE Trudy (GK)
COLTHORPE Lauren (INJ)
DAVEY Brianna (INJ-GK)
GARRIOCK Heather (INJ)
KERR Samantha (INJ)
POPOVIC Vedrana (INJ)
WILLIAMS Lydia (INJ)

Five Socceroos and five Matildas have been named by the FMA as contenders for the top award, voted for by members of the football media organisation.

The award is given for the outstanding player at an international level. In 2011-12, the voting period includes the Women's World Cup and the Olympic qualifiers for the Matildas and eight matches from August to February for the Socceroos.

The contenders are Alex Brosque, Brett Holman, Josh Kennedy, Lucas Neill and Luke Wilkshire for the Socceroos; and Caitlin Foord, Elise Kellond-Knight, Kyah Simon, Emily Van Egmond and Lydia Williams for the Matildas.

The two winners will be announced at the combined Professional Footballers Association (PFA) / FMA function to be held in Brisbane on 13th June after the FIFA World Cup qualifier against Japan.

Previous winners have been Tim Cahill (2009), Mark Schwarzer (2010) and Brett Holman (2011). It is the first year of the Women's award.

The Japan match will be played at the National Stadium as world champion Japan finalises its 2012 Olympic Games preparations.

The Matildas, reigning Asian Cup champions, failed to qualify for the London Games.

"I can't wait to get back out playing again for the Matildas," 2011 AFC Young Player of the Year, Caitlin Foord said.

"Japan are such an amazing team, it will be a real test for us and it will be great to play the World Champions in Tokyo.

The Matildas will take on New Zealand’s Football Ferns at WIN Stadium in Wollongong on 24 and 27 June.

"I scored my first international goal on debut against New Zealand last year so I'm looking forward to playing them again and hopefully getting another one," Foord said.

Matildas coach Sermanni will use two vastly different teams for the trio of games with a host of the teams bigger names playing abroad.

Kyah Simon and Tameka Butt (both Boston Breakers), Lisa De Vanna (Linköping FC), Aivi Luik and Michelle Heyman (both Brøndby IF), Sally Shipard (Bayer Leverkusen), Emily van Egmond (Western New York Flash), Servet Uzunlar (Pali Blues) and Collette McCallum and Laura Alleway (Lincoln Ladies) won't be used for the games against New Zealand.

"With a huge number of our girls playing overseas the matches against New Zealand will give a lot of the younger girls a chance to play as well as see the return of Kate Gill who is in full training now following her knee injury," Sermanni said.

"The W-League this year again produced some excellent players and it will be very interesting to see who pushes their way into selection for the New Zealand matches.

"The team that will travel to Japan will be vastly different and will come in from their respective teams internationally along with some of the locally based girls."

Canberra completed an unbeaten season in perfect fashion by overturning the result against the same opponent in the W-League's inaugural grand final three years ago. Playing at home, Canberra looked to have the match in the bag after racing to a two-goal lead inside 18 minutes.

The opener came from a familiar source with the league's leading goalscorer Heyman converting following a superb pass from Ashleigh Sykes after just 11 minutes.

Heyman then turned provider for Sykes, who converted from close range after Grace Gill's pass dissected the defence.

Brisbane's opening went from bad to worse with experienced attacker Joanne Burgess departing with a knee complaint.

However, Emily Gielnik lived up to her 'super sub' tag in the most emphatic fashion, pulling a goal back with her first touch just seconds after replacing Burgess.

The Young Matilda striker tucked home her ninth goal of the season, eight of which have come after starting from the bench.

Catherine Cannuli then forced Lydia Williams into a sprawling save as the visitors stormed back in an end-to-end contest.

With the match in the balance, Heyman restored Canberra's two-goal margin on the hour mark with a superb leap and header from Gills' corner for a record-breaking 15th goal of the season.

However, Brisbane was soon handed a lifeline when Caitlin Cooper clipped Tameka Butt in the penalty area.

Butt converted the penalty, meaning she has finished on the scoresheet in all four W-League grand finals.

Heyman then spurned a chance for a hat-trick when she powered a close-range header over the crossbar but, ultimately, it mattered little as Canberra secured a deserved victory in front of a capacity crowd.

Australia's women's team narrowly missed a 2012 Olympic berth, finishing third at the Asian qualifying tournament in September behind Japan and North Korea, who claimed the two Games spots.

But Matildas players and Olympic and football officials were not happy that North Korea was allowed to qualify after it was banned by FIFA from competing in the 2015 Women's World Cup following a doping scandal at the 2011 World Cup in Germany in June-July.

Five players tested positive to steroids and received bans of up to 18 months, while the team's doctor was banned for six years.

Football Federation Australia and the Australian Olympic Committee last month wrote to FIFA, the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Authority, claiming North Korea should also be banned from the Olympics, paving the way for the Matildas to take its place.

But neither has been able to make any headway and FIFA and WADA have said the ruling will not be overturned or challenged.

FIFA stood firm on its decision, saying rules meant the sanctions would be served "only in the competition in which the infringement occurred".

WADA has the power to appeal FIFA's decision but it has declined to do so despite the calls from Australian officials.

National teams chief John Boultbee said FFA would "keep looking for avenues but it's hard to see any."

Matildas players were left particularly frustrated by the fact no drug tests were taken at the Olympic qualifying tournament in China, in which they suffered a key 1-0 loss to North Korea in their opening game.

The national women's team narrowly missed a 2012 Olympic berth, finishing third at the Asian qualifying tournament in September behind Japan and Korea DPR, who claimed the two Games spots.

But Matildas players and Olympic and football officials are not happy that Korea DPR was allowed to contest the qualifiers and believe Australia should take its place.

Korea DPR was banned by FIFA from competing in the 2015 Women's World Cup after a doping scandal at the 2011 World Cup in Germany in June-July.

Five players tested positive to steroids and received bans of up to 18 months, while the team's doctor was banned for six years.

It is understood FIFA's disciplinary committee wanted to punish North Korea only in the same competition and therefore did not extend the whole team ban to the Olympics.

Matildas players are incensed at the decision, especially as no drug tests were taken at the Olympic qualifying tournament in China, in which they suffered a key opening 1-0 loss to Korea DPR.

The Australian Olympic Committee confirmed on Tuesday it had weighed in on the issue of Olympic eligibility by writing to the International Olympic Committee and World Anti-Doping Authority last month.

However it is understood the IOC's hands are tied by world football's governing body FIFA, which runs the Olympic tournament.

Football Federation Australia national teams chief John Boultbee said FFA had also asked WADA to appeal FIFA's decision but the FFA is also yet to make any inroads.

"We think it's strange that a team is banned for 2015 and not 2012 so we have raised the issue with WADA, the IOC and FIFA but so far to no avail," Boultbee said.

"We recognise there's an element of self interest from our point of view because we were third in the qualification tournament but also we are not happy that what FIFA has found to be systematic doping, has not been dealt with in the most effective way."

It is believed Matildas players were initially instructed not to comment on the issue but they've opted to speak publicly because of their frustration with the situation.

Matildas captain Melissa Barbieri stressed the women's side did want to make excuses for its failed campaign but simply could not fathom why no drug testing was done at the qualifying tournament.

"It's surprising to say the least, especially when a team has been caught with drugs in their system for the World Cup a month beforehand and to have no drug testing," Barbieri said.

"They (Korea DPR) played better than us and we lost the game.

"But it plays on your mind - do you really believe that they didn't have any drugs in their system when they were playing us as well? Who knows?"

While the five North Korean players banned at the World Cup did not take part in the Olympic qualification and cannot compete in London, veteran Matildas defender Thea Slatyer said she was concerned a host of new players had been brought into the squad but not tested.

Slatyer, who would have played her last international tournament in London, said the players had been left disheartened.

"We're a very fair country. We've always played fair and played by the rules," Slatyer said.

"... It does make you really upset to know that a team that has conducted this behaviour is kind of allowed to get away with not being tested."

FIFA said the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament had not been considered a priority for doping control.

"As due to logistical reasons, FIFA cannot conduct at all qualifying games doping controls," a statement read.

"Therefore, an assessment is done by the FIFA Anti-Doping Unit and it is decided at which matches doping controls will be performed."

In the nominations for the women's World Player of the Year award United States goalkeeper Hope Solo and forward Abby Wambach have been nominated, along with reigning five-times winner Marta of Brazil.

Japan, the 2011 Women's World Cup winner, has Homare Sawa, the player of the tournament and top scorer in Germany, and Aya Miyama on a 10-woman shortlist.

US forward Alex Morgan is the third member of the World Cup runner-up team to be nominated. France playmaker Louisa Necib also made the shortlist chosen by FIFA officials and journalists selected by "France Football" magazine.

Marta, who helped the Western New York Flash win the Women's Professional Soccer title last season, is seeking to win the FIFA award for a sixth straight year. She is the only player selected from the Brazil squad eliminated by the US in the World Cup quarterfinals.

Japan coach Norio Sasaki and the US team's Swedish coach Pia Sundhage are among 10 candidates for the best coach of a women's team in 2011. Sasaki is one of seven men on the list.

Award organisers FIFA and "France Football" will reveal the final three candidates on December 5.

FIFA will announce the 10-candidate lists next Tuesday to win the men's Golden Ball and best coach awards

The winners will be announced Jan. 9 at the FIFA Gala in Zurich.

Voting is by national team coaches and captains plus selected journalists.

Candidates:

Women's World Player of the Year 2011: Sonia Bompastor (France), Kerstin Garefrekes (Germany), Marta (Brazil), Aya Miyama (Japan), Alex Morgan (USA), Louisa Necib (France), Homare Sawa (Japan), Lotta Schelin (Sweden), Hope Solo (USA), Abby Wambach (USA).

Coach of the Year for Women's Football: Bruno Bini (France), Leonardo Cuellar (Mexico), Thomas Dennerby (Sweden), Patrice Lair (Olympique Lyonnais), Maren Meinert (Germany Under-20), Hope Powell (England), Norio Sasaki (Japan), Tom Sermanni (Australia), Pia Sundhage (United States), Jorge Vilda (Spain Under-17).

Sarah and Sally are two of Australia’s most experienced players and current stars with the Matildas. They will now combine their football careers with these newly-created part-time roles.

The pair will play a lead role in the coordination and delivery of the Alcohol & Illicit Drug Education Program, which involves working closely with the FFA Speakers Bureau - a large group of high profile players and ex-players presenting to various parts of the football community.

They will also join the broader Game Development team and add value to FFA’s other existing programs through their profiles, skills and experience.

Both are undertaking tertiary study with Sarah completing a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) and Sally a Bachelor of Arts (Journalism and Media). They have also received training during several My Football Career courses.

Having both represented Australia for the past eight years, they are excited about their new roles.

“Sarah and I are really looking forward to delivering the program and working closely with the FFA team," Shipard said. "It is a great opportunity for us to give back to the game and really grow as individuals.”

“It is all so fresh at the moment and we have been taking a great deal in. I think it will be an interesting experience in terms of being on the other side of the organisation.”

Walsh expressed excitement at the chance to advance her career.

“Sally and I will compliment each other in terms of what we do with the program and balance the coordinating position,” she said.

“We have been given quite a bit of freedom to explore and deliver the program in a creative, fresh way.

"I will now apply the knowledge I have acquired through my university studies to the real world.”

The positions officially commenced last week although Shipard is away with the Young Matildas in Vietnam in her role as Media Officer. She will return to the office next week.

China took a half-time lead with a Wang Tingting header and Yao Shuangyan extended its advantage midway through the second period.

Emily Van Egmond's goal with just under 10 minutes gave the Young Matildas hope of a comeback, but when Ni Mengjie slotted home China's third, the contest was all but over and China maintained its unbeaten record in the tournament.

It was a disappointing result for Australia given it had controlled possession for large parts of the game but could not convert its territorial dominance into goals.

China began brightly and had the first attempt on target in the eight minute, when Zhang Xin's shot was held by keeper Casey Dumont. Australia then came agonisingly close to taking the lead four minutes later when Nicola Bolger saw her 30-yard strike wobble the crossbar.

China spurned a great opportunity in the 20th minute after a ball over the top between two defenders released Ni, but she stabbed just wide of the post.

Dumont then made a sharp reflex save after Yao touched a free-kick goalwards and Bolger's long-range effort was held by Yang Yan at the other end.

Van Egmond shot wide just short of the half-hour mark before Vedrana Popovic had perhaps Australia's best chance when she headed just wide of the far post after a corner.

Zhao Xindi's shot was deflected narrowly wide after the ball was cut back to the unmarked midfielder in the box, but China took the lead from the resulting corner, when Wang nodded home after Dumont came out but failed to beat the midfielder to the ball.

China almost doubled its lead five minutes into the second period when Ni again raced clear and bore down on goal, but Dumont did well to get a hand on her shot and Australia scrambled the ball clear.

Zhao volleyed wide in the 54th minute before China extended the lead in the 66th minute. Another long ball over the top again proved the Australian defence's undoing, allowing Yao a clear run at goal. The forward rounded the advancing Dumont before slotting into an empty net.

With their World Cup dream slipping away, the Young Matildas tried desperately to get back into the game. Linda O'Neill fired over from inside the box in the 71st minute and, shortly afterwards, Yao shot straight at Dumont when well-placed as China continued to look dangerous on the counter.

Tara Andrews could only direct Stephanie Catley's cross beyond the far post in the 79th minute.

Two minutes later Van Egmond finally beat Yang Yan, but the joy was short-lived as China restored its two-goal cushion almost immediately, when the ball broke to Yang Lina and she squared for Ni to stroke into an empty net.

Han Jiayuan then headed Yao's cross wide from close range at the back post as China closed out its second victory of the tournament.

The Young Matildas suffered a setback in their campaign to qualify for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, with Kwon Song-Hwa's powerful strike in the 22nd minute the only goal of the match.

Australia was looking for its second consecutive victory at the Asian U-19 championship, but failed to make the most of its chances.

However, Hopkins believed his side's cause wasn't helped by some alleged gamesmanship from its opponent.

In the final moments of the game, with Australia pushing for an equaliser, a number of Korean players went down with cramp.

"I think it is a poor show, poor sportsmanship really. I saw exactly the same in the game the other night," he told the tournament's website.

"I don't really want to make any comment about it, it's just something that we don't believe should go on.

"As a team it's something we won't do, it is just a poor show."

Korea DPR coach Sin Ui-gun denied his players had simulated injury.

"(The cramping) was only because they were too tired and the lack of water inside them. It was not intended injury," he said.

Australia plays Japan on Monday in the third of its five U-20 Women's World Cup qualification matches.

The Young Matildas must finish in the top half of the six-team Asian tournament to qualify for the World Cup.

Emily Gielnik starred with a hat-trick for the Young Matildas to send Australia to the top of the standings in the tournament which serves as qualification for the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.

Australia started brightly, with Linda O’Neill taking advantage of some good lead-up work to slot one past Vietnam keeper Tran Thi Kim in the opening minutes.

But Vietnam was quick to strike back with two goals before half-time to rattle the Young Matildas.

Gielnik levelled the scores on the hour mark, before sending Australia ahead with her second in the 62nd minute.

Gielnik added her third minutes later to seal the result for the Young Matildas.

“To be honest with you I cannot remember scoring all three, I’m totally exhausted,” Gielnik said.

“I am so glad we got up in the end, now we can rest and prepare for the next game.

Speaking at the press conference after the match, Young Matildas head coach Jeff Hopkins said the most pleasing thing about the game was the come-back.

“It was the Never Say Die attitude of the girls that really shone today, it wasn’t necessarily the performance,” Hopkins said.

“Today was a real test, an eye opener, to understand what we are really up against - Vietnam were a good side and we were very impressed.”

The qualification path through Asia is a difficult one and the Young Matildas must now remain focused to progress to next year’s FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup.

“We will need to perform better and more consistently in our upcoming matches,” Hopkins said.

“Our players have finished today’s game unscathed, providing us with good preparation leading in to our next game against DPR Korea.”

The Young Matildas will play Korea DPR in the second of five FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup qualification matches.

It was "a very difficult decision" according to coach Vicki Linton, ironically made necessary by an abundance of talent which she says is an enormously positive sign for women’s football in Victoria.

“Victoria is very lucky in the talent we have here,” Linton said.

“We have a long history of producing world-class goalkeepers, from FFA and FFV ‘Hall of Fame’ inductee Theresa Deas, to Melissa Barbieri, who has performed outstandingly for Melbourne Victory and the Matildas.

I don’t think there’s any question that Brianna Davey has the talent to join that elite group in the very near future.”

Linton, who is also head coach of the Under-16 Australia side, said that while Barbieri was still an outstanding keeper, she believed it was time for Davey to be given a chance at the top level.

“Melissa has been an amazing player at both state and national level, as well as an outstanding ambassador for the game,” Linton said.

“While letting any player go is difficult, we also have to do what we feel is the right thing for Melbourne Victory as a team. Going forward, we really believe it’s time for Brianna to step up to that ‘number one’ position.”

Davey has represented Australia at Under-14 and Under-16 levels and is currently with the Young Matildas squad preparing for the Under-19 AFC Championships.

She has been with the Melbourne Victory W-League squad since 2010.

“Brianna is an outstanding goalkeeper and, though she is still young at 16, plays well beyond her years and, importantly, has the potential to get even better as she matures,” Linton said.

“Anyone who has seen her play in the Under-16s, or who had the chance to see her play in the three W-League games she played for Victory last season at the age of only 15, will know what a talented and exciting player she is.”

In farewelling Barbieri, Linton said Victory was delighted to have had such a successful relationship with her.

“She has been an enormous asset to Victory and I am sure she will continue to make an outstanding contribution to the sport in the future and I wish her all the very best,” Linton said.

Korea DPR's 5-0 victory over Thailand saw Japan and the North Koreas qualify, meaning the Matildas finish third with three wins and two defeats from their five games.

Korea Republic went ahead on 27 minutes, but the Matildas hit back through substitute De Vanna, who netted on 63 minutes after Servet Uzunlar's shot was blocked by the Korea Republic goalkeeper.

Another substitute, Butt, netted what would prove to be the winner 14 minutes from time, leaving coach Tom Sermanni pleased with his side's spirit.

"It was a very difficult and competitive match today," Sermanni said.

"I was very proud of the effort and the character our players showed to come back in the second half to win the game.

"When you consider we lost two of the first three games, the tournament could easily have gotten away from us and been a non-event.

"The way that we’ve come back demonstrates the character of this group of players."

Despite missing out on Olympic qualification, Sermanni said he was proud of the team's strong finish to the tournament.

"If you look at all the games in this tournament, I don't think a team has come from behind to win," he said.

"At the last game in the Women's World Cup, we had a fully fit squad. This tournament, we've been the walking wounded with two players definitely ruled out and at least three more less than injury free, so we were really limited.

"I'm proud of how the players rallied. They left nothing on the pitch."

And even that might not be enough to book the Matildas a ticket for London.

The Matildas still have a slim chance of finishing second and qualifying for the Olympics, but it would require them defeating Korea and Thailand to defeat DPR Korea.

DPR Korea is currently second in the six-team round-robin on eight points while the Thais have lost all four of their matches.

Matildas coach Tom Sermanni said that the team was focused on their final match and nothing else.

“Winning will definitely put us third,” said Sermanni.

“That’s the aim and we can’t think about anything else.

“This game’s going to be as difficult as the games against DPR Korea and China,” he said.

“It’s important that we go out with a positive attitude and focus on the task at hand, just as we did in the match against China.”

Sermanni said that he hoped a number of players who had been struggling with injuries will be available for the match.

“In this tournament, we’re been more hampered by injuries than we have in previous tournaments,” he said.

“Kyah Simon and Caitlin Foord will not be available for the match against Korea Republic.

”Although they are not 100 per cent fit, there’s a good chance that Sarah Walsh and Sally Shipard will be available for selection.”

The top two teams in the section will qualify for the Games.

Emily Van Egmond scored the winning goal for the Matildas in the 62nd minute.

"I was really delighted with the way we bounced back," Matildas coach Tom Sermanni said afterwards.

"It's easy when you lose a couple of critical games to really fall away and to get into a situation where you're waiting for the tournament to finish so you can go home. I was really pleased with how the players focused on the task tonight.

"After the first 15 minutes, I thought we were the better side and deserved to win.

"During those opening minutes, the Chinese team were extremely dangerous. Once we settled down, we were able to eliminate a lot of their options."

With all teams now having played four matches, the Matildas move to six points and third position on the tournament ladder.

Despite the win, the Matildas will need a miracle to progress, hoping that bottom team Thailand, without a point, beats Korea DPR, which sits second on eight points.

Japan secured qualification for London next year by virtue of a 1-1 draw with the North Koreans earlier in the night.

The current world champion is now on 10 points and cannot be bumped off a top-two finish.

The Matildas will now turn their attention to beating Korea Republic in their final game and hope the Thais do a massive favour in their match against Korea DPR.

"We always knew it (qualifying) was going to be tough. In reality, we've had two narrow losses," Sermanni said.

"If we've got nine points and finished third, it's a good finish to the tournament.

"It will highlight that we are still on track with this team."

The fourth-placed Matildas will take on third-placed China on Thursday as it aims to improve its chances of qualifying.

Matildas coach Tom Sermanni said the next two games were critical, but that his side has the resilience and determination to succeed.

“The next two games are games that we obviously need to win to have an opportunity to qualify, and they’re going to be equally as difficult as the DPR Korea and Japan games,” Sermanni said.

“It’s easy to turn up and be confident and play when things are going smoothly for you.

“The real test of the team and the staff is how we handle things when there’s a bit of adversity.

"The key to these next two games is how we handle ourselves. Normally we’re a very resilient group of players, and I’ve got complete faith that these qualities will manifest themselves in these last two games.”

The Matildas lost 1-0 to both DPR Korea and Japan and in between brushed Thailand aside 5-1. Korea Republic will be their opponent in the final match.

The top two teams will book berths for London next year.

Match Highlights: Australia v Japan

The Matildas made it to half-time unscathed with a series of fine saves from goalkeeper Lydia Williams but were brought unstuck by Nahomi Kawasumi in the 62nd minute at the Shandong Sports Centre, China.

Tom Sermanni's side is left languishing on three points from three games after its 1-0 first-up loss to DPR Korea but hit back with a 5-1 win over Thailand in its second match.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Sermanni congratulated the Japanese team on its victory, and said it was the better team on the day.

“In reality, we were completely outplayed by the Japanese,” said Sermanni.

“Japan are playing with a huge amount of confidence and belief at the moment.

“We knew the games in this tournament were going to be very tight, with a question mark about where we would be at having to back up after the Women’s World Cup.

“We felt that we were well prepared and well rested going into the game, which we thought might have given us an edge. But that turned out to be incorrect.

“The key thing now that is a test of our abilities and of our character is that we still have two games left in this competition. There is still the possibility of qualifying for the Olympics. While that’s still alive, we need to go out and perform.”

World Champion Japan maintains its lead at the top of the group with a 100% record from it's first three games.

The Matildas now face an uphill battle against China, on Thursday, and Korea Republic, on Sunday, to finish in the top-two of the tournament to qualify for London.

Matildas line-up: Lydia WILLIAMS (gk), Teigan ALLEN, Thea SLATYER (10. Servet UZUNLAR 71’), Kim CARROLL, Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT, Caitlin FOORD, Collette MCCALLUM (c) (17. Kyah SIMON 71’), Clare POLKINGHORNE, Heather GARRIOCK, Lisa DE VANNA, Sarah WALSH (20. Michelle HEYMAN 83’).

Substitutes not used: Melissa BARBIERI (gk), Laura ALLEWAY, Tameka BUTT, Emily VAN EGMOND, Aivi LUIK, Sally SHIPARD.

In the day's other completed games, second-placed Korea DPR accounted for its southern neighbour Korea Republic 3-2 to move up to seven points while China is third in the group on five points after defeating Thailand 2-0.

The Matildas go into the game against the reigning world champion on the back of a 5-1 drubbing of Thailand, and Sermanni admits he is looking forward to the match at the Shandong Sports Centre in China.

Watch the interview with coach Tom Sermanni.

"For many years, we've had an extremely close relationship with Japan, and a strong and friendly rivalry," Sermanni said.

"We always know it's going to be an outstanding game against them and that they're going to test us to our limits.

"We have a great deal of respect for Japan and the way they play. I think that respect is mutual."

It will be the first time the teams have met since the 2010 AFC Asian Cup semi-final, which Australia won 1-0, and Sermanni said he was also interested to see how Japan performs after the high of winning the Women's World Cup in Germany this year.

"It will be interesting to see how Japan refocus for the tournament after the elation of winning the Women's World Cup," he said. "They could either be flying or be flat.

"We've had a very good track record against Japan in critical games. Hopefully history will repeat itself tomorrow.

"The results so far have shown how tight this competition is. The games between the top teams have either been drawn or won by a goal.

"If we can get a result against Japan tomorrow night, it places us in a strong position for Olympic qualification."

The Matildas started their 2012 London Olympic Games Asian qualification campaign with a 1-0 defeat to Korea DPR.

Four first-half goals, including a brace by late call-up Michelle Heyman, gave the Matildas an unassailable lead before heading into the break.

A fifth goal to midfield ace Emily van Egmond in the 58th minute cemented the victory.

Heyman's goals were her first at international level but in only her third appearance showed a sign of possible things to come.

"Michelle has grown in confidence and skill in the last two years," said coach Tom Sermanni. "It's great for her to score a couple of real, quality striker's goals."

Sermanni said it was a good performance, but that the team would need to perform better and more consistently in its coming matches, having lost its opening game 1-0 to Korea DPR and meeting recently-crowned world champion Japan next match.

"I'm pleased that we scored five goals," said Sermanni.

"Goals could be critical in this tournament. It's not easy to score goals against any Asian team these days.

"I'm also pleased that we finished the game off by half-time so we could make some changes and rest players ahead of the Japan game.

"However, our second-half performance left a lot to be desired.

"Thailand put us under a lot more pressure in the second half, and we lost our rhythm."

The Matildas will play Japan on Monday.

The Matildas play Thailand on Saturday at the Jinan Olympic Sports Centre in China after starting their campaign with a 1-0 defeat to Korea DPR.

"I think the important thing for us is to bounce back after the DPR game," Sermanni said.

"Thailand may be seen as the weaker team in this tournament, but they have improved quite significantly over the last four or five years.

"They are an opponent we can't afford to take lightly."

The Matildas have defeated Thailand - which kicked off with a 3-0 defeat against Japan - in all three previous meetings.

The North Koreans took the lead in the 10th minute after Kim Su Gyong dispatched a cross.

The Matildas were unable to find an equaliser, with Sarah Walsh, returning after a one-year absence, missing the best chance after 75 minutes.

The speedy striker beat a defender to force the DPR Korea goalkeeper to come off her line but Walsh’s chip strayed just wide of the open goal.

In the first-half, Elise Kellond-Knight skimmed the crossbar from distance, while second-half substitute Kyah Simon, with a clear look at goal, could only hit her shot straight at the goalkeeper.

After the match, disappointed Matildas coach Tom Sermanni was still positive about his side's chances of qualifying for London.

“You have to take key chances to win games and I don’t think we took them. That was probably the difference between the two teams,” said Sermanni.

“We knew coming into this tournament that these matches were going to be tough and tight. There were areas of our performance that were a bit disappointing.

“But in saying that, we also created enough chances to win the game. That shows that we’re very much still in this tournament.

“We need to not get too disappointed or distracted by today’s loss and instead refocus for the next four games.”

The Matildas will play Thailand in the second match of its qualification campaign on 3 September.

Matildas: Lydia WILLIAMS (gk), Servet UZUNLAR, Thea SLATYER, Kim CARROLL, Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT, Sally SHIPARD, Collette MCCALLUM (C), Heather GARRIOCK, Tameka BUTT (17. Kyah SIMON 75’), Clare POLKINGHORNE (20. Michelle Heyman 79’), Lisa DE VANNA (9. Sarah WALSH 65’).

Substitutes not used: Melissa BARBIERI (gk), Laura ALLEWAY, Emily VAN EGMOND, Aivi LUIK, Teigan ALLEN, Caitlin FOORD.

ABC TV will broadcast the Matildas' clash with Japan, the current FIFA Women’s World Cup holder, on Monday, 5 September 5 at 11.35pm (AEST).

Tom Sermanni's side will later take on Korea Republic on Monday, 12 September at 11.35pm (AEST).

The two top teams from the gruelling six-team, 11-day round robin tournament will progress to the Olympics next July.

Apart from the fourth ranked Japan, the Matildas will face stiff competition from Korea Republic, ranked 16th in the FIFA Women’s World Rankings.

Australia opens its campaign against DPR Korea on 1 September. China and Thailand make up the group's participants.

Matildas coach Tom Sermanni on the Olympic Games qualifiers

Matildas captain Melissa Barbieri on the Olympic Games qualifiers

The Matildas face Korea DPR at the Jinan Olympic Sports Centre, China, on Thursday afternoon, and Sermanni is expecting it to be the first of a tough series of games.

"It's going to be a very difficult tournament: a lot of tough teams, a lot of tough games, and it could be last team standing," Sermanni said.

"The team that utilises its players best will make it through to the Olympics.

"DPR Korea have an outstanding history in tournaments in Asia - either getting to the final or winning tournaments - they'll be here to qualify for the Olympics.

"Obviously their preparation might have been a little bit disrupted with the suspensions, but they're a very resilient team and a very resilient country and this first game on Thursday will be difficult."

It will be the first time the teams have met since the 2010 AFC Asian Cup final, which the Matildas won 5–4 on penalties, and Sermanni says he is hoping for more of the same.

"I hope we see the same Westfield Matildas that we saw in the Asian Cup last year and the same Westfield Matildas that we've seen for the internationals that we’ve played this year," he said.

"That's a team that plays positive football, a team that's really focused, a team that goes on the field to win games, and a team that is ambitious and that wants to get to the Olympics."

The Matildas will also take on Japan, Korea Republic, Thailand and China, with the top two teams qualifying for the next year's Olympics in London.

Australia's Olympic qualifiers (women's football)
1 September DPR Korea
3 September Thailand
5 September Japan
8 September China
11 September Korea Republic

Sermanni said he was disappointed to see Kerr exit the tournament under such circumstances but is confident that she will make a full recovery.

"Sam’s injury occurred during a fairly innocuous challenge at training,” he said.

"Unfortunately, this sort of thing happens in sport, but importantly Sam is in as good spirits as you can expect at this time

"Sam is such a lively, popular member of the squad and creates such a vibrancy about the place that her presence will be sorely missed.

"All our thoughts are with Sam at the moment and we're all sure she'll bounce back.”

Kerr will return to Australia immediately for treatment. A possible replacement player will be announced in the coming days.

The Matildas will open their qualification campaign against DPR Korea on September 1.

Walsh and Slatyer missed the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany with injuries and are welcome additions to a youthful Matildas squad.

Leena Khamis and Casey Dumont were dropped along with the versatile Perry.

Aivi Luik also returns after narrowly missing out on a World Cup spot and comes in for injured Brisbane Roar team mate Lauren Colthorpe who has a knee injury.

“We have a large and talented squad and when you can only select 20 players for an 11 day, five match tournament you need to be very balanced in the selection process.

“The flexibility of the playing group given the number of games we have to play over a very short period is key.

“Both Thea and Walshy bring special qualities to the squad and now they are fully fit will give us the added bonus through their extensive experience and knowledge of playing big matches in Asia.”

Australia’s Olympic Games campaign begins next month in Jinan, China, in a gruelling six team, 11 day round robin tournament with the top two teams progressing to the 2012 London Games.

The Matildas play AFC Women’s Asian Cup runner-up DPR Korea in their opening match on 1 September at the Jinan Olympic Sports Centre.

Australia squad: Teigen ALLEN (Sydney FC); Laura ALLEWAY (Brisbane Roar); Melissa BARBIERI (Melbourne Victory); Tameka BUTT (Brisbane Roar); Kim CARROLL (Brisbane Roar); Lisa DE VANNA (Majic Jack); Caitlin FOORD (Sydney FC); Heather GARRIOCK (LdB Malmo); Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT (Brisbane Roar); Samantha KERR (Perth Glory); Aivi LUIK (Brisbane Roar); Collette MCCALLUM (Perth Glory); Clare POLKINGHORNE (Brisbane Roar); Sally SHIPARD (Canberra United); Kyah SIMON (Sydney FC); Thea SLATYER (Uncontracted); Servet UZUNLAR (Sydney FC); Emily VAN EGMOND (Canberra United); Sarah WALSH (Sydney FC); Lydia WILLIAMS (Canberra United);

After a strong showing at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany, where it reached the quarter-finals, the Matildas moved up two places from equal 11th (with Italy) to 9th.

The AFC Women’s Asian Cup winner is the second highest ranked Asian team, five spots behind World Cup finalist Japan.

FIFA Women's World Ranking Top 10

1. USA - 2162 pts
2. Germany - 2146 pts
3. Brazil - 2121 pts
4. Japan - 2101 pts
5. Sweden - 2085 pts
6. England - 1997 pts
7. France - 1981 pts
8. Canada - 1953 pts
9. Australia - 1946 pts
10. Norway - 1940 pts

Among the top 10, England made the biggest rise moving up four spots, Canada dropped two places while for the first time since the rankings began in 2003, DPR Korea dropped out of the top 10, to 12th.

Australia’s road to the Olympics begins in September in Jinan, China, in a gruelling six team, 11 day round-robin tournament with the top two teams progressing to the 2012 London Olympic Games.

The Olyroos, however, have their work cut out to qualify, and will then have to take things one step at a time if they are to get anywhere near winning Australia's first Olympics football medal.

How different things might be for the Olyroos if they could be sure of fielding their strongest eligible team.

But coach Aurelio Vidmar acknowledges he will have a battle convincing clubs to let go of his overseas-based stars, including K-League defender Luke De Vere, Dutch-based Tommy Oar, English trio Rhys Williams, Shane Lowry and Chris Herd, Scottish Premier League players Aaron Mooy and Ryan McGowan, and Borussia Monchengladbach signing Matthew Leckie.

Vidmar has faith in his A-League players, led by captain Oliver Bozanic, his Central Coast team-mate Mustafa Amini, Brisbane Roar pair Mitch Nichols and Rocco Visconte, and Melbourne Heart striker Jason Hoffman, who banged in five goals in the two-leg qualifier against Yemen in June.

"We will certainly do our utmost to get the strongest possible squad, but we'll have these problems throughout the campaign," said Vidmar.

"We've still got extremely capable players in the A-League.

"I am confident they can do the job."

The Olyroos will start favourites to win their final Asian qualifying group but need to finish on top to be sure of going to next year's Olympics.

Their biggest stumbling block will be Iraq, who dumped them in the quarter-finals of the Athens 2004 Games.

If they finish second, they must fight for a spot in a further play-off round at the end of March.

They have reached the Olympic quarter-finals three times before, but could be hard-pressed to repeat that achievement, let alone match the fourth place Eddie Thomson's 1992 squad managed.

Their female counterparts, by contrast, are on a roll after winning the Asian title for the first time in 2010, then reaching the World Cup quarter-finals for the second consecutive time at Germany's 2011 event.

The youthful Matildas, captained by goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri, contain seven teenagers and 11 players who are 21 or under.

They boast Sydney FC strikers 16-year-old Caitlin Foord, who was awarded the Best Young Player trophy at the World Cup and 20-year-old Kyah Simon, the first indigenous player to score at a World Cup for Australia.

Add to them the impressive Ellyse Perry, another Sydney 20-year-old, who is the only woman to have played in both football and cricket World Cups for Australia.

Perry scored one of the goals of the 2011 World Cup in the 3-1 quarter-final loss to Sweden.

Coach Tom Sermanni must steer his team to a top-two finish at Asia's final six-team qualifying league in September.

The Matildas, now ranked 11 in the world, have only made it to the Olympics twice before and never gone beyond the quarter-finals.

But they are confident of bettering that in England.

Caitlin Foord was judged by FIFA’s Technical Study Group (TSG) to have demonstrated not only skill and creativity but also to have competed in accordance with the principles of fair play.

Speaking at the announcement, Tatjana Haenni, FIFA’s Head of Women’s Competitions said, “We are delighted to team up with Hyundai to introduce the Hyundai Best Young Player award for the first time at a FIFA Women’s World Cup and equally delighted that Caitlin is the awards’ first recipient. This award is another important tool that we can use to showcase role models like Caitlin and in turn inspire more girls to play football.”

Mark Hall, Head of Marketing at Hyundai Motor Europe commented, “The FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011 is a fantastic showcase for the game of football, while raising awareness for the women’s game and the long-standing relationship between Hyundai and FIFA. We are delighted to once again present the ‘Best Young Player’ award at a world cup, and reward Caitlin for her outstanding abilities on the field of play. This tournament has truly conveyed feelings of dynamism, excitement and passion – attributes at the heart of the Hyundai brand.”

FIFA’s Technical Study Group (TSG), which is comprised of top football coaches and analysts, was represented at the announcement by FIFA TSG member, Technical Director US Soccer and former USA Women’s National Team Coach April Heinrichs and FIFA TSG member, DFB Sport Teacher and former German Women’s National Team Coach Tina Theune.

Candidates for the award were evaluated based on criteria including exceptional skills, a youthful and refreshing playing style, creativity and tactical maturity.

Crucially, to be in the running for the award, players must have featured in some of their teams’ matches and demonstrated a passion and spirit for the game as well as be set to establish new standards for their country in the near future.

Only players born on or after 17th July 1991 were eligible for consideration by the FIFA TSG making the achievement of Caitlin Foord, at only 16 years and 8 months old, even more remarkable.

Speaking to FIFA.com after the announcement, April Heinrichs explained, “Her coach Tom Sermanni trusted her on the right of midfield and also as a right-sided defender. She has got the potential to become a prototype of a modern full-back who is strong in defence, but one who also thinks offensively.”

Also speaking to FIFA.com after the announcement, Tina Theune added, “We focused on a candidate who played an important role for her team. We chose 16-year-old Caitlin Foord of Australia because she was an integral part of her side.”

A 3-1 loss to Sweden in Germany ended the Matildas World Cup campaign after emulating the quarter-final performance of the 2007 team.

Australia failed to qualify for the 2008 Olympics and coach Tom Sermanni said it would be a difficult challenge this time around, with just two nations advancing from a six-team round robin tournament in China.

The Matildas will play five matches in 11 days against North Korea, Thailand, Japan, China and South Korea from September 1.

"We really don't have much time off and we've got to get back on track and get back in the mix for that tournament," Sermanni told AAP.

"It will be last team standing basically in the end."

Sermanni expected all of his World Cup squad to be available.

Despite his disappointment at elimination from the World Cup, Sermanni was bullish about the future after the rousing efforts of a youthful squad containing several teenagers and players in their early 20s.

"I think we've got the makings of a very good team here ... and we'll be trying to build on this World Cup," Sermanni said.

"Hopefully we'll qualify for the Olympics, that's going to be very difficult, but if we can do that, then that's another step forward and I think in many ways, we've taken a step forward in this tournament.

"It's a time-consuming thing rebuilding a team and we've come a long way in a short period of time.

"We've got some really promising talent and at the same time I think we've got some players who are at the prime of their career and will be for the next few years."

The loss to Sweden, who scored twice in the first 16 minutes, meant Australia was denied a crack at surprise semi-finalist Japan, who eliminated tournament host and defending champion Germany.

"A chance lost? That's hard to say, we're just disappointed we're going home," Sermanni said.

He acknowledged Australia needed to eradicate the defensive lapses responsible for all seven goals conceded at tournament.

"It's not inexperience, we're talking about players who have had an outstanding tournament and players who won the Asian Cup last year," Sermanni said.

"You cannot legislate for someone making a mistake, it just happens."

Sermanni nominated outstanding left back Elise Kellond-Knight and the squad's youngest member, 16-year-old utility Caitlin Foord, as his most consistent players in Germany.

Slack defending proved the Matilda's downfall as it conceded two goals in the first 16 minutes with Therese Sjogran (11') and Lisa Dahlkvist each unmarked inside the Australian penalty area to give the Swedes a flying start.

Ellyse Perry revitalised Australia's hopes five minutes prior to half-time with a stunning, curling shot into the top corner of the goal, after receiving a short corner on the edge of the box.

The Matildas started the second half well, but gave themselves a mountain to climb by committing a defensive howler in the 52nd minute.

Sweden striker Lotta Schelin pounced on a loose back pass from centre half Kim Carroll, pushed the ball around Australian goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri and pushed it into an unguarded net.

The Matildas refused to crumble and mounted several attacks and created a number of chances.

Kyah Simon headed just wide, fellow striker Lisa De Vanna also went close and substitute Tameka Butt had a header and shot on target.

Sweden also went in search of more goals in the final half hour, but the Australian defence held.

Matildas coach Tom Sermanni made two changes to his team, bringing in Perry and Emily Van Egmond for Clare Polkinghorne and Samantha Kerr.

It was a chequered night for Australian World Cup cricket representative and Matildas' right back Perry, who was beaten down her side in the lead-up to both of Sweden's first two goals.

In the first instance, Sjogran had time to control the cross and fire in a shot which Barbieri couldn't stop at her near post.

Eight minutes later, Dahlkvist rose unchallenged to head home from close range.

Australia struggled to get a foothold for around 20 minutes after Sweden went 2-0 up, but the Europeans didn't create any other meaningful chances.

The Matildas gradually clawed their way back into the match in the last 10 minutes of the half.

Midfielder Collette McCallum threatened from set pieces. Her 40 metre free kick in the 38th minute almost caught out the Swedish goalkeeper, who watched the audacious attempt just miss the target.

McCallum's short corner to Perry produced the goal that gave Australia hope.

The multi-talented youngster controlled the ball with her right boot and curled the ball in from the extreme right-hand edge of the area with her non-preferred left foot.

Perry and Van Egmond, were replaced by Butt and Polkinghorne just before the hour, while McCallum gave way Sally Shipard with just over ten minutes left.

Australia line-up: Barbieri; Perry (Butt 59'), Carroll, Uzunlar, Kellond-Knight; Foord, McCallum (Shipard 79'), Van Egmond (Polkinghorne 58'), Garriock; Simon, De Vanna.

Sermanni said he was proud of the way his team played during spells of the game, but admitted mistakes proved costly as his side let Sweden off the hook by gifting it the third goal.

"I think we were until we made another mistake and you can't make mistakes at this level.

"When you consider the goals we've given up in this tournament and the way that they've done that, I think we've done extremely well to get where we've got to.

"But you can't be a winning team and defend well for 90 per cent of the time and give opposition easy goals."

Perry, who was part of the winning Australian team at last year's T20 cricket World Cup, downplayed her goal and admitted some responsibility for Sweden's first two goals.

"I think I was just in the right place at the right time," Perry said of her goal.

"It was nice to get a goal there because they obviously scored those first two goals from plays down my side of there field, so I kind of felt like I owed the team a little bit.

"It was lovely to put one in the back of the net, especially being a defender it doesn't happen too often," added Perry, who scored her third goal in 16 internationals.

Sweden will now take on Japan in a semi-final meeting in Frankfurt on Wednesday (Thursday 4.45am AEST).

:: NOTE - FIFA Women's World Cup semi-finals and final LIVE on SBS ONE and streamed on TWG

The Matildas are expected to make two changes to the starting side with Emily van Egmond and Ellyse Perry coming in for Clare Polkinghorne and Sam Kerr, the changes also freeing up teenager Caitlin Foord to be pushed further forward.

After toppling another Scandinavian side Norway to advance to the quarter-finals for the second consecutive edition, the Matildas head for the former Roman fortress town of Augsburg in southwestern Bavaria.

But despite boasting just one win in the eight previous matches with Sweden, Sermanni said that confidence is riding high in the Australia camp.

"This is probably the least pressurised game," Sermanni said.

"The further you go the less pressure you're under.

"We've achieved what we wanted and beaten a team who are high in the world and had ambitions to win the tournament.

"The pressure is far more on Sweden."

Australia finished second in Group D behind Brazil after beating Norway 2-1 and Equatorial Guinea 3-2 and losing 1-0 to the South Americans.

"After the win the team was ecstatic and upbeat. That win will hopefully have a significant impact on the team," said the Scot.

"It's very new that we knock a team like Norway out of a tournament.

"I tried to stress to the players just how significant it is. I don't think the young ones got it, they just want to go out and play football.

"But what it has done is given us a lot of confidence for Sunday."

Morale is also high among the unbeaten Swedes who stunned world number one team the United States 2-1 to finish top of Group C after also achieving 1-0 wins over both Korea DPR and Colombia.

Fifth-ranked Sweden has competed in all editions of the World Cup since the inaugural edition in 1991 when it finished third and was a finalist in 2003.

The Matildas, who are ranked 11th, are not the same side however that reached the last eight in 2007 with half the team aged under 20 years.

And Australia will need all its fighting skills against a side that has five wins to Australia's one, with the two other games drawn.

"We haven't played them for a long time so it's difficult to make comparisons," said Sermanni.

"They're a bit like Norway. They're probably not quite a direct as Norway but have strong physical characteristics like them.

"We're going to take the same approach against Sweden. We're going all out for a win not to sit back and defend. I hope the team gives a good account of themselves again on Sunday, win or lose."

The pair's only previous clash in the World Cup was in 1999 when the Scandinavians won 3-1.

They last met at the 2004 Olympics with the Swedes winning 2-1 and current team member Lisa De Vanna scoring for the Matildas.

The only doubt for Australia is Tameka Butt who has a hamstring injury.

Despite beating the USA, Sweden striker Lotta Schelin said it was taking nothing for granted against Australia.

"They can play really well too, you can compare them to Brazil, so they are all we are worrying about now," she said.

Striker Simon scored the two goals that fired Australia into the last eight as her side came from behind in Leverkusen to inflict a 2-1 defeat on Norway in their final Group D game, which sent the 1995 world champion home.

The 20-year-old Sydney FC forward scored a minute after Norway had taken the lead and then sealed victory with a header three minutes from time.

"A goal was my big dream, the second was a bonus," she said.

"I hope that we will still go far now."

Born in Blacktown, a suburb to the west of Sydney, Simon says Aborigine sprinter Cathy Freeman, who took 400m gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, was her role model while she was growing up.

"My idol was always Cathy Freeman. I think it's great what she has achieved as an athlete with indigenous roots," says Simon.

Simon says she was a precocious talent - at the age of eight she was telling neighbours she would one day play for Australia.

At 16, she played her first international match for the senior Australia team, before she had even made her professional club debut.

One year later, she scored her first goal for the Matildas and at 18 she was part of the team that was crowned Asian champion, before finding herself on the cover of football magazine FourFourTwo.

At 19, she was top-scorer in Australia's W-league and voted footballer of the year.

And now she will be playing for a World Cup semi-final place and is the first player with Aboriginal roots to score a World Cup goal for Australia, all before her 20th birthday.

Simon is proud of her ancestry and has been an ambassador at a festival of indigenous football.

"It was really good to see so many Aboriginal children play soccer," she said. "It was a nice experience for me, to be considered as a role-model.

"That has really lit a spark in me. There were so many children there who had natural talent."

Of the eight teams left at the tournament in Germany, the Matildas are rated 40-1 long shots ahead of England and Japan (18-1).

That lowly status clearly doesn't worry the fearless young team, which has already equalled Australia's best World Cup effort, achieved four years ago.

At No.11, Australia is the lowest-ranked of the quarter-finalists and has won just one of eight games against fifth-ranked Sweden, which upset world No.1 United States in their group C clash.

The Swedes are clear favourites to win their quarter-final clash in Augsburg, but there's no hint of negativity or fear emanating from the Australia camp.

"I think when you look at the make-up of this team, to get where we've got to I think is a great achievement. But they are a pretty ambitious group," Matildas' coach Tom Sermanni said.

"Now that we've got here, the players will want to win the game on Sunday and, if we don't win the game, they will be disappointed.

"I think there's a degree of sort of saying 'we think we can go further' and there's another bit as a coach, you have to say 'it's going to be tough'."

Sermanni also steered the 2007 team to the last eight, but believes this is a bigger achievement with a much younger squad, which includes several teenagers and just one player, captain Melissa Barbieri, over 30.

"When you look at the number of debutantes in the World Cup, the lack of real experience playing at this level and under this pressure, I think this result is more significant," Sermanni said.

"I think four years ago, it was significant in another way. It kind of got the team over a hurdle and it was a team that deserved to get to the quarter-finals.

"This achievement, I think, probably surpasses that."

Sermanni acknowledges for his team to progress, it must eliminate the dodgy mistakes which have blighted its campaign to date.

All four goals conceded came from defensive lapses, not from good attacking play by the opposition.

"We want to try and eradicate them, but you don't want to make too big a deal out of it, so it becomes an issue, and players go out there scared to death of playing in case they make a mistake," Sermanni said.

Schelin was the player-of-the-match in Wolfsburg during the last start 2-1 Group C win as her darting runs proved to be a constant menace to the US defence, but Sweden now focuses on its last eight clash with the Matildas in Augsburg this weekend.

Victory over the Americans was sealed after Sweden raced into a 2-0 lead as midfielder Lisa Dahlkvist netted a penalty on 15 minutes and captain Nilla Fischer fired in a free-kick on 35 minutes.

Veteran striker Abby Wambach scored a second-half consolation for the United States, but Sweden's victory spares it a quarter-final show-down with Brazil, who have swept into the last eight with three victories to win Group D.

"I haven't really thought about it," said Schelin when asked if she was relieved to avoid Brazil.

"We are just focused on playing Australia. They can play really well too, you can compare them to Brazil, so they are all we are worrying about now."

The Matildas are into the last eight at the expense of Norway as the Australians came from behind to claim a 2-1 win over the 1995 champion in Group D.

Germany, which are bidding for a third title, plays Japan in Wolfsburg in its quarter-final and is a potential semi-final opponent for either Australia or Sweden.

But Schelin says her team has no fear of the host side.

"I have the greatest of respect for the German team," said Schelin after Germany trounced France 4-2 in the final Group A game in Monchengladbach despite several changes.

"Just look at their bench, they played against France with a lot of players who have not played before and they still did a really good job.

"They are a really good team, but so are we and we are not afraid."

Match Highlights: Matildas v Norway

Striker Kyah Simon was the two-goal hero for the Matildas with goals on 57 and 87 minutes, in front of 18,474 fans in Leverkusen.

Norway had gone ahead on 56 minutes through Elise Thorsnes.

Australia finished second in the section and its next opponent will be Group C winner Sweden on Sunday night (AEST) in Augsburg.

The victory is Australia's first over 1995 world champion Norway and sees the Asian Cup winner through to a second consecutive last eight appearance at the World Cup.

"There was a lot of courage and commitment out there, we knew it was going to be a very difficult game," Matildas' coach Tom Sermanni said.

"Norway obviously have a very robust style of play and it's very effective and it upsets the rhythm that we normally have, so for us to go in there and really tough out a game, it makes me very proud of the players."

After a goalless first half in which Norway just edged it, creating more clear-cut chances, a defensive error from the Australian defence gifted its opponent the lead.

A mix-up between goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri, Servet Uzunlar and Caitlin Foord on the edge of the box allowed Thorsnes to nip and pounce on a through ball before finishing into an empty net.

The Matildas equalised immediately with some good lead-up work from Lisa De Vanna setting up Simon, who neatly finished low into the right hand corner.

Despite some nervy moments in defence, Australia rode its luck. Trine Ronning hit the woodwork form a free-kick on 84 minutes as Norway looked for the goal it needed.

"I've been waiting a while since the tournament started and it was great to get two in one game," Simon said.

"It's great for my confidence to finally get one, and two is a bonus."

Matildas XI v Norway: Barbieri; Foord (Perry 89'), Uzunlar, Carroll, Kellond-Knight; Kerr (Alleway 80'), Polkinghorne, McCallum, Garriock; Simon, De Vanna.

Kyah Simon and Lisa De Vanna will return to the starting side, while Sermanni indicated Clare Polkinghorne's physical prowess will see her reinstated to the midfield along with Tameka Butt.

Sermanni also confirmed that Caitlin Foord will come back into the side, with Emily van Egmond to be rested, while captain Melissa Barbieri will start in goal.

Watch the pre-match interview with Tom Sermanni.

He has every intention of sticking with central defender Servet Uzunlar, despite two of her errors directly leading to goals for Equatorial Guinea.

Only three of his squad of 21, including Australian cricket representative Ellyse Perry, have yet to appear in the tournament.

Probable Matildas XI v Norway: Barbieri; Foord, Uzunlar, Carroll, Kellond-Knight; Butt, Polkinghorne, McCallum, Garriock; Simon, De Vanna.

Australia is anticipating a difficult night as it prepares to deal with Norway's direct style.

The Matildas have never beaten Norway in four previous internationals, recording three losses and a draw.

Australia enters the final set of group games three points behind unbeaten leader Brazil and second on goal difference from Norway.

While a draw against Norway in the game in Leverkusen early on Thursday (AEST) will be sufficient for Australia to advance to the last eight, Matildas' coach Tom Sermanni said it would be folly for his attack-minded side to play for a point.

Should Australia clinch second place, they will play either United States or Sweden in a quarter-final on Sunday in Augsburg.

Norway is one of the traditional superpowers of women's football.

The nation won the the 1995 tournament, finished runner-up in 1991 and fourth in 1999 and 2007.

A quarter-final defeat in 2003 represents its worst effort, although a loss or draw against Australia will prevent it reaching the last eight for the first time in six World Cups.

Norway is ranked ninth, just two places above Australia.

Sermanni has left no one in any doubt about what he expects from Norway.

At the Matildas' pre-departure media conference in Sydney, he described the nation as "the tough European, roll your sleeves up, Stoke City kind of team," referring to the no-nonsense direct style of play employed by that English Premier League club.

Sermanni's thinking hasn't shifted after Norway's first two group matches in Germany, a 1-0 win over Equatorial Guinea and a 3-0 loss to Brazil.

"They play a particular brand of football which can be difficult to play against," Sermanni said from Germany.

"They are very direct. They are very kind of one-dimensional. They get it, they pump it long, they play a very straight forward, what we term British-style of play.

"It's a question of us being able to combat that and trying to impose our style of play on the game."

Sermanni suggested Australia's forwards will push up on the Norwegian defenders and not allow them to pump long balls into the Matildas' area, unlike Brazil, who was content to drop back to the halfway line and rely on defenders to defuse the high balls.

"I don't think that style of game suits us. I don't think us sitting back and defending is our best attribute at this stage," Sermanni said.

But the man charged with getting the most out of his prolific forward also stressed the importance of turning that energy into a positive for the team.

"In a sense, Lisa's a bit like a pressure cooker and puts herself under enormous pressure," Sermanni said.

"She doesn't go out to be deliberately different. It's just that she puts herself under so much pressure and that pressure then gets to the extent like a volcano, it sort of explodes at times and that's how she is.

"It's keeping that sort of explosion under control and using that energy in a positive way."

De Vanna, who was named in the FIFA all-star team following her four-goal haul at the 2007 World Cup, is already making her presence felt at the 2011 edition in Germany.

After missing a couple of good chances in Australia's opening 1-0 loss to Brazil, De Vanna came off the bench at halftime and scored in a player-of-the-match performance in the 3-2 win over Equatorial Guinea.

Her goal was her fourth off the bench in World Cup finals matches, following three in 2007, making her the highest-scoring substitute in tournament history.

With 25 goals in 69 games, she is the most prolific striker in the Matildas' squad and a proven match-winner with her pace, skill and determination.

At 156 cms, De Vanna is also the smallest player in the Australian squad, but arguably the most influential.

"She's pretty good. She gets angry and then she calms down again," Sermanni said.

"With some players, you give them a good whack early ... and they might disappear. She never gets intimidated."

She was booted out of a pre-tournament camp for disciplinary reasons and management has wrestled with the best way to handle their star striker.

"Lisa is an important player for the team and the team is important for Lisa. I think it's a two-way kind of thing," Sermanni said.

"She's a player who finds it more difficult to deal with the pressures of stuff in the same way that most of the rest of us deal with it.

The incident occurred in the 16th minute of Sunday's group game in Bochum, Germany, which Australia won 3-2.

Australia was leading 1-0 at the time through a Leena Khamis goal and another attempt from the lively striker hit the post.

Equatorial Guinea defender Bruna picked up the ball on the rebound and held it in both hands for several seconds.

Astonishingly neither Hungarian referee Gyoengyi Gaal or her assistants apparently witnessed the incident and Australia's pleas for a penalty were rejected.

"Everyone on the (Australian) bench was up, I must have been distracted with something else because I actually missed it live," Sermanni told AAP.

"People were describing it to me, I thought 'no you're kidding.'

"Then I saw it on the replay at the end of the game.

"It was surreal, I think that would be the best way to describe it.

"She must have thought it had gone out of play, because it bounced off the post.

"One of their players reckoned that the girl thought she heard the whistle and that would make sense.

"It was amazing."

Sermanni chuckled at the recollection of the incident, but it would have been no laughing matter if Australia hadn't won the game.

Indeed Equatorial Guinea equalised just a few minutes after the incident but second-half goals to Emily Van Egmond and Lisa De Vanna secured the win and moved Australia up to second spot.

FIFA match official Karen Espelund admitted the referee's error after the game.

"We have spoken to the referee. She said that she's very sorry for not seeing such a clear handball," the ESPN Soccernet website reported Espelund as saying in Germany's kicker magazine.

Australia seized control of its destiny with a 3-2 win over Equatorial Guinea in Bochum, Germany on Sunday.

The Matildas moved into second spot on goal difference above Norway, who lost 3-0 to Brazil in Wolfsburg a few hours later.

A brace of goals in three minutes to teenage midfielder Emily van Egmond and half-time substitute Lisa De Vanna just after the break, ensured Australia was rewarded on the scoreboard for dominating the possession and scoring opportunity statistics.

The Matildas have a goal difference of zero compared to Norway's minus two, meaning a draw with the European nation in Leverkusen on Thursday morning (AEST) will be sufficient for them to retain second spot.

"It's a potential danger, because we don't have a team that can play for a draw," Sermanni told AAP.

"We don't have a team that we can set up to play a 4-5-1 and is going to hold off the pressure.

"It would be folly for us to do that. We've got to go into this game as if we've got to win it; we can't think anything else, because it would be a disaster."

Equatorial Guinea defended deep and relied on counter-attacks and the flair of talismanic captain Anonman.

She capitalised on two errors from central defender Servet Uzunlar to score once in each half.

Anonman's first goal cancelled out an eighth-minute Australian lead earned by lively striker Leena Khamis, who pounced after the goalkeeper couldn't hold a shot from midfielder Heather Garriock.

The equaliser came just a few minutes after one of the most bizarre incidents seen in a major international football tournament.

Equatorial Guinea defender Bruna brazenly picked up the ball in both hands after a Khamis shot hit the post.

Inexplicably the Hungarian referee and her fellow officials didn't see the incident and the Matildas were denied a penalty.

"It was surreal, I think that would be the best way to describe it," Sermanni said.

Trying to keep his players fresh and involve as many of the squad as possible, Sermanni made five changes to the side that started the 1-0 loss to Brazil.

Khamis added zip up front and acting captain Collette McCallum and 17-year-old van Egmond bossed the midfield area.

De Vanna was named Player of the Match after repeating her super sub efforts from the last World Cup.

She converted a sublime through ball from McCallum to make it 3-1, after van Egmond rifled home an unstoppable drive to put Australia ahead.

Anonman made Australia sweat by scoring her second seven minutes from the end, but Sermanni said Uzunlar's errors were uncharacteristic and he intended sticking with her for the Norway game.

The only injury worry for Sermanni was Sally Shipard, who suffered a corked leg.

Emily van Egmond chats to TWG's Vitor Sobral

The 17-year-old Canberra United player, who made her senior debut against North Korea last year, scored her first international goal on Sunday (AEST) in the Matildas' 3-2 win over Equatorial Guinea.

Van Egmond revealed she had received useful tips from her dad, a former championship-winning A-League coach with Newcastle Jets, now with the Australian Institute of Sport Football Program and an under-17 men's coach.

"He obviously does share tips and advice with me since he is a coach now and has a lot of knowledge," Van Egmond said.

"We sometimes have individual training sessions where he helps me with things that I need to improve like technique, shooting and fitness. When we are at home, we often watch football together on TV.

"We like to watch Barcelona play especially and he would tell me about players to watch during a game, then ask me afterwards what I think, and tell me about the things that they do which I can do better.

"So it is definitely great to have someone help me and share with me the knowledge that he has."

Despite her inexperience, Van Egmond showed few signs of nerves as she put Australia 2-1 ahead after 48 minutes in her seventh international game. Lisa De Vanna sealed victory three minutes later with another Australian goal.

Leena Khamis' eighth-minute goal had been matched by Equatorial Guinea's captain Anonman who scored the first of her two goals after 21 minutes.

"I am very nervous at times but I am really enjoying the opportunity that the coach Tom Sermanni has given me to come out on the field and play, and it has been a really great experience for me so far," Van Egmond said.

"I have never played in any tournament like this so, for me, it really is an out of this world experience!"

Sermanni praised the teenager after her historic goal.

"I thought she was outstanding today. She has great skill, good vision. We have high hopes for her being an exceptional player in the years to come," Sermanni said.

For Van Egmond, her next goal is to beat her dad's record.

"I always actually tease him that he has never been to a World Cup while I have, so I just need to participate in an Olympic tournament and I would beat him," she added.

The deserved victory lifted Australia to three points from two games, alongside Brazil and Norway, who were scheduled to play early Monday morning (AEST).

Watch highlights of the Australia v Equatorial Guinea World Cup match.

The Matildas play Norway in their final group game on Thursday morning (AEST).

Two goals in three minutes early in the second half from teenager Emily Van Egmond and substitute Lisa De Vanna ensured Australia's domination of possession and glut of chances were reflected on the scoreboard.

However, Equatorial Guinea's skipper and star player Anonman scored twice, each time after robbing Australian central defender Servet Unzular of possession.

Acting captain and chief playmaker Collette McCallum and Van Egmond excelled in midfield and Leena Khamis added zip up front to an Australian team featuring five changes to the side that started the opening game against Brazil.

Goalkeeper Lydia Williams replaced captain Melissa Barbieri while Khamis and Samantha Kerr replaced De Vanna and Kyah Simon up front and Tameka Butt and Caitlin Foord gave way to Sally Shipard and Lauren Colthorpe.

The Matildas made the perfect start, with Khamis scoring from close range in the eighth minute after veteran midfielder Heather Garriock had a shot parried by the goalkeeper.

Australia had a cast iron penalty claim inexplicably denied by the Hungarian referee after Equatorial Guinea defender Bruna blatantly grabbed a ball coming off her post in the first half.

Equatorial Guinea were content to sit deep and concede territory and rely on the attacking skills of their talisman Anonman.

She shot wide twice before equalising in the 21st minute, after she stripped Unzular and rounded keeper Williams.

Australia dominated possession and created several more first-half chances, with McCallum hitting the bar with a free-kick.

Khamis produced a great run and cross down the left in the 48th minute to set up 17-year-old Van Egmond, who rifled home an unstoppable shot.

De Vanna, who went on at halftime for injured Shipard, put Australia further ahead when she chested down a wonderful through ball from McCallum and slipped the ball past the goalkeeper.

Anonman set up a nervous finish for the Matildas with her second goal, but the Australians hung on to record a vital victory.

Matildas coach Tom Sermanni was happy with the result but not all aspects of his team's performance.

"There was some very very poor passages of play that we need to tighten up on, if we want to go further in this tournament," Sermanni said post match.

"For 90 per cent of the second half in particular I thought we played very very well but there are some aspects of the game that we need to sort out before Norway."

He was diplomatic and philosophical about the refereeing.

"I'll take the referee out of the game, it's not just about he referees, we've got to look at how we perform and how we play."

Sermanni said his team now knew a win over Norway would most likely see it through to the next round, a sentiment shared by Khamis.

"Our destiny is in our hands now, it comes down to the last game and we're really pumped for that game now," Khamis said.

Matildas line-up: 18. Lydia Williams; 3. Kim CARROLL, 7. Heather GARRIOCK, 8. Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT, 10. Servet UZUNLAR, 12. Emily VAN EGMOND, 14. Collette McCALLUM (c) (4. Clare Polkinghorne 78'), 15. Sally SHIPARD (11. Lisa De Vanna 46'), 16. Lauren COLTHORPE, 19. Leena KHAMIS, 20. Samantha KERR (2. Teigan Allen 69').

Australia lost its first game 1-0 to Brazil, as debutant Equatorial Guinea fought hard before falling to Norway by the same scoreline.

Both are three points behind the South Americans and Norway, who meet in Sunday's other Group D match.

"Like most people I haven't seen them play only what I saw against Norway," said Sermanni.

"We're focusing our plan on that game.

"They were a degree unpredictable which you sometimes expect from African teams.

"They've got a basic structure but it's pretty fluid at times and in that way they can cause you problems.

"The idea is to try and exploit the areas where there have no structures without revealing our tactics beforehand."

The Scottish coach admitted his young side was under a certain amount of pressure to match the historic quarter-final reached four years ago.

"I think there's pressure to get a result, but there's pressure in every game," he said.

"When you're in a position of group games where you're not fortunate to win two games and qualify like Japan.

"It's critical for us to win this match so that during the Norway game we'll have control over our own destiny."

Sermanni's only injury worry is 16-year-old striker Caitlin Foord who is doubtful after a strong performance during a bruising Brazil game.

"She's a bit stiff after the Brazil game. It was just her second international and we probably won't risk her on Sunday," Sermanni said.

"We err on the side of caution with the younger players, we don't want them breaking down."

One of the more controversial teams, 61st-ranked Equatorial Guinea - 50 places below the Australians in the FIFA rankings - has been getting more attention for its off-pitch activities.

Forward Jade Boho was suspended by FIFA before the competition began after it was discovered she had represented Spain within the last five years.

Controversy surrounded some of the players with captain Genoveva Anonma caught up in a gender row but remained in the squad but sisters Salimata and Bilguisa Simpore, accused of being men, were kept off the team.

Vitor Sobral and Ann O'Dong preview the Matildas v Equatorial Guinea match.

The Matildas lost their first game 1-0 to Brazil to fall three points behind the South American powerhouse and Norway, who meet in Sunday's other group D clash.

Norway needed a late goal to eke out a 1-0 win over Equatorial Guinea, which Australia will play in Bochum.

The African nation ranked 61st, 50 spots below Australia, has probably generated more publicity through off-field issues than for its on-field exploits.

Last week, Jade Boho was suspended after it was discovered she had represented Spain within the last five years.

There has also been plenty of talk about the fact the squad contains several players with Brazilian roots.

The gender of some players has also been a topic, especially since Ghana accused some of Equatorial Guinea's squad at the 2010 African Championship of being men.

Controversy engulfed the World Cup minnow the week before the World Cup, when sisters Salimata and Bilgusia Simpore, among those whose gender Ghana questioned, were dropped from the squad.

In a Twitter discussion, Matildas' skipper and goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri likened Equatorial Guinea's style to Brazil, describing the team as skilful and unpredictable.

Australia was happy to avoid the African side first up, as there was little information about it circulating prior to their game against Norway.

Matildas' assistant coach Robbie Hooker scouted the African team's game against Norway.

"They are a lot like the Nigeria and Ghana teams, they are going to be very tough and they are quick," Matildas' defender Clare Polkinghorne told AAP from Germany.

"Norway managed only one goal against them, so we know that we are up for a tough game and it's must-win for us.

"We'll just go into this game like any other game despite knowing that we have to win, but it won't add any pressure or we won't change the way we play, just because it's a must-win game."

Polkinghorne stressed the Matildas needed to be more creative on Sunday and score the goals that were missing against Brazil.

"I think what everyone got out of the game is no matter how much quality possession you have against a quality side, if you don't take your chances you're not going to win," Polkinghorne said.

Taking chances is also a focus for Equatorial Guinea.

"I think we will have our chances in the attack against Australia, this time we need to use them," Equatorial Guinea coach Marcello Frigerio said.

German-born Socceroos coach Holger Osieck, who is attending all of Australia's games, was among those watching the Matildas train on Friday.

Australia reported no major injury worries after the Brazil game and coach Tom Sermanni wasn't expected to make major changes to his starting side.

Watch match highlights of Brazil v Matildas, plus post match interviews with selected players and Tom Sermanni

Ranked 11th in the world, eight places below Brazil, a young Australia side including 16-year-old Caitlin Foord and midfielder Emily Van Egmond, 17, competed well in the game.

Australia enjoyed more possession in the first half and Brazil imposed more pressure after the break.

Rosana lashed the ball home with her left foot in the 54th minute, after the Matildas failed to clear on the edge of their area.

"I think we had three chances to clear it," Sermanni said with a rueful chuckle.

"If you look overall at the 90 minutes, I thought we defended exceptionally well and we were punished for a bit of sloppiness.

"I was really pleased with the way we played and the opportunities that we created and the fact that they more than held their own against Brazil.

"Obviously, it was a little bit disappointing with the result but, outside of that, I'm really proud of the performance."

The Matildas had a few late chances, the best of which striker Lisa De Vanna hoisted over the bar after she was put clear in the 87th minute, while Heather Garriock and Tameka Butt each had a shot saved.

It wasn't De Vanna's night as she also also squandered Australia's best first half opportunity. She miscued a shot wide after Brazil captain and defender Aline lost control of the ball on the edge of her penalty area.

"I think that was the story of our game. We probably just lacked a little bit of composure," Sermanni said.

"We created some good passages of play going into the final third and just didn't quite finish off the way we would have liked."

Early on, midfielder Collette McCallum curled a free kick over the bar and Kyah Simon had an effort acrobatically saved at the near post, as Australia started well.

For the most part, the Australian defence contained Brazil's celebrated striking star, Marta and Cristiane, although each had a chance late in the first half and Rosana also went close twice before the break.

"It was a tough, really difficult match," said Brazilian coach Kleiton Lima.

Brazil's midfield took control after the goal.

"I think when Brazil scored, it knocked the wind out of our sails for that 15 or 20 minutes, but the important thing then is we still held on," Sermanni said.

"I thought we finished the game really strongly. We didn't throw in the towel, but we kept going 'til the end."

Sermanni reports no major injury problems and said Australia will definitely look for a win in their second game on Sunday against Equatorial Guinea, who lost 1-0 to Norway in the other Group D fixture.

Watch match highlights of the Matildas v Brazil

Brazil striker Rosana lashed the ball home with her left foot in the 54th minute after the Matildas failed to clear the ball on the edge of the area.

Australia had earlier been unable to capitalise on a strong start and a possession advantage in the first half.

The Matildas had a few late chances, the best of which striker Lisa De Vanna hoisted over the bar after she was put clear in the 87th minute.

The loss leaves Australia desperately needing to pick up at least a point from its second match on Sunday against African nation Equatorial Guinea, which lost 1-0 to Norway in the other Group D game.

For the most part, the Australian defence contained Brazil's celebrated striking duo of Marta and Cristiane.

Australia enjoyed more possession in the first half as Brazil surprisingly opted not to pressure the Matildas in their own half.

It was a different story after the break, though, with Brazil showing greater purpose and applying more pressure, especially after it took the lead.

"I think for long periods of the game we more than held our own," Matildas coach Tom Sermanni said afterwards.

"Very proud of the effort, very proud of the performance and a little bit disappointed we didn't get anything out of the game."

The Matildas looked the more consistently dangerous team in the early stages.

Midfielder Collette McCallum curled a free-kick over the bar and Kyah Simon had a chip acrobatically saved at the near post.

Rosana put a couple of attempts over the bar from close range, but De Vanna squandered a good chance on the half-hour.

She took possession after Brazilian skipper and defender Aline lost control on the edge of her area, but the Australian forward miscued her shot wide.

Brazil almost capitalised on a couple of Australian defensive lapses in the last 15 minutes of the half.

Marta's first-time shot flew just wide after 16-year-old right back Caitlin Foord lost control on the edge of the area and Cristiane blazed over from close range.

Sermanni's side started the second half well but Simon miscued a close-range header from a corner, just a minute before Rosana scored.

Brazil's midfield then took control and the Matildas struggled to create anything for the next 20 minutes until De Vanna blasted a shot well over the bar.

Veteran midfielder Heather Garriock and Tameka Butt had attempts comfortably saved by Brazilian goalkeeper Andreia as the Matildas pressed for an equaliser.

Butt got behind the defence but couldn't find a team-mate with her cross, while a corner in the closing seconds caused concern for the Brazil defence.

Brazil is among the World Cup favourites along with Germany and the United States but the South American coach wants his side to focus all its efforts on closing down the Matildas in their first Group D clash.

"People only think about playing against Germany or the United States but before that we have to win (in the group)," said Lima.

Brazil is ranked third by FIFA and Australia 11th, in a group which also includes 1995 champion Norway and debutant Equatorial Guinea.

"Now our most difficult rival is Australia because it is our first match," said Lima. "Before thinking about the others we have to get through the group stages first."

Despite boasting star players such as Marta and Cristiane, Brazil's women's team have consistently failed to live up to its potential.

The five-time South American champion's best result has been a runner-up spot in China four years ago behind Germany, and it also settled for second on the podium behind the United States at the past two Olympics.

Five-time FIFA World Player of the Year Marta believes it is Brazil's time to finally lift the title.

"It's time for us to add our name to the list of winners in this competition," said Marta.

Asian champion Australia is 1-1 in its last two meetings with Brazil.

It fell 3-2 in the 2007 World Cup quarter-finals to the Brazilians but a year later scored a memorable 1-0 victory in the Peace Cup in Korea.

Matildas coach Tom Sermanni ranks two-time defending champion Germany 'obvious favourites. Brazil and US are strong', but he predicted 'any team ranked in the top 12 are potential dark horses'.

And the Australians are high on confidence after a 2-0 warm-up victory over England last week in Wolfsburg.

"Winning against a team like England, who by the way are highly fancied for this World Cup, is a boost," said Sermanni.

"There's a real sense of confidence around the team at the moment - a real self belief and buzz in the playing group."

Much has changed in the Australia set-up since its career best run to the quarter-finals four years ago. This year's squad has 13 World Cup debutantes, with an average age of almost 22 and nearly half the squad is 20 or under.

Sermanni described the squad as 'different' from four years ago.

"Less experienced but great depth, greater mobility," he said.

Only striker Lisa De Vanna, most-capped current player Heather Garriock, fellow midfielders Collette McCallum, Lauren Colthorpe, Sally Shipard, defender Clare Polkinghorne along with captain and goalkeepers Melissa Barbieri and Lydia Williams remain from the 2007 squad.

Watch the Matildas v Brazil, LIVE on SBS ONE and streamed LIVE online, Thursday 30 June, from 1.45am. You can also listen to match commentary of all Matildas matches at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup LIVE on SBS Radio.

At the same venue where the Socceroos recently stunned Germany, the Matildas will be attempting to trump their male counterpart on the world stage with a victory over the highly fancied Brazil.

Sermanni has included seven World Cup debutants in the starting line-up including 16-year-old Caitlin Foord and 17-year-old Emily van Egmond.

The team also features Tameka Butt and Kyah Simon, who both turned 20 in the past week and join a formidable attacking line-up which has scored 10 goals in its past four matches.

Captain Melissa Barbieri, Collette McCallum, Lisa De Vanna and Heather Garriock will form the spine of the team while the team’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup winning defensive unit of Kim Carroll, Servet Uzunlar and Elise Kellond-Knight add steel at the back.

“We mulled over the team selection for this match for some time and it really came down to a performance based selection,” Sermanni said.

“The whole squad has been training brilliantly, we’ve got 21 players on the park every day and the work rate has been tremendous.

“While some players will be disappointed not to be starting in the first match the whole squad will definitely play a tremendously important part as this tournament goes on and I think the players understand that and are all committed to putting in a huge effort.

“A lot of credit has to go to the Westfield W-League which has been a massive help in creating this team.

“12 months ago some of these players, including Caitlin, would not have emerged so quickly and developed so well without this vital competition and it has been a huge boost for the regeneration of the squad.”

Matildas starting line-up: 1. Melissa BARBIERI (gk)(c); 3. Kim CARROLL, 7. Heather GARRIOCK, 8. Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT, 9. Caitlin FOORD, 10. Servet UZUNLAR, 11. Lisa DE VANNA, 12. Emily VAN EGMOND, 13. Tameka BUTT, 14. Collette MCCALLUM, 17. Kyah SIMON

Watch the Matildas v Brazil, LIVE on SBS ONE and streamed LIVE online, Thursday 30 June, from 1.45am

Australia opens its campaign in Moenchengladbach Thursday morning (AEST) against a Brazil side desperate to shed the bridesmaid's tag after finishing runner-up at the last World Cup and the last two Olympics.

Sermanni believes his 11th-ranked team is deeper and more mobile than the one he guided to the World Cup quarter-finals four years ago.

Experienced stalwarts like midfielders Heather Garriock and Collette McCallum and mercurial striker Lisa De Vanna have been joined by a new generation of emerging youngsters.

That group includes forwards Kyah Simon, 20, Samantha Kerr, 17, and Caitlin Foord, 16, and Australian cricket representative Ellyse Perry, 20.

But the Matildas' defence, marshalled by captain and veteran goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri, will be severely tested by prolific Brazil strikers Marta and Cristiane.

Five-time World Player of the Year Marta has scored an astonishing 76 goals in 69 internationals. Cristiane, who netted the winner in their 3-2 quarter-final win over Australia at the last World Cup, has scored 41 goals in 56 internationals.

"I think the first really critical thing is to harness their strikers, because that's where they've got some real potency," Sermanni said.

"The second thing is to play the type of football that we've been trying to play and working on for the last couple of years and have the confidence to play that type of football.

"If we do that we feel we have got the weapons in our team that can cause them some defensive problems.

"I think it's really key that we look at the good things that we can do and the positive results that we've had and not go in there worrying about the aura of Brazil."

Given Australia's squad contains seven teenagers, there must be some risk that Matildas players will be in awe of their powerhouse rival.

However, Sermanni said because so many of his players were new to international football, they hadn't developed any fear of the opposition.

"There's a kind of youthful innocence about this squad in a sense, that they don't seem to be that frightened of whoever they come up against, because often they don't actually know the players that well or know their reputations that well," Sermanni said.

He rated defending champion Germany favourite followed by Brazil and the United States. "I honestly think from number three or four to 12 in the world that the gap is just unbelievably close," Sermanni said.

"Any of those teams from the three Asian teams through to the top Europeans and Canada, if they get on a roll, could go far into this tournament."

The midfielder considers the Matildas are playing their best football of her 12-year international career going into their tournament opener against world No.3 Brazil in Monchengladbach, Germany on Thursday (AEST).

The Australian squad, which contains seven teenagers, has shown good lead-up form, beating Mexico 3-2 and England 2-0.

And longest-serving player Garriock is heading into her third World Cup campaign, buoyant about its chances.

"We're a very creative team and we're always going to produce goals, that's the first and foremost thing," said Garriock, who has played 119 A internationals since 1999.

"It's an exciting brand of football - it's probably the best football I've been involved with in the national team ever."

Although excited by the attacking potency and potential of the Matildas, Garriock stresses defence will be crucial to beating Brazil.

"I think if we stay defensively disciplined that's our key, especially against probably the two top strikers in the world," Garriock said, referring to Brazilian aces Marta and Cristiane.

"We won't have a problem scoring goals because we are very creative in the front third.

"I think the important thing is defence especially from the top and that starts from the strikers as well."

Garriock was part of the Australian team beaten 3-2 by Brazil in the 2007 World Cup quarter-finals, where the winning goal was scored by Cristiane, a player she knows well.

"I've played them a few times and I'm pretty familiar with the Brazilian style of football. I live with Cristiane when I play in Chicago. I've got quite a good knowledge of how they play," Garriock said.

"I do know that the goal that she scored against us that got them through to the semi-finals last time was her best goal ever, the most memorable moment in her footballing career, unfortunately.

"The last World Cup, we went in with a more experienced side.

"This time, it's less experienced but, at the same time, I think we've got a better collective squad that (coach) Tommy (Sermanni) can use off the bench."

Garriock, who has played in the United States, Denmark and Swedish leagues, believes the World Cup will be a good shop window for the many exciting youngsters in the Matildas' squad.

"There's a lot of quality in our team, so no doubt they will get picked up. If it's not now then in the future, that's for sure," Garriock said.

The Matildas also face Equatorial Guinea and Norway in their group after meeting Brazil.

Two first half goals to Matildas vice captain Collette McCallum put the result out of reach of the England team with the Australians dominating for large portions of the match.

Australia started the stronger of the two sides and showed its attacking capabilities with Heather Garriock, Lisa De Vanna, Kyah Simon and McCallum all linking well to put pressure on the England defence.

And before 15 minutes were played that attacking flair paid off with a typically powerful De Vanna run into the England penalty area ending in the Australian striker being illegally taken out with the referee given no option but to point to the spot.

McCallum stepped up and cleanly slotted home the penalty to give Australia the lead.

Garriock continued to lead the way in the midfield playing her first full match for the Matildas since the AFC Women's Asian Cup final in May 2010.

Another incisive run from De Vanna in the 27th minute earned Australia a corner which was played in by Tameka Butt.

With England only managing to clear the ball outside its area McCallum, who was loitering just outside the box, connected the side of her left boot with the rolling ball which rocketed into the top corner past the stranded England goalkeeper Rachel Brown.

A fast break following an England corner saw Emily van Egmond play an inch perfect through ball to De Vanna with the speedy attacker beating her player but chipping the ball just over the goal.

De Vanna and Simon again combined brilliantly on 37 minutes with De Vanna's shot from just inside the area forcing Brown into making a good stop.

England imposed itself more convincingly late in the first half but rarely threatened Matildas captain Melissa Barbieri's goal.

England made three changes at the half bringing on attacker Kelly Smith but the inclusion of the England star did little to curb Australia's attacking edge.

On 62 minutes Simon picked up a loose ball and played a quick ball into the path of McCallum who took two touches before unleashing from 20 yards with substitute keeper Karen Bardsley making an excellent save to tip the ball over for a corner kick.

Australia continued to press the England team and Caitlin Foord, Clare Polkinghorne, Sam Kerr and Leena Khamis all had chances late in the game to increase the score line only to be halted by some resilient defending from England.

Matildas line-up: 1. Melissa BARBIERI (gk) (c), 3. Kim CARROLL, 6. Ellyse PERRY (5. Laura ALLEWAY 74’), 7. Heather GARRIOCK, 8. Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT, 10. Servet UZUNLAR (12. Emily van EGMOND 85’), 11. Lisa DE VANNA (20. Sam KERR 66’), 12. Emily van EGMOND (4. Clare POLKINGHORNE 68’), 13. Tameka BUTT (9. Caitlin FOORD 79’), 14. Collette McCALLUM (15. Sally SHIPARD 68’), 17. Kyah SIMON (19. Leena KHAMIS 81’).

"Winning against a team like England, who by the way are highly fancied for this World Cup, is a boost," said Matildas head coach Tom Sermanni.

"I think the way we played in this match was just as critical as the result.

"Not only did we play some very attractive and fluid football but we also got a very positive result which is extremely important when heading into a big tournament.

"There's a real sense of confidence around the team at the moment - a real self belief and buzz in the playing group."

"Another good result is really fantastic for the team before we start the group stage," said Collette McCallum.

"My second goal rolled out to me nicely and when I connected with it I knew it was going in.

"I was fairly happy with my game, I think I can still improve in areas but in general it was a good day at the office."

Australia begins its campaign with a opening match against world number 3 Brazil on June 29 (June 30, 2.15am AEST SBS ONE), before playing Equatorial Guinea on July 3 (10pm AEST SBS TWO) and Norway on July 6 (July 7, 2am AEST SBS ONE).

The game in Wolfsburg on Friday morning (AEST) represents coach Tom Sermanni's last opportunity to look at his line-up before Australia's opening Group D clash with No.3 ranked Brazil on June 30 (AEST) in Moenchengladbach.

Australia goes in to the clash with England buoyed by a rousing come-from-behind 3-2 win over Mexico in its warm-up match earlier this week.

"It was definitely something that we can build on," goalkeeper Barbieri told AAP from Germany.

"As a playing group we don't like to go 2-0 down, so it's just one of those things that we have to work on.

"Hopefully in the game against England, we will be super strong in the backline and then create chances from there."

Ranked 10th in the world, one place above Australia, England has been in good form recently.

It has won its last three matches, including a 2-1 victory over world No.1 the United States in early April.

While Australia has seven teenagers in its youthful squad, England's party averages 49 caps per player.

"They've got a very experienced team and they are quite well prepared," Barbieri said.

"They've been together a long time and they are probably looking to cement a position in this World Cup as of one of the frontrunners in the world.

"A lot of players from overseas have said that they look very sharp and they are a well-oiled machine at the moment having beaten the US."

Australia's women haven't played England since an away defeat in September 2003.

"We went 1-0 down in like 14 seconds, and it was one to forget I think," said Barbieri, who was on the bench that day.

"They have beaten us in the past so they might be thinking that we are easybeats this time round with the younger team, so hopefully we can surprise them."

Barbieri said Mexico and England had been chosen by Sermanni as World Cup warm-up opponents because they possessed the same kind of physicality as two of the Matildas' World Cup group rivals, Brazil and Norway.

Australia is also grouped with Equatorial Guinea.

The Matildas began the practice match with plenty of energy before the dominant strike pairing of Maribel Dominguez and Monica Ocampo put the Mexicans in front with two goals in the space of three minutes.

But the Matildas played themselves back into the contest and went in to the half-time break 2-2 following goals from Colthorpe, 43rd minute, and Shipard, 45th.

Simon sealed the win in the 63rd minute.

"To come back against any team two-nil down is a huge positive," Matildas coach Tom Sermanni said.

"I think it was a game of mixed qualities for us; I thought at times we dominated possession and had some really good passages of play and at times we left ourselves exposed when we gave away simple balls.

"It was fortuitous that we had a game like this first up and see the things we need to work on rather than go into the first game at the start of the tournament with a false sense of security."

Matildas line-up: 18.Lydia WILLIAMS (gk), 3.Kim CARROLL, 7.Heather GARRIOCK (12.Emily van EGMOND 66’), 8.Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT, 10.Servet UZUNLAR, 13.Tameka BUTT (20.Sam KERR 66’), 14.Collette McCallum (c), 15.Sally SHIPARD (4.Clare POLKINGHORNE 79’), 16.Lauren COLTHORPE, 17.Kyah SIMON (2.Teigen ALLEN 79’), 19.Leena KHAMIS (11.Lisa DE VANNA 46’).

The Matildas play one final preparation match against England on Thursday in Wolfsburg before moving to Dusseldorf for the World Cup.

The team opens its campaign against world number three Brazil on June 30, 2.15am AEST LIVE on SBS ONE, before playing Equatorial Guinea on July 3, 10pm AEST LIVE on SBS TWO and Norway on July 7, 2am AEST LIVE on SBS ONE.

Meanwhile, New Zealand completed its build up with a 1-0 loss to Denmark in Naters, Switzerland.

The Football Ferns finished the Matchworld Cup tournament in second place behind the Danes after wins over Wales, 2-0, and Colombia, 1-0.

Colombia defeated Wales 3-1 in the tournament's final match to seal third place.

Australia will play Mexico in Gottingen on Tuesday morning (AEST) and England in Wolfsburg three days later in training matches, before its opening FIFA World Cup fixture on June 30 against Brazil in Moenchengladbach.

Coach Tom Sermanni gave most of his players a run last Friday in a 6-1 win over a local Gottingen select side in an exhibition game with unlimited substitutions.

A few players sat out the game due to minor issues like sore limbs and slight strains but it was a welcome hitout for the Matildas.

"We were out there to keep the ball moving, and just to get a bit of fitness going just to get our legs going," Matildas' midfield stalwart Collette McCallum told AAP by phone from Germany.

"Since we've been here, we've done a bit of training, but nothing full on, so that was really good for us to do that."

Sermanni would use the matches against Mexico and England to finalise his starting XI for the Brazil game, with at least two to three spots up for grabs.

"It's important for us to do well in these games," McCallum said.

"We've had a lot of preparation and we haven't played a lot but I think because of the camps and being together for a long time, I think we should be able to do well.

"Going into the Mexico and England games, we want to go out firing and ready for the Brazil game, so it is really important to have our heads on and be mentally ready."

A star of Australia's 2007 World Cup quarter-final squad, McCallum felt the current team was much better prepared than the one which went to China four years ago.

"It's good that we've come here early and we get two international games under our belts, and we're also getting used to the time difference, so the preparation for this has been really, really good," she said.

At 25, McCallum was one of the veterans of a squad containing seven teenagers and 11 players, 21 or under.

"Obviously, the little tiny girls stick together, but they are quite good. They get along with the older ones, so it's not as if there's little cliquey groups in the team," McCallum said.

Australia will also play against England on 23 June in Wolfsburg before moving to Dusseldorf for the opening match of its campaign against Brazil.

“The next two matches (against Mexico and England) are critical to see where we’re at in our preparation for June 29,” said Matildas coach Tom Sermanni.

“The team has come through the travel and early sessions extremely well and we are now looking to work on certain parts of our game and get some more fluidity between our players.

“Our focus is really now on getting our structures in place and preparing as best we can for that first match against Brazil.”

The Matildas begin their campaign against world number 3 Brazil on June 29 (June 30, 2.15am AEST SBS ONE), before playing Equatorial Guinea on July 3 (10pm AEST SBS TWO) and Norway on July 6 (July 7, 2am AEST SBS ONE).

One of seven teenagers in the Australian squad of 21, 17-year-old Kerr was part of Australia's 2010 AFC Asian Cup winning team and scored in the final against North Korea.

Earlier this week, Matildas coach Tom Sermanni said the West Australian midfielder was one youngster he was looking at starting in the World Cup.

Older sibling Daniel, 28, has accumulated plenty of big match experience, having represented Australia in two International Rules matches in Ireland and played in two AFL grand finals.

Samantha said she hadn't really talked to Daniel about how to handle the big match occasions.

"He just kind of lets me go by my game the way I want to go about it, but if I ever needed to know he would have some advice for me," Kerr told AAP.

"But he knows the more I talk about it, the more nervous I get, so we try and steer clear of talking about soccer."

"We're just very supportive of each other and he's a bit upset he can't come (to Germany because of his AFL commitments)."

Several other family members, including her parents, will be travelling to Germany.

Kerr switched form Australian rules to football when she was 12 and said playing in the 2011 World Cup wasn't on her radar until recently.

"I was watching the last World Cup in 2007 and it was probably the first time I'd ever watched the Matildas and to now be here at the next World Cup, it's a bit of a shock," she said.

"But I think I've put a lot of hard work in over the last couple of years, so I think I deserve to be here and I'm happy to be here and it shows if you work hard you can achieve your goals."

She said it was good to have so many younger players in the squad.

"You don't feel like one of the outsiders, not that the (older) girls exclude us young ones, but it's just good to have close friends there," Kerr said.

"We're just going out there trying to play good football, and that carefree attitude is what makes us do so well, I guess."

Kerr said she hoped Australia would get through the group stage, where it has been drawn alongside Brazil, Equatorial Guinea and Norway, and ultimately do better than in 2007 when it made the quarter-finals.

The Matildas squad flew out of Australia on Tuesday and will play two practice matches before the tournament and Sermanni says he has only locked in around seven starters so far.

While Australia has a much less experienced squad than the one that reached the 2007 World Cup quarter-finals, Sermanni hopes to emulate that achievement and also get the Matildas playing an attractive style of football.

"I think in 2007 it wasn't so much about the result, I think it was about the way the team played and the character, we want to emulate that," Sermanni said shortly before the team's departure.

Striker Lisa De Vanna, who starred in the last World Cup in China coming primarily off the bench, is more likely to start in Germany, according to Sermanni.

Sermanni said De Vanna had settled back into the squad again after she was sent home from a camp in Gosford last month for disciplinary reasons.

"We've got a management structure where we deal with Lisa and she's back in and I think she is ready to play," Sermanni said.

He said the Matildas don't lack goal scorers and intend to play positive football including against international powerhouse Brazil in the opening group match.

The coach was happy not to face unknown African quantity Equatorial Guinea until its second group game, with strong European side Norway the Matildas' final first-stage opponent.

Perry jetted off to Germany with the Matildas on Tuesday, while in Brisbane the Australian cricket team she is also a part of was wrapping up the Rose Bowl title in a one-day game against New Zealand.

It's not the first clash of dates in the multi-talented 20-year-old's distinguished sporting career and it's unlikely to be the last.

Normally one of the youngest members of the national cricket and football teams, Perry doesn't even get close to that mantle in a Matildas squad boasting seven teenagers.

"The way that those younger girls play is quite incredible and they are at a level that is quite amazing," said Perry, who made her Matildas debut four years ago.

"It's really exciting to have those youthful and inexperienced girls in the team because I think it brings with it a little bit of nice naivety to the team."

Perry was the star performer in Australia's 2010 World T20 final side, taking 3-18 in a player-of-the-match performance against New Zealand, using a bit of footwork off the last ball to seal a three-run win.

While Australia was one of the favourites for that competition, it is ranked just 11th in the world in football.

"It probably is a slightly different landscape for the expectations that we have going into the (football) World Cup and it is a bigger event too, there's more teams," Perry said.

"I think that's probably an added bonus for us, in terms of there's not that huge amount of spotlight on us and expectation to really go all the way, I guess.

"But having said that, we can go in there and play with freedom because of that."

Adroit at juggling the many demands on her time, the Sydney University economics and social sciences student made sure she took some academic reading material away.

"It's a great way to switch off and probably a source of, dare I say it, of amusement when you are sitting on a plane for 22 hours," Perry said.

:: TWG Podcast: The Matildas special

The AFC Women’s Asian Cup winning team has little to fear despite a tough group that includes Brazil, Equatorial Guinea and Norway.

"We have been unlucky in the past and we can certainly match it with Brazil," midfielder Sally Shipard told SBS.

"We have to really focus on our build up as we have the potential to beat any team in the world. We proved ourselves in Asia and have that respect world wide.

"I have 100 per cent belief in all the girls and I think we can get the job done against any team we play against."

"Don't lose 4-0 in the first game, that's probably a good tip," Neill advised his female counterparts.

"Wear the shirt with pride and make the most of it.

"If they go well, stick to the coach's plans and get a bit of luck then anything is possible."

Name - Club, Age

1. Melissa Barbieri - Melbourne Victory, 31
2. Teigen Allen - Sydney FC, 17
3. Kim Carroll - Brisbane Roar, 23
4. Clare Polkinghorne - Brisbane Roar, 24
5. Laura Alleway - Brisbane Roar, 21
6. Ellyse Perry - Canberra United, 20
7. Heather Garriock - Sydney FC/LdB Malmo, 28
8. Elise Kellond-Knight - Brisbane Roar, 20
9. Caitlin Foord - Sydney FC, 16
10. Servet Uzunlar - Sydney FC, 21
11. Lisa De Vanna - Brisbane Roar/magicJack, 26
12. Emily van Egmond - Canberra United, 17
13. Tameka Butt - Brisbane Roar, 19
14. Collette McCallum - Perth Glory, 25
15. Sally Shipard - Canberra United, 25
16. Lauren Colthorpe - Brisbane Roar, 25
17. Kyah Simon - Sydney FC, 19
18. Lydia Williams - Canberra United, 23
19. Leena Khamis - Sydney FC, 24
20. Samantha Kerr - Perth Glory, 17
21. Casey Dumont - Brisbane Roar, 19

The squad is decked out in a stylish skirt, pant, camisole and jacket design in black and cream.

“The Westfield Matildas represent the youthful, skilful and cosmopolitan face of Australian football,” FFA CEO Ben Buckley said.

“For Carla Zampatti to take the next step in aligning her brand with the Westfield Matildas has put her indelible stamp of approval to this team.

“It is a real coup to have Carla Zampatti fit out our World Cup squad and will certainly give the whole team an added injection of style and intent that will lift them throughout the tournament.”

The six male staff, including Sermanni, will be suited by Sydney menswear designer MJ Bale.

Nike continues as the official on field apparel and sportswear outfitter of the Matildas.

Dual international Ellyse Perry was a member of Australia's World Cup-winning Twenty20 women's squad in the Caribbean last year, playing a pivotal role as the Southern Stars defeated New Zealand in the final.

Now the talented 20-year-old is one of the 21-strong Matildas squad preparing to take on the world in Germany and Perry was understandably excited about reaching the pinnacle in both her chosen sports.

"To be given this opportunity is just fantastic for me, purely from the perspective that I absolutely love playing football as much as I love playing cricket," Perry said on Wednesday.

"Having had that experience with cricket and also winning a World Cup I know how great that is and how enjoyable that is.

"To be involved in this team now, in a football World Cup, is really special and something I'm tremendously excited about."

Having named a squad with an average age just under 22, Matildas coach Tom Sermanni said Perry's tournament experience in cricket would be a benefit to the team as it prepares to tackle Brazil, Norway and Equatorial Guinea in its World Cup group.

"I think that helps in dealing with the pressures you have to deal with at that level but I think playing two high-level sports also helps in a lot of other areas, in relation to decision making, etc," Sermanni said.

"So I think the cricket part of Ellyse's game has really, in some ways, helped her football as well."

Highlighting how busy Perry's life is, she'll have to make up two university exams when she returns to Australia but there's no sign of her choosing one sport over the other in the near future.

"The way that I view things is that playing the two sports is what makes me happiest and what helps me to perform as well as I can," she said.

"There's never been that point where I've felt like things were too much or I really needed to make a decision."

Rather, Perry was excited about the prospect of entering an international tournament as an outsider rather than a favourite as she normally is in the cricketing world.

"It'll be interesting to be in that position, not being one of the teams that's hunted or looked at," she said.

"Rather we're the ones that have got the opportunity and freeness to play the football that we want to play and see where it goes."

Follow the fortunes of the Matildas at the FIFA 2011 Women's World Cup in Germany LIVE on SBS TV and streamed LIVE online at theworldgame.

:: Australia v Brazil - 30 June from 1.45am on SBS ONE
:: Australia v Equatorial Guinea - 3 July from 9.30pm on SBS TWO
:: Australia v Norway - 7 July from 2am on SBS ONE

The Matildas squad contains 13 FIFA Women's World Cup debutants and an average age of just under 22 making this team the youngest squad Australia has ever sent to a World Cup.

Seven players under the age of 20 have been selected in the squad including W-League Player of the Year Kyah Simon, Tameka Butt, 16-year-old Caitlin Foord and 17-year-old trio Emily van Egmond, Sam Kerr and Teigen Allen.

Star striker Lisa De Vanna has been selected in the squad following her efforts at the recent Gold Coast training camp and will join her team-mates on 14 June in Sydney to travel to Germany.

"This has been one of the toughest selection processes I have ever had to go through and there were a lot of variables the coaching staff had to weigh up before selecting this final 21 player list," said Sermanni.

"The camps have been incredibly competitive and players have emerged during this process that were not even on my list when we won the AFC Women's Asian Cup last year.

"Overall I am very happy with the composition of the squad but it is incredibly difficult to have to leave certain players out.

"The team has changed dramatically in the past 18 months and as I said before the Asian Cup we will definitely go into this tournament with cautious optimism."

The Matildas leave for Germany on 14 June to play in two training matches against Mexico (21 June - Gottingen) and England (24 June - Wolfsburg) prior to their first Group D match against Brazil on 30 June, before playing Equatorial Guinea on 4 July and Norway on 7 July (all dates AEST).

Matildas FIFA Women's World Cup 2011 squad:

Name - Club, Age

Teigen Allen - Sydney FC, 17
Laura Alleway - Brisbane Roar, 21
Melissa Barbieri - Melbourne Victory, 31
Tameka Butt - Brisbane Roar, 19
Kim Carroll - Brisbane Roar, 23
Lauren Colthorpe - Brisbane Roar, 25
Lisa De Vanna - Brisbane Roar/magicJack, 26
Casey Dumont - Brisbane Roar, 19
Caitlin Foord - Sydney FC, 16
Heather Garriock - Sydney FC/LdB Malmo, 28
Elise Kellond-Knight - Brisbane Roar, 20
Samantha Kerr - Perth Glory, 17
Leena Khamis - Sydney FC, 24
Collette McCallum - Perth Glory, 25
Ellyse Perry - Canberra United, 20
Clare Polkinghorne - Brisbane Roar, 24
Sally Shipard - Canberra United, 25
Kyah Simon - Sydney FC, 19
Servet Uzunlar - Sydney FC, 21
Emily van Egmond - Canberra United, 17
Lydia Williams - Canberra United, 23

The 26-year-old was asked to leave the Matildas group in Terrigal ahead of the international against New Zealand on 15 May after failing to fulfil team commitments but is back in favour less than three months before the kick-off of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany.

A spokesman from Football Federation Australia confirmed De Vanna's inclusion in the latest training squad, insisting she hadn't been rushed back in as injury cover for Kate Gill.

"Lisa is there because she is a very good player," he said. "Now she has to make sure she can fit in the right way with the rest of the squad.

"(Matildas coach) Tom Sermanni runs a very relaxed camp and as long as she can abide by the rules she will be fine."

De Vanna's inclusion in the 24-player squad is good news for the Matildas after strike weapon Gill was ruled out with a knee injury.

“Lisa has been allowed to return to the squad and will rejoin the team on the Gold Coast later this week,” Sermanni said.

“There are some basic obligations Lisa has to perform to remain in the team and given she performs these to our satisfaction she has every chance of making the final squad to Germany.”

FFA also confirmed the withdrawals from the squad of Sarah Walsh, who is still in rehab for a knee injury sustained at the Women's Asian Cup, and Kylie Ledbrook.

“It was an extremely difficult decision to make as my knee has been progressing very well through training,” Walsh said.

“However the (FIFA Women’s) World Cup was a few steps ahead in relation to where I am in my rehab, and pushing it wasn't in the best interest of my knee at this stage and instead I will be focusing on getting myself fully fit for the Olympic qualifiers in September. "

Sermanni will announce his final 21 player squad destined for Germany at a press conference in Sydney on 8 June, with the team departing on 14 June ahead of its opening World Cup game against Brazil on 30 June (AEST).

Matildas squad

Lisa DE VANNA - Brisbane Roar
Laura ALLEWAY - Brisbane Roar
Kim CARROLL - Brisbane Roar
Clare POLKINGHORNE - Brisbane Roar
Lauren COLTHORPE - Brisbane Roar
Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT - Brisbane Roar
Casey DUMONT - Brisbane Roar
Aivi LUIK - Brisbane Roar
Tameka BUTT - Brisbane Roar
Lydia WILLIAMS - Canberra United
Sally SHIPARD - Canberra United
Emily VAN EGMOND - Canberra United
Ellyse PERRY - Canberra United
Melissa BARBIERI - Melbourne Victory
Thea SLATYER - Newcastle Jets
Collette McCALLUM - Perth Glory
Samantha KERR - Perth Glory
Heather GARRIOCK - Sydney FC
Kyah SIMON - Sydney FC
Leena KHAMIS - Sydney FC
Servet UZUNLAR - Sydney FC
Caitlin FOORD - Sydney FC
Catherine CANULLI - Sydney FC
Teigen ALLEN - Sydney FC

In their last hit-out on home soil before departing for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany, Tom Sermanni’s side maintained its 17-year unbeaten streak against New Zealand, and took the early advantage through a Catherine Cannuli header.

The lead was to be short-lived, however, as the Football Ferns levelled matters midway through the first half courtesy of a Hannah Wilkinson tap-in.

But Collette McCallum’s ninth international goal from a trademark free-kick on the edge of the penalty box just after halftime gave the Westfield Matildas a lead that they would hold for the remainder of the game.

Indeed, it would not take long for the Westfield Matildas to assert their authority over their rivals as Cannuli gave the side a deserved lead in just the 9th minute when she headed home Sam Kerr’s curling cross from the right.

Ria Percival looked to restore parity for New Zealand moments later when she saw Melissa Barbieri inches off her line and launched an audacious 30-yard lob. But the Westfiled Matildas’ skipper was up to the challenge, and made a fine save to tip the ball over the bar.

There was nothing Barbieri could do in the 26th minute, though, as Wilkinson finished off a strong run and low cross from the right flank by Ali Riley from close range.

Matildas strikers Tameka Butt and Kyah Simon looked dangerous for the remainder of the half, but with their respective efforts whizzing over the bar, the trans-Tasman rivals were locked 1-1 at half-time.

A foul on Butt in the early stages of the second half proved the turning point. From the subsequent free-kick on the edge of the box, McCallum curled a sweet left-footed strike inside Bindon’s near post to claim the lead once more.

Sermanni then brought on Ellyse Perry and attacking midfielder Emily van Egmond as both sides pushed for goals in the closing stages.

The Matildas depart for Germany on June 14 and face Brazil in their opening match of the World Cup on June 29 in Dusseldorf.

“We made eight changes to the team from our game on Thursday and when you do that you lose some of your fluidity and cohesion,” said coach Tom Sermanni.

“I think some of our players are just lacking a bit of match fitness and this is something we’ll now have to work on over the next month before we go to Germany.

“But in saying that we won the game and you’ve got to remember that sometimes that’s the most important thing at the end of the day.”

Football Federation Australia said in a press release that De Vanna - who will return to her WPS club magicJack - breached team rules 'as set out in the National Code of Conduct'.

"Unfortunately Lisa couldn't adhere to some of the team's non-negotiable behaviour parameters and we have had to make a decision for the benefit of the entire squad," Matildas head coach Tom Sermanni said.

The Matildas take on New Zealand at Gosford's Bluetongue Stadium at 3.00pm.

Matildas coach Tom Sermanni fielded a partly experimental line-up for the match played behind closed doors, ahead of a second outing against the New Zealand scheduled for Sunday at the same venue.

With a number of players auditioning for a place in the 21-strong squad for Germany, Australia produced a disjointed performance before netting two goals in the final 12 minutes.

Teenage debutant Caitlin Foord commenced her international career in sensational fashion with a goal after 10 minutes.

The 16-year-old Year 11 Illawarra Sports High student converted from 10 yards with a composed finish to become one of the youngest-ever scorers for the Matildas.

Both goalkeepers were inactive for lengthy periods before Australia began to dominate in the second half. Substitute Kyah Simon scored with a sensational long-range strike on 78 minutes to double the home side’s advantage.

The W-League's Young Player of the Year launched an unstoppable 30-yard effort into the top corner of the net. Fellow substitute Samantha Kerr struck the post a few moments later and Leena Khamis then did likewise against a tiring New Zealand defence.

The match was the first for the Matildas since key forward Kate Gill suffered the knee injury that will force her to miss the trip to Germany.

Striker Khamis filled the void and capped a hard-working performance with a goal six minutes from time after latching onto a perfect Emily van Egmond pass.

Gill was last week ruled out of the tournament, to be held in Germany from June 26, after undergoing surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament.

But Kerr, who scored a goal in Australia's Asian Cup final win last year, is convinced the Matildas have enough attacking options to make up for Gill's absence.

"I think we've got a lot of depth to our strikers with (Lisa) Di Vanna and (Sarah) Walshy so, she will be missed but hopefully we can replace her or change something in the line-up that people won't expect," Kerr told AAP.

"Hopefully we can do just as well as we would've without her."

Kerr and the rest of her Matilda team-mates have entered into a training camp at Gosford on NSW's central coast in preparation for two friendly matches against New Zealand this week.

After those matches coach Tom Sermanni will cut the 26-player squad to a group of 21 for the World Cup.

And Kerr said that made the upcoming matches against the Kiwis extra important.

"I think for me playing well in these two games is very important because the final cut is not too far away," she said.

"Hopefully I can play well and Tommy picks me in the next cut.

"For the team, I guess it's just good to use the two games to play, get a win hopefully and start really gelling as a team."

The 17-year-old, sister of West Coast AFL star Daniel, will hope selection results in another happy international tournament memory after the 2010 Asian Cup success.

"If Germany's half as good as the Asian Cup then it's going to be amazing," she said.

"It's an awesome experience to get away with the girls and do what we do.

"Hopefully we can have as much success as we did with the Asian Cup."

The Matildas take on New Zealand behind closed doors on Thursday while another friendly will be played on Sunday at 3pm AEST.

The Matildas will face the Football Ferns in two full internationals at Gosford's Bluetongue Stadium on 12 and 15 May, as Tom Sermanni's side finalises preparations for next month's tournament in Germany.

But Football Federation Australia has opted only to offer tickets for the second match on Sunday.

It is believed the decision comes down to cost cutting, with matches open to the public attracting expenses in areas including ticketing, security and catering.

FFA said on Wednesday it wanted the Matildas to have two hit-outs against its trans-Tasman rival, but it made sense only to promote Sunday's game as a spectator event.

"Due to timing of the (first) match, 2.30pm on a Thursday afternoon, it's not ideal to have an open international," a FFA spokesman said.

"It's more for the teams to get match practice, rather than have two matches of the exact same teams play in a four-day period."

FFA also said it did not want to dilute the potential attendance for Sunday's match, with hopes for a crowd of more than 3,000.

Sunday's match will be Australia's last on home soil before its World Cup campaign, which kicks off on 29 June against Brazil in Monchengladbach.

The Matildas will face Mexico and England in friendly matches in Germany in the lead-up to the tournament.

Sermanni's side suffered a blow on Tuesday, with striker Kate Gill ruled out of the tournament due to a serious knee injury.

Gill, who scored the winning goal for the Matildas against Japan in the 2010 AFC Women's Asian Cup semi-final, injured her knee playing for Swedish club Lipkoping in Stockholm last Thursday and is set to undergo surgery this week.

It is understood the reigning Asian Women's Footballer of the Year will miss up to 12 months in what shattered Matildas coach Tom Sermanni described as a devastating loss.

"Everybody's disappointed for her," Sermanni told the ABC. "The way Kate has played in the last 18 months and taken her football to another level and her professionalism.

"For this to happen on the eve of the World Cup is devastating for her. Everybody in the team will be feeling very, very sad."

"It's disappointing for the team, but at the moment we're very fortunate to have a potent group of strikers.

"We're in a healthier position to be able to deal with this situation than we've been in the past."

Among the candidates expected to step in for Gill are W-League player of the year Kyah Simon, Gill's Glory team-mate Sam Kerr and the gifted Lisa De Vanna.

Follow the fortunes of the Matildas at the FIFA 2011 Women's World Cup in Germany LIVE on SBS TV and streamed LIVE online at theworldgame.

:: Australia v Brazil - 30 June from 1.45am on SBS ONE
:: Australia v Equatorial Guinea - 3 July from 9.30pm on SBS TWO
:: Australia v Norway - 7 July from 2am on SBS ONE

The matches against the Football Ferns, scheduled for 12 and 15 May at Bluetongue Stadium, will be the Matildas' last matches on home soil before heading to Germany on 14 June.

Matildas coach Tom Sermanni will reduce a 34-player train-on squad to 26 or 27 this week before a full cull down to 21 for the finals in Germany.

“Following our four camps at the Australian Institute of Sport I’ve had a good look at the group of players and it is going to be incredibly difficult to cut this squad down,” he said.

“The work rate and intensity in the sessions has been incredible and all 34 players have put a strong case forward for selection.”

“These matches will provide the ideal opportunity to assess where we’re at against a quality opposition and give the coaching staff more to think about before we have to select our 21-player list to send to FIFA."

The Matildas go in to camp in Gosford on 9 May before playing a closed door match against the Kiwis on 12 May and a second match on 15 May.

The Socceroos’ deal will see players receive an increase in standard and tournament match payments and a larger slice of commercial revenue over the next four years.

The Matildas’ deal will see 23 positions offered in three tiers providing important financial stability as well as rewards for performing in key international tournaments.

The CBA provides competitive remuneration for Australian women athletes in comparison with other sports and is another step towards the objective of providing them with full-time employment.

FFA CEO Ben Buckley said the agreements reflected the strong working relationship between FFA, the PFA and the players and the continued success of the teams.

“The Socceroos agreement follows the successful qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cupand 2011 AFC Asian Cup and also reflects increases in sponsorship, licensing and the Consumer Price Index,” Buckley said.

“Whilst the amounts paid to the players are modest compared to salaries paid to some players in some of the top leagues in Europe, they are significant boosts to young players and players from the A-League in the Socceroos squad. The players are committed to all members of the squad being paid equally, and to supporting up and coming players.

“It is also a fitting reward for the team’s fantastic performance in the AFC Asian Cup where they were ever so close to bringing home their first major piece of silverware.

“From FFA’s point of view we value the Socceroos players enormously and want to reflect this in the financial terms agreed with the Socceroos. The team enhances the reputation of FFA and the sport, and the revenue we are able to generate, and it’s appropriate that this is reflected in the financial arrangement between us.

“The Matildas’ agreement reflects a fantastic year for the team in which they became Asian Champions and qualified for the World Cup in Germany later this year and is another stage towards building women’s football and the career path for players.

“I would also like to commend the players and the PFA for entering into negotiations in good faith and finalizing an agreement that is beneficial to all parties.”

Professional Footballers Australia Chief Executive Brendan Schwab said the smoothly negotiated CBA has been welcomed by the players.

"The PFA and the players have a number of objectives for the Socceroos CBA," Schwab said.

"These include an outstanding high performance environment, helping to commercially build FFA and the Australian football industry, and ensuring players are reasonably rewarded financially for the honour of playing for their country.

"We are pleased that these objectives have been met in the new CBA."

This week, the event officially began with the FIFA and Local Organising Committee (LOC) Welcome Tour of participating nations kicking off in Sydney.

In front of a packed room at the Westin Hotel in the heart of Sydney's CBD, LOC President Steffi Jones and Tatjana Haenni - FIFA Head of Women’s Football Competitions - spoke with enthusiasm and pride about the women’s football show piece.

Among the invitees were a dozen members of the Australia team and coach Tom Sermanni, Australia’s first women’s captain Julie Dolan, long-serving former Socceroo skipper Paul Wade, Football Federation Australia Chief Ben Buckley and members of the FFA board, as well as German Consul General Hans Gnodtke.

Local media also provided a strong presence as did members of the Australian-German community, for whom current Australia coach, and former German assistant coach, Holger Osieck, proved to be a special attraction.

The Welcome Tour began with a congratulatory video message from FIFA President Sepp Blatter, before Steffi Jones and Tatjana Haenni briefed those assembled on the foundations that have been laid for Germany 2011 and the women’s game in general.

The other 15 countries participating at Germany 2011 will all receive Welcome Tour visits with New Zealand the next stop on Friday.

Australia will again meet Norway in the group stage following the 1-1 draw at the 2007 tournament and comes up against FIFA Women’s World Cup 2007 runner-Up Brazil, which knocked it out at the quarter final stage in a pulsating 3-2 encounter.

"I think we've drawn a tough group but I think Group A, C and D are all tough groups," said Matildas coach Tom Sermanni.

"If you look purely at the rankings Group B is probably the easier group on paper but at a World Cup all teams are difficult.

"I would say this group is on a par with our group in 2007 with the exception that we don't know a great deal about Equatorial Guinea but we don't play them until the second match so we've got time to have a look at them.

"We've been competitive against both teams (Brazil and Norway) in the past but ultimately we were always going to have two tough teams in any group we were drawn in.

"We've come to the belief that we don't fear anyone so I think the key thing for us is the preparation and having a fully fit and healthy squad going into the tournament."

New Zealand will face Japan, Mexico and England in Group B when the 16-team finals, to be held from 26 June-17 July, kicks off.

Germany, Canada, Nigeria and France were drawn in Group A, while world No.1 the United States heads Group C, with Korea DPR, Colombia and Sweden for company.

World champion Germany kicks-off the tournament against Canada on 26 June with the final on 17 July.

Women's World Cup draw:

Group A
Germany
Canada
Nigeria
France

Group B
Japan
New Zealand
Mexico
England

Group C
USA
Korea DPR
Colombia
Sweden

Group D
Brazil
Australia
Norway
Equatorial Guinea

The third version of the national women's domestic competition gets underway this weekend, with spirits high after the Matildas' Asian Cup success earlier this year.

Barbieri believes with the World Cup to kick off on June 26 and Olympic qualifiers to be held later in 2011, the W-League will be a last chance for many to show Matildas coach Tom Sermanni what they can do.

"It's very important for everyone to have a good W-League to make sure that Tommy's got their name in the 30 to start picking for the World Cup," the Melbourne Victory goalkeeper told AAP.

"For a lot of players it's a last chance to show what they're made of and hopefully we make Tommy have a hard job of picking the team."

While the women's game is on a high with the national team, this year's W-League will feature just seven clubs after the Central Coast said in July they wouldn't be registering a team.

But Football Federation of Australia head of women's football Leeanne Grantham didn't feel the Mariners' absence was troubling to the competition.

"We've just got to make the right decisions," Grantham said.

"We don't want to grow too quickly, we'd rather take a little step back and big steps forward than the reverse.

"I'm not too concerned about it. Personally I think the girls need more exposure and more games during the W-League season so two full rounds is probably a priority to me than eight teams."

Sydney FC go into this year's competition as defending premiers after losing just one match last season, but striker Kyah Simon feels maintaining that dominance in this year's league will be tough.

"We've got a title to hold on to and it's going to be tough," Simon told AAP.

"There's a lot of outstanding teams and players in the league.

"In previous seasons I think it's only come down to a few teams in the comp but I think this season there is a lot of talent amongst other teams as well."

Matildas striker Kate Gill, who plays professionally overseas with Swedish club Malmo, believes her Perth Glory outfit as well as Canberra United are ready to challenge traditional heavyweights Sydney and Brisbane Roar.

Gill feels the increasing number of overseas-based and foreign players in the W-League is helping to create a more even competition.

"There's lots of potential in the league for surprises," the 25-year-old said.

"The competitiveness between the teams is much better than it was to start off with and I think that was always going to grow over time."

The W-League action kicks off with Brisbane hosting Sydney at Ballymore and Adelaide playing Newcastle at Hindmarsh Stadium on Saturday, with Perth welcoming Canberra in Sunday's match.

The Matildas were nominated as Team of the Year finalists following their outstanding efforts in bringing home Australia’s first major piece of international silverware at this year’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup in China.

Starting the year with three wins and a draw against highly rated opponents New Zealand and DPR Korea, the Matildas went on to beat Korea Republic, Vietnam, Japan and DPR Korea on their way to lifting the prestigious Asian Cup.

This month the Matildas finished runner-up at the 2010 Peace Queen Cup and overnight was narrowly defeated by World number one ranked Germany in Wolfsburg.

In 2010 Matildas Head Coach Tom Sermanni and captain Melissa Barbieri have lead the team to an impressive 9 wins from 13 matches and successfully qualified for the team’s fifth successive FIFA Women’s World Cup to be held in Germany in June/July 2011 while advancing itself to 11th in the FIFA world rankings.

Socceroos wunderkind Tommy Oar has been nominated as a finalist in Young Performer of the Year category.

Eighteen year old Tommy has had an extremely busy and successful 2010 so far.

Since bursting onto the scene as precocious teenager when Frank Farina signed him for Brisbane Roar at the start of the A-League 2008/09 season, Tommy has had a meteoric rise through the ranks of Australian football.

Following a standout A-League 2009/10 season, where he made 18 appearances, scored a goal and was named the NAB Young Player of the Year, Tommy signed a three-year to play for FC Utrecht in the Dutch Eredivise. He made his senior team debut for FC Utrecht in its UEFA Europa League victory over KF Tirana in July.

Internationally, Tommy was a key member of the Young Socceroos team that recently finished runners up at the AFC U-19 Asian Championship which was held in China and in the process helped his team qualify for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup which will be played in Colombia.

Tommy’s efforts were also recognised when he was selected for his first Socceroos squad in January and in February of this year made his senior international debut against Indonesia at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

The highlight of Tommy’s year was definitely being selected in the extendedSocceroos squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup where he travelled to South Africa and participated in the matches leading up to the tournament.

To top it off, at the Australian Football Awards, which were held in Sydney earlier this month, Tommy received the award for the Male Young Player of the Year.

The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald present the fourth Sports Performer Awards. These Awards are one of the most prestigious prizes in Australian Sport – recognising the very best performers from the previous 12 months. Unlike other major awards, the winner of all categories will be determined by an online public vote with the highest tallied Performer of the Year taking home $50,000 prize money, courtesy of Colonial First State.

After Australia took the lead by a fine goal from Samantha Kerr in the middle of the first half, Germany was able to equalize just eight minutes later through Inka Grings.

After a lot of pressure the German team was able to get the lead in the middle of the second half.

The Matildas had the chance to equalize just one minute later, but Kyah Simon's shot missed the goal just narrowly.

The host also missed some chances in the dying minutes.

Germany, as the incumbent World Champion, went into the match as favourite and started the match with a lot of pressure, especially through the flanks lead by the pace of Fatmire Baramaj, who caused a lot of trouble for the Australian defense.

Early on in the 5th minute Melissa Barbieri was forced to make a fine save to keep the Germans at bay.

A lively Samantha Kerr worked diligently down the right where Australia looked most dangerous.

In the 18th minute Germany had the best chance of the match following a fine cross from Babett Peter that found Inka Grings who headed into the crossbar.

Kerstin Garefrekes had to be withdrawn from the match after a collision in the middle of the pitch in the 22nd minute with Sally Shipard.

Just six minutes later Collette McCallum found Samantha Kerr with a fantastic pass and Kerr delicately chipped the ball immediately over the German keeper to put the Aussies into the lead.

Germany continued to put the pressure on the Australian defence and after some misses the host finally scored in the 36th minute. Birgit Prinz passed to the right flank to Fatmire Bajramaj whose cross to the middle found Inka Grings. She turned and scored with her left foot leaving Melissa Barbieri no chance.

Just before half-time Germany was denied another major chance. Inka Grings was free in front of Barbieri and forced another fine save from the Australian number one.

In the second half, Germany started where it left off in the first period. But the Australian defence still was able to avoid major damage.

In the 70th minute Kyah Simon’s shot could not find the target after some good work from substitute Teigen Allen.

Just one minute later the host was able to finally take the lead. Martina Müller released a shot from short distance after a cross from Simone Laudehr. Barbieri was able to parry the first one, but finally Martina Müller scored in front of her home crowd.

There was one final piece of action in the dying minutes and it took the host to produce it.

Most of the 7,229 people in Wolfsburg thought it was a goal, but Simone Laudehr's header went narrowly behind the goal.

Matildas Head Coach Tom Sermanni was pleased with the overall performance.

"We played against the best team in the world. I am happy with the effort. I am happy with the commitment. But there was a significant gap between both teams.

"We wanted to be competitive and get experience. We showed a good overall performance and I am pleased with the way things went."

"Germany are a very good team, definitely. They are really class,” said Matildas striker Kate Gill.

“The football here is very different to Asian Football. They are more physical in Europe.

“You get a very different experience from these matches and we have to learn how to better adapt to these conditions over the next 9 months.”

Five years later, in Wolfsburg, he hopes to keep that run in Germany going when the Matildas face the home side, which has since bagged another World Cup title.

"It would be good if we could repeat that, keep my record intact," Sermanni told AAP from Germany.

With the side still shaking off the dust from its post Asian Cup-break, and reeling from last week's loss to Korea Republic in the Peace Queen Cup final, Sermanni said the match will allow him to gauge the team's potential on the world stage ahead of next year's World Cup in Germany.

With the team in good form, Sermanni expects midfielder Collette McCallum and forward Kate Gill to lead the charge in the 'daunting task' of playing the world's best team on home soil.

"This is a measuring stick to where we're at preparation-wise for next year and it will be a measuring stick to see how we compare against one of the best teams in the world," he said.

"It's good to get the team in a game of this calibre and it's good to actually be in the country that's going to host the World Cup.

"Results are always important but rather than at this stage, being overly concerned with the result, I think what's more important tomorrow night is how competitive we are and how well we perform."

Matildas skipper and goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri said playing Germany would be tough, but she plans to make sure her team 'put the pressure on'.

"We know that they're world champions and it's not going to be an easy game but we're looking to enforce our game against them and make sure that they're not doing all the football talking," Barbieri said.

"Playing against Asian sides is not the same as playing against European teams, so it'll be a good indication of where we stand on the world stage."

The players will be looking to use the game, their last international before the W-League begins, to showcase their skills to Sermanni ahead of selections for the World Cup side.

The Matildas play Germany on Thursday afternoon (Friday morning AEDT).

A first-half goal from Kim Narae and another in the second half from Jeon Gaeul were enough to give the host nation its first ever Peace Queen Cup title whilst Kate Gill scored the Matildas’ only goal of the match which helped her win the Golden Shoe Award as top scorer of the tournament with three goals.

It was a strange twist of fate that gave the Koreans the chance to meet the Matildas in the final.

Korea, New Zealand and USA all recorded scoreless draws against each other which meant the group winner was determined by the drawing of lots.

The Matildas were favourites as Women’s Asian Cup winners and the 11th ranked nation in the world compared to the Korea Republic who are ranked 21st.

But although they p;layed somwe fine football the Matildas found themselves two down aftger 56 minutes.

Gill immediately pegged a goal back for the Matildas with a well-timed header to top left corner of the goal from a Kyah Simon cross.

The Matildas had a chance to equalise just before time when Simon laid a ball back from the by-line to Tameka Butt who was unmarked in the box but she was unable to get a good purchase on her shot and the ball sailed over the bar.

Head coach Tom Sermanni said later he was disappointed with the result but very pleased with the overall effort of his players.

”Considering where we are at the moment, with most of the players in pre-season and a few players missing, I was very happy with the effort,” Sermanni said.

“We lacked a little bit of cohesion and didn’t play the normal flowing football that we like.

”All these matches are good preparation for us in the lead-up to next year’s World Cup.”

The Matildas will now travel to Europe to face world champion and 2nd ranked Germany for an international friendly match at the Volkswagen Arena in Wolfsburg on Thursday.

Australia had qualified for the final of the tournament by winning Group B, capping off their group matches with Wednesday's 1-0 win over Taiwan.

But England and New Zealand's 0-0 draw on Thursday ensured all matches in Group A were 0-0 draws, meaning lots were drawn with the host nation the lucky winner.

Katie Gill's 12th-minute strike was enough to hand the Matildas a lead they would never give up.

Coach Tom Sermanni was pleased to be comfortably through to the final on Saturday, where his side will play the winner of New Zealand and England.

But he warned it will need to convert more opportunities into goals in the final.

"It was a game we should have won more convincingly, we completely outplayed them but just didn't have the finishing touch," he said.

"We created a lot of chances in the second half but just couldn't convert them, it's one of those matches we should have won by four or five goals - we just need to be a little more decisive, a little more ruthless."

The Matildas set the tone for the match early on when Elise Kellond-Knight charged down the right hand side of the field, and beat two defenders before putting in a dangerous ball which resulted in a corner.

From the resulting setpiece, Tameka Butt whipped in a cross which found Gill on the penalty spot whose header sailed past goalkeeper Feng Huang into the top right corner.

The Matildas controlled the rest of the match, with crisp passing and smart defence, while creating several more chances to add to their lead.

In the second half stand-in captain Collette McCallum's free-kick prowess was on show as her pass found Gill, who headed onto the crossbar.

Goals to Collette McCallum (26th), Kate Gill (29th) and a 40-yard volley from Sally Shipard on 63 minutes sealed the win before Mexico snuck a consolation goal late on.

The Australians took a comfortable 2-0 lead into half-time before Shipard sealed the victory with one of their more spectacular goals in recent memory.

Starting with a free kick from inside their own half, Gill chested the ball down to an unmarked Shipard who, with a first time volley from just outside the centre circle, smashed home a spectacular long-range goal.

Mexico responded quickly through Maribel Dominguez from close range before Matildas youngster Sam Kerr missed an opportunity for a fourth goal in the 74th minute, pushing a shot past the right hand post.

Matildas boss Tom Sermanni was pleased with the way his team played after minimal preparation for the tournament.

"The girls won a hard-fought contest against a tough and competitive Mexican team," he said.

"I was especially please with the way our team played in the first half.

"This tournament acts as Mexico's final preparation before they go into their World Cup qualifiers next month so to win is a great start for the team and a good indication of where we're at."

The Aussie women's national team plays its next match on 19 October against Taiwan.

Matildas line-up: Melissa BARBIERI (gk) (c), Clare POLKINGHORNE (Kyah SIMON 77’), Servet UZUNLAR, Kim CARROLL, Lauren COLTHORPE, Collette MCCALLUM (Aivi LUIK 46’), Sally SHIPARD, Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT (Teigen ALLEN 77’), Sam KERR, Caitlin MUNOZ (Thea SLATYER 86’), Kate GILL (Leena KHAMIS 72’).

Matildas Head Coach Tom Sermanni has selected a squad of 18 players to compete in the six nation tournament in Korea before the team heads to Wolfsburg for a match against FIFA Women’s World Cup 2007 winners, Germany for a one-off match on October 28.

Included in the squad are European based players Kathryn Gill (LdB Malmo – Sweden), Lauren Colthorpe (Fortuna Hjørring - Denmark) and recent PFA Cheryl Salisbury medalist Servet Uzunlar (Fortuna Hjørring - Denmark).

Joining them are a host of W-League players including 2010 Footballer of the Year winner Clare Polkinghorne (Brisbane Roar) and U20 Footballer of the Year winner Sam Kerr (Perth Glory).

Although preparation for the upcoming matches has been limited, Sermanni believes that the next three weeks will be a good guide in how the team is progressing before the beginning of the W-League season on November 6.

“All of our players are in full training for the W-League so the team is fit and ready to play,” said Sermanni.

“Hopefully our European based players come back fresh as the team will only have a couple of days to prepare before the first match against Mexico on October 17.

“This should be a good test for us as Mexico are in final preparations for their World Cup qualifiers and of course Germany will be our biggest test since the Asian Cup and will give me a good understanding of where we stand and what we need to focus on before June 2011.”

The squad will be missing the services of three senior members of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup winning squad including Lisa De Vanna, who is on the comeback from the broken leg she sustained at the Asian Cup, Heather Garriock who is being rested following a busy post Asian Cup schedule in Denmark and will use the time to fully recover from her recent minor ankle surgery, and Sarah Walsh who will miss the trip to concentrate on a full recovery from recent injury set-backs.

The Matildas will face Mexico and Taiwan in Group B at the 2010 Peace Queen Cup with Korea Republic, England and New Zealand making up Group A. The winners from each group will advance to the Final in Suwon.

The Matildas then head to Germany where they will play a one-off friendly match against World number 2 ranked Germany in Wolfsburg on October 28.

Schwarzer, the 38-year-old Fulham and Socceroos keeper who seems to get better with age, was voted player of the year by his peers in Professional Footballers Australia (PFA).

He received 392 votes, just enough to pip 2009's inaugural winner, Everton star Tim Cahill, who received 385 votes, with Dutch-based Socceroo Brett Holman third on 196.

Schwarzer also received Football Federation Australia's (FFA) player of the year award for the second year running at a gala dinner in Sydney ahead of Saturday's friendly against Paraguay.

Cahill, the Everton dynamo who has become Australia's most influential outfield player, was the pick of football writers from the Football Media Association (FMA).

Schwarzer, who shows no signs of fatigue in a sparkling 17-year Socceroos career, made 10 more appearances for his country in the 2009-2010 season, and has now taken his tally of full caps to 80, just seven short of Alex Tobin's record.

He played every minute of every Australia match at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa in June.

He was also in superb form for Fulham, making 37 appearances in the English Premier League, five in the FA Cup and 12 in the inaugural Europa League, where he helped lead Fulham to the final against Atletico Madrid.

Cahill's goal-scoring prowess was phenomenal. He netted seven goals in 10 appearances in the green and gold, and 17 times in 43 matches for his Premier League side Everton.

He was instrumental in keeping Australia in the hunt for qualifying for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup.

His biggest disappointment was a harsh red card in Australia's first match against Germany at the World Cup.

But he bounced back to score in Australia's victory over Serbia in the final group match.

The PFA's Harry Kewell Medal for Australia's best under-23 player was awarded to former Melbourne Victory goalkeeper Mitch Langerak, now with German giant Borussia Dortmund.

The inaugural PFA women's player of the year went to Servet Uzunlar, a star defender for the Matildas in their Asian Cup triumph.

FFA's young player of the year award went to Tommy Oar, who burst onto the scene with Brisbane Roar, moved overseas to join Utrecht in the Netherlands and was a squad member at the World Cup.

FFA's top award for female player of the year went to Brisbane Roar star Clare Polkinghorne, who helped Australia win the Women's Asian Cup for the first time.

Perth Glory's Sam Kerr was named young female player of the year.

The University of Wollongong Hippos won amateur team of the year and Queensland's under-14 side Holland Park Hawks won the youth team award.

Victorian Laurelle Sommers was recognised for her dedication to volunteering, and Michelle Castle from Tasmania and Asefa Woldemariam from Western Australia were recognised as the nation's top amateur coaches.

The men and women in black weren't forgotten, either, with Patrick Galloway from Tasmania winning referee of the year.

The Matildas’ 11th place is the team’s highest all-time ranking and improves on their 2007 12th place ranking and moves them above China PR (14), which drops out of the top 10 rankings.

The move also sees the Matildas move to third in Asia behind Japan (5) and North Korea (6).

With the W-League set to kick off on November 5, the move up the rankings comes as a welcome boost to Australia’s FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011 preparations.

“It’s always pleasing to move up the ranking and get closer to a top 10 position,” said Matildas coach Tom Sermanni.

“Our mid-to-long term aim to get into and maintain a place in the top 10 so being this close now will only drive us to keep on improving.”

The victorious Australian squad returned home on Tuesday with the country's first piece of silverware in Asian competition following a penalty shoot-out victory over North Korea in Sunday night's Asian Cup final in China.

The team also clinched a berth in the 2011 World Cup in Germany and is making no bones about its potential to improve on its 2007 quarter-final effort in that tournament.

"For sure, there's definitely that quality in the team," said Barbieri.

"With the help of the Institute of Sport and the FFA, there's nothing we can't do."

Football Federation Australia chief executive Ben Buckley, who was at the airport to meet them, was full of praise for the team's achievement.

Buckley said the Socceroos, currently in South Africa preparing for the FIFA World Cup, were well aware of the achievement of their female counterparts.

"They sent messages of support, they are kept up-to-date, they are certainly aware of the achievements and they are very proud of the Matildas, as well," Buckley said.

Barbieri described the tournament victory as 'probably the best moment in my career'.

"As first-time captain, to hold an Asian trophy, it's the first major win we've ever had, which is an enormous feeling, and I think we go down in history," Barbieri said.

Goalkeeper Barbieri revealed she was too nervous to watch the Matildas' penalty takers in the all-important shoot-out.

"I'm a little too nervous for that, I was too busy studying notes from my goalkeeper coach, but all I needed to hear was that the ball hit the net ... when I'm not in there," Barbieri joked.

Teenager Kyah Simon, who put away the winning penalty, revealed she had little opportunity to practice spot kicks in the lead-up to the final.

"The one practice session that we had, I actually rolled my ankle so I sat out that and I can't even remember the last time I kicked a penalty," Simon said.

Coach Tom Sermanni paid tribute to his younger players, and described 16-year-old Samantha Kerr, who scored the Matildas' first-half goal in the final, as 'an unbelievable talent'.

"She plays with a carefree attitude, a smile on her face, smiles when she wins, smiles when she loses," Sermanni said of Kerr, the sister of West Coast Eagles AFL star Daniel Kerr.

Sermanni is planning monthly camps leading up to the World Cup and around a dozen internationals before that tournament, including the Peace Cup in South Korea in October.

The Matildas defeated North Korea 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out in Sunday's final in Chengdu, China, after scores were tied 1-1 following extra-time in a final marred by monsoonal conditions.

Australia made the quarter-finals at the most recent World Cup in China in 2007, in what was a breakthrough campaign.

Sermanni believes the factors behind the Asian Cup success will give his world No.14 ranked outfit a great chance to better that effort in Germany.

"Obviously it's a great achievement for the players and a great confidence booster," Sermanni told AAP.

"It was warned coming into this competition that this team was just going to be a little bit short of experience and a little bit short in game preparation.

"So the fact that we've now got another year to go, I think if everybody stays fit and healthy we can go to Germany feeling very confident.

"The other significant thing about the result is we got it without two of our key and most potent players in Sarah Walsh and Lisa De Vanna ... that's like taking a Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo out of a Manchester United team.

"When you put that in its context that was a great result."

De Vanna suffered a broken leg in the final group match loss to China while Walsh went into the Asian Cup tournament without any real preparation after knee surgery.

On Sunday, Australia took the lead when 16-year-old winger Samantha Kerr, younger sister of AFL star Daniel Kerr, scored in the 19th minute.

But world No.7 North Korea came out firing in the second half and were rewarded when midfielder Jo Yun Mi headed an 73rd minute equaliser to send the match into extra-time.

The penalty shootout victory helped bury the memories of the 2006 Asian Cup, when Australia surrendered a 2-0 lead to lose on penalties to China in the final in Adelaide.

Sermanni said the formation of the Australia W-League, which has now played two seasons, had been a key part of his team's success.

"I think it's helped the depth of the squad and given players an opportunity," he said.

"It's given us more competition and a high-level women's competition, which is quite important.

"All those little things help toward performances in these kind of comps."

Sermanni said his team would keep a keen eye on the Socceroos at the looming men's World Cup in South Africa.

"It'd be nice to have a double," he said.

"We've had great support from the players and the staff from the Socceroos and we give them our complete support as well and hopefully they can do the business in South Africa."

Tom Sermanni's team overcame several injury setbacks and monsoonal conditions in Chengdu to go a step better than its runner-up finish at the 2006 tournament with a dramatic penalties win over North Korea in the final.

With scores locked at 1-1 after 90 minutes and extra-time, Australia was flawless in the shootout in monsoonal conditions, winning 5-4 after 18-year-old substitute Kyah Simon netted the winning penalty.

"We're Asian champions, Australia, it's amazing," goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri said after the win.

"I'm so proud of the team and how they stuck in there."

Sixteen-year-old winger Samantha Kerr, younger sister of AFL star Daniel Kerr, put Australia ahead with a well-taken goal in the first half.

But North Korea came out firing in the second half and was rewarded when midfielder Jo Yun Mi headed an equaliser to send the match into extra-time.

The victory helped bury the memories of 2006 Asian Cup, when Australia surrendered a 2-0 lead to lose on penalties to China in the final in Adelaide.

Having already booked a spot at next year's World Cup by reaching the final, Australia put in a gutsy performance after having lost striker Sarah Walsh after she twisted her ankle at the team hotel.

The injury prompted Sermanni to hand Kerr a start and the lively winger didn't disappoint, cooly slotting home midway through the first half after being played into space by Clare Polkinghorne.

North Korea came out fighting after the break, with Barbieri denying Yun Hyon Hi with a brilliant diving save but she was powerless when Mi headed home from close range to level the scores.

Polkinghorne had the best chance to put the Matildas back ahead, firing over the bar with virtually an open goal at her disposal.

Yun Hyon Hi struck the left upright with a long-range effort just a minute into extra-time and Australia scrambled well in defence but neither side could break the deadlock on a rapidly-deteriorating pitch.

Australia was also missing Lisa De Vanna and Tameka Butt, who were injured during the tournament.

Earlier Japan, which fell to the Matildas in the semi-finals, clinched Asia's third World Cup spot by beating China 2-0 in the third-fourth place play-off.

With FIFA World Cup qualification secured, Matildas coach Tom Sermanni believes his team go nto Sunday's women's Asian Cup final with the pressure off.

The victory over the more fancied Japanese came when striker Kate Gill pounced on some calamitous defending to stroke home from the edge of the penalty area just before half-time.

Despite Japan dominating possession, Australia limited the Blue Samurai to half chances with captain and goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri pulling off a couple of acrobatic, second-half saves to maintain her clean sheet.

And despite Sunday's match against either China or North Korea giving Australia a chance to land itsfirst Asian Cup, Sermanni felt there would be less pressure on his players than in Thursday's match.

"It means a big night tonight," Sermanni told AAP of World Cup qualification.

"It means the pressure's off for Sunday and the team now and the staff can start planning ahead for 2011.

"It's just a tremendous boost for everybody.

"It'd be a nice way to finish the tournament (to win). We've played in three Asian Cups, got to the final in one of them and this is now our second final.

"Two out of three and it'd be nice to get the result on Sunday and I think we can go into that game without the pressure that was on today."

Japan started the match well and hit the post inside the opening five minutes before going on to dominate the first half.

But Gill's strike just before half-time, which came after Japanese 'keeper Kahori Ayumi made a hash of claiming an Australian cross, proved to be a match-winning boost according to Sermanni.

"We had really been under the pump for virtually all of the first half and only had a couple of scrimmages up front," he said.

"To actually get that chance and put the opportunity away was a great boost to us.

I think it knocked a bit of steam out of the Japanese and gave us the boost to hold on and go on to win the game."

The Matildas will play the winner of the second semi-final between North Korea and China at the Chengdu Sports Centre on Sunday from 9.30pm (AEST).

The Australian women's team takes on title favourite Japan in an Asian Cup semi-final in Chengdu, China, at 6pm on Thursday and can secure its spot for next year's World Cup in Germany with a win.

The tournament's top three teams will qualify for the World Cup and Sermanni says being one of those top three is the priority over winning the Asian championship for the first time.

That means Australia must either win the semi-final or win Sunday's play-off for third against either China or North Korea, the other two semi-finalists.

"The critical thing for us is to qualify for the World Cup," Sermanni told AAP.

"We spoke about it at a meeting and the key thing is we've got to win one of the next two games.

"If someone said you'll win one of the next two games I couldn't care less which one it is."

If the Matildas are to move into the final they will need plenty of defensive discipline against Japan, who were highly impressive in defeating North Korea in their final group match on Monday.

But even without livewire striker Lisa De Vanna, who broke her leg during Sunday's 1-0 loss to China, Sermanni feels his team have the physicality and strikepower to overcome the Japanese.

"Without question they (Japan) are the best team in this tournament," Sermanni said.

"It'd be naive to say anything different. However, being the best team in the tournament and winning are two different things.

"The key thing for us is to focus on our job and realise that no team is unbeatable.

"They haven't played a Western style team as yet and we bring a different style of game to this tournament than the other teams do.

"Losing Lisa doesn't help but I think we've got more potency as a team to score goals. The key thing is how disciplined we are and how well we defend."

The Australian’s braved scorching temperatures and a fiercely competitive home side, which needed the win to ensure progress to the semi-finals.

China midfielder Zhang Rui scored the only goal of the match in the ninth minute when she cut inside the box to place her shot past Matildas goalkeeper Lydia Williams.

Australia, which had already qualified for the semi-finals, began the match with 10 changes from the side that beat Korea Republic on Friday with veteran Heather Garriock the only player to remain in the starting line-up.

The Matildas suffered an early scare when China’s Xu Yuan found herself unmarked following a misdirected clearance but her quickly taken shot was guided over the crossbar.

In the ninth minute a slip in the area by Aivi Luik on the gravel laden Chengdu Sports Center pitch gave China’s Zhang Rui enough time to pick her spot and slot the ball past Williams.

China dominated first half proceedings but Australia continued its hard work and found itself in several goal scoring situations with China’s goalkeeper Zhang Yanru protecting China’s small lead exceptionally.

Luik played in a perfectly guided through-ball down the right line for Sarah Walsh who, clear from her defender, put in a teasing cross that only just beat an on-rushing Leena Khamis.

On 22 minutes some wonderful passing play between Xu Yuan and Han Duan saw the latter flick the ball through to Sun Ling for a shot that Williams superbly tipped over the bar.

Luik continued to link up well with Walsh again down the right creating excitement for the small but energetic group of Australian supporters.

China’s Duan hit a 20-yard strike in the 24th minute with Williams pulling off the stop of the match with the ball destined for the top corner.

Matildas Head Coach Tom Sermanni sensing trouble reverted Australia to a 4-4-2 formation in an attempt to steady the defensive stocks.

The remainder of the second half was bogged down in a midfield battle with Australia looking a lot safer in defence and dangerous in attack.

The second half began with Khamis and Garriock playing their way into the Chinese box but Khamis’s strike was easily saved by China keeper Yanru.

Lisa De Vanna came on early in the second half for Sarah Walsh and was immediately in the action when Garriock and Khamis were involved in some good work on left but De Vanna couldn’t get on the end of the searching ball in for what would have been a simple tap home.

Soon after a challenge on the China keeper Yanru saw De Vanna immediately call for treatment with the Australian striker stretchered from the field with what was later confirmed as a broken leg.

The remainder of the second half saw Australia build in confidence with Sam Kerr and Collette McCallum looking dangerous for the Matildas.

Australia pushed hard for a late goal that would have seen it top Group B but was denied by the fantastic Yanru.

The Matildas play either DPR Korea or Japan in one semi-final on Thursday at 6pm AEST.

A second-half 15 minute flurry of goals in ensured Australia took out the Group B match with Kim Carroll, Lisa De Vanna and Sam Kerr all getting their names on the score sheet.

A late goal from Kang Sun Mi made for a tense finale to the match but resolute defending from a determined Matildas outfit meant the points, and semi-final qualification, was sealed.

Teenager Teigen Allen showed composure well beyond her years to start her first ever match for the Matildas following a debut when she came on with an assured confidence to help the Australian team to a 2-0 win over Vietnam.

Australia started powerfully agasinst Korea, dominating midfield play with Clare Polkinghorne, Heather Garriock and Collette McCallum looking confident, directing play and shutting down the Korean’s play.

Korea Republic looked dangerous on the break, stretching the Matildas defence and ensuring Australia remained on its toes.

Striker, Lisa De Vanna, looked dangerous throughout the first half linking up well with Garriock on the left side of Australia’s attack.

In the 17th minute a penetrating run from De Vanna from just inside the Korean half was stopped illegally by Kim Do Yeon with Collette McCallum’s resulting free-kick testing the Korea Republic keeper Kim Jung Mi.

Possession was shared equally in the first half with both teams making their fair share of attacking raids.

Kim Carroll did well to stop a dangerous Korea Republic attack in the 19th minute putting in a strong challenge to stop Jung Hae In who forced her way into the Australian six-yard box.

Elise Kellond-Knight did well to control the efforts of Jeon Ga Eul with the Korean midfielder’s continual attempts to get past the Australian defender a constant threat.

The Matildas were on the receiving end of some very nervous moments midway through the first half with Australia defending hard from a procession of Korea Republic corners with defenders Servet Uzunlar and Lauren Colthorpe both having to assist in clearing the ball from the line.

In the 24th minute De Vanna and Allen linked up well to create one of the best chances of the first half with Garriock unable to convert her turn and shot.

Korea continued to pressure winning the ball from midfield with its transition play stretching the Matildas but stanch defense from the Aussies allowed little reward for its attacks.

The Matildas were again on the attack when in the 36th minute Kellond-Knight held the ball strongly near the Korea Republic corner flag and played an inch perfect pass to Garriock whose curling ball in found towering striker Kate Gill but her header could not find the target.

Australia went into the break the stronger of the two sides having a host of chances in the first half.

The second half began even more intensely with the Matildas intent on converting its chances into goals.

In the 51st minute Kellond-Knight hit a long range shot that forced Jung Mi to tip the ball over the bar.

From the resulting corner Garriock swung the ball into a dangerous area with Kim Carroll controlled her volley perfectly to score her first goal for the Matildas and grab the lead.

Five minutes later and a brilliant strike from Kwon Hah Nul was saved equally well by Matildas goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri who was a rock throughout the match for the Australian team.

On the 56 minute mark the Matildas saw the welcome return of Sarah Walsh on for the commendable Allen.

Walsh was immediately in the action when she was caught offside by the smallest margin from a Garriock through ball.

Colthorpe was again on the spot when she was forced to make a goal saving tackle when Korea were through with a two-on-one in Australia’s box.

The action returned straight up the other end when some classy control from Walsh, with what was her first touch of the game, played in De Vanna who hit her shot well with Jung Mi pulling off a fantastic block.

De Vanna couldn’t be stopped however calmly slotting in the rebound past the stranded keeper to make it 2-0 on 58 minutes.

Another fine cross from Kellond-Knight found Walsh free in the box but her first time effort was expertly parried by Jung Mi.

Korea’s efforts continued on goal but were fruitless with Barbieri looking assured between the uprights.

With her first touch of the game in the 64th minute youngster Sam Kerr, on as a substitute for Lisa De Vanna, put the result beyond doubt finding the net following a goalmouth scramble from a McCallum corner.

However Korea Repubic never looked likely to concede the victory and Hae In made another stinging strike but Barbieri somehow made the save look very comfortable.

Australia’s defence was finally breached when So Hyun knocked in a looping free-kick into area with Kang Sun Mi rising highest to place a powerful header beyond the reach of a fully stretched Barbieri.

Late in the game Polkinghorne, who’d been an unstoppable force in the Matildas midfield, was left with a possible broken nose after almost latching onto a through ball in the Korean box.

After an intense 75 minutes Australia started to look tired with the Koreans mounting somewhat of a resurrection in its attacks.

Matildas Head Coach Tom Sermanni brought on Sally Shipard for Collette McCallum to strengthen the Australian’s defensive stocks and the move proved valuable with Australia having to hold out for a desperate final 10 minutes, which included five minutes of extra time.

Desperation defending in the final minutes kept Australia’s lead in tact and ensured qualification for the semi-finals.

Australia line-up: 1.Melissa BARBIERI (gk) (c), 4.Clare POLKINGHORNE, 5.Lauren COLTHORPE, 6.Servet UZUNLAR, 7.Heather GARRIOCK, 11.Lisa DE VANNA (22.Sam KERR 63’), 12. Kate GILL, 14.Collette McCallum (15.Sally SHIPARD 78'), 16.Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT, 23.Kim Carroll, 31.Teigen ALLEN (9.Sarah WALSH 56').

Leena Khamis popped up to score the first with a header following a curling cross from Kylie Ledbrook.

Ledbrook later guaranteed the result with a spot kick, calmly slotting her first ever goal for the Matildas after Tameka Butt was felled in the area.

An early shot from Sally Shipard set the tone for an evenly paced first half with both sides having a share of attacking opportunities – Australia maintaining the bulk of possession while Vietnam created a nervous tension in the Australian camp with a fast counter attacking style that troubled the Matildas.

Vietnam began the match in a typically defensive 4-4-1-1 formation but managed to make use of a fast and mobile midfield to create opportunities on the break.

An early scare came for the Matildas in the opening 10 minutes when Vietnam’s Nguyet Thi Muon beat the offside trap and took an early shot that narrowly looped over both the head of Matildas goalkeeper Lydia Williams and the Australian goal.

Thea Slatyer, captaining her country for the first time, was solid in defence winning the majority of the aerial battles and maintaining a focused defensive unit for much of the match.

Vietnam was awarded a controversial free-kick on 11 minutes following a light bump from a Matildas defender which gave Vietnam a chance only for Chi to thump her shot over the top of Williams goal.

Ledbrook’s range of passing caused Vietnam trouble in the first period.

Following some neat midfield interplay between Aivi Luik, starting her first match for the Matildas, and Ledbrook, Kyah Simon received the ball and cut inside her defender to hit a powerful shot that went just wide of the Vietnam goal.

On 28 minutes a curling ball into the area from Ledbrook found Sydney FC teammate Leena Khamis who managed to leap above her defender and nod the ball over the stranded Vietnam keeper Trinh for the first goal of the match.

Khamis was again in the action soon after when Karla Reuter whipped in a ball from the left but Khamis could not guide her header on target with the ball sailing just wide of the goal.

Vietnam’s attacks continued sporadically throughout the first half much to the joy of the boisterous crowd at the Chengdu Sports Center Stadium but left little for Australian keeper Williams to contend with.

Australia came out from the break with more intensity and was awarded with a penalty early in the 51st minute after a run into the box by Tameka Butt was stopped illegally by a Vietnamese arm.

Ledbrook stepped up to take the resulting spot kick, expertly finishing to the left of Vietnam keeper Trinh putting Australia into a comfortable position in the 52nd minute.

Youngster Sam Kerr came on as a substitute soon after for defender Servet Uzunlar with a reshuffle at the back allowing Kerr to assume an attacking right-sided position.

Vietnam striker Thi Muon gave the Aussies another scare in the 60th minute when she broke through some desperate Australian defending on the edge of the 18-yard-box but her effort from inside the area flew just wide of Williams goal.

In the 64th minute 16-year-old Teigen Allen made her Matildas debut coming on for Lauren Colthorpe and made an immediate impact linking up well with Sam Kerr down the right side of Australia’s attack.

Khamis won a corner following a good through ball from Sally Shipard with the resulting Ledbrook corner finding Shipard on the edge of the six-year-box but the born-again footballer could not direct her effort towards the target.

Australia kept the pressure up winning a string of corners with Sam Kerr showing up with a lofted effort that hit the cross bar after Vietnam failed to clear its area.

The final 20 minutes produced more end-to-end action with Australia holding on for a handy victory that sees it at the top of Group B prior to the impending match between Korea and China.

“I’m satisfied with the win but thought we could have played better,” said Matildas Head Coach Tom Sermanni.

“I think we’ve come to expect these tough games from teams like Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar and to come through with a victory is quite a positive for us.

Sermanni expects even tougher matches against the Korea Republic and China, one of the reasons for holding back some of his more experienced campaigners from this match.

“When we play in these tournaments it is very important to use the squad as a whole instead of just relying on the same starting 11.

“Both China and Korea will be very difficult to play against and to beat.

“There will be significant changes for the next game and we’ll see where we are placed following that.”

The Asian Cup officially begins on Monday with the Matildas set to test the Chengdu Sports Center pitch in the afternoon before their first group match against Vietnam on Wednesday.

Walsh, who was under an injury cloud following minor knee surgery last month, has exceeded expectations in her recovery and will be available for the group matches against Vietnam, South Korea and China.

“I think it’s a credit to Walshy for the dedication she has shown and enormous amount of work she has put in to get herself back to fitness,” said Matildas coach Tom Sermanni.

“This is not only a boost for the team in terms of Sarah’s ability to win matches but it lifts the playing group as a whole and proves what a class athlete Sarah really is."

Central Coast Mariners striker Michelle Heyman, who was brought in as cover for Walsh, will miss out on Sermanni’s 23-player list that is due to be handed in to the AFC today.

With less than 24 hours of notice, Heyman was preparing to depart for China on Tuesday night as part of a 24-player squad for the Cup, which doubles as a qualifying event for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany.

Heyman was called in on standby for striker Sarah Walsh who is still in doubt for the event following minor knee surgery last month.

Named as the 2009 W-League player-of-the-year and winner of the Golden Boot with 11 goals, Heyman has come off the back of a great season with the Central Coast Mariners.

The 21-year-old made her debut with the Matildas earlier this year, playing as a substitute against DPR Korea in Brisbane.

But for all her success on home soil, this will be Heyman's first international tournament and she believed lack of international experience counted against her when the original squad was named.

"It was a bit of a disappointment not to make the squad from the start, but I know all the girls have been in this environment for their whole lives and I did lack a lot of experience," Heyman told AAP.

"To get the opportunity to just come is a big deal to me and I'm very excited to be going away with the girls.

"It's a big risk to be taking me to something so big and important so I hope I can prove them right."

Heyman is on stand-by in case Walsh does not recover fully in time to play.

The final 23-player squad will be decided on May 17, two days before Australia plays its first match of the tournament against Vietnam followed by South Korea and China.

The Matildas needs to finish in the top three of eight teams in the tournament in order to secure a place at the World Cup.

And skipper Melissa Barbieri says it's that fighting spirit that will see it qualify for next year's World Cup in Germany.

"We're definitely going to qualify ... no matter what we'll fight to the end," Barbieri told AAP.

"As long as we do our jobs and we do all the little things and we back each other 100 percent and we don't leave anything behind, like if we have any regrets, I think that's the only thing that can stop us."

The Matildas arrive in China next week for the AFC Women's Asian Cup from 19-30 May, where eight teams will compete for three places in the World Cup.

At the 2007 World Cup, the Matildas reached the quarter-finals before being eliminated by Brazil.

Australia has been placed in Group B along with strong teams China and Korea Republic as well as Vietnam.

It needs to finish top two in the group to advance to the semi-finals.

"It's going to be tough ... we have to beat two tough teams, where the other group only needs to beat one," says Barbieri.

There's also the challenge of playing China on its home soil.

"They've got the crowd behind them, even in Adelaide, when we played they had a huge contingency of Chinese spectators that really just brought the house down with their cheering," she says.

While the Matildas await the arrival of team-mates from overseas and get around the wet weather dampening training efforts on the Gold Coast, they are also facing the challenge of building its public profile.

"We've grown up being female athletes, we know what it's like, we're hardly in the papers, we're hardly on the TV," said Barbieri.

"We're different to male athletes, where they're probably a little bit bored with it all, they think it's a chore, whereas we want to get out and meet the public, and we want opportunities to show the good things.

"We don't do anything that all the boys seem to get in trouble for like the AFL or the rugby, so we're very good role models for young women, and hopefully we can put that into the papers and make sure people come and support us because we need their support."

The squad, selected following intensive camps in Canberra and the Gold Coast and matches against New Zealand and DPR Korea, will gather on the Gold Coast on 4 May to begin final preparations before its 11 May departure to China.

Included in the squad are youngsters Teigen Allen and Sam Kerr who, at 16 and 17 years-old respectively, join Sally Shipard and Ellyse Perry as two of the youngest players ever to appear for the Matildas at a major international competition.

Experienced goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri will captain the team in what will be one of the team’s hardest tournaments to date as the Matildas attempt to reach a fifth consecutive FIFA World Cup.

“I’m very happy with the way the girls stepped up to the challenge over the selection period and I’m very proud of those girls who stepped up and pushed for places,” said Matildas captain Melissa Barbieri.

“We’ve got a very strong squad with a mix of seasoned campaigners and talented young players who have the benefit of having no expectations and no real pressure on them but the self-confidence to know they deserve their place in the squad.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge of getting the girls together and lifting us to the next level and make sure the girls realise the importance of the matches.”

The AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2010 consists of eight teams with the top three winning places in next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011 in Germany.

Australia will play host nation China, South Korea and Vietnam in Group B with DPR Korea, Japan, Myanmar and Thailand making up Group A.

Making the semi-finals, which requires finishing first or second in Group B, is Sermanni’s primary target.

"First and foremost, we would like to make it to the last four. If we can make it, we will try our best to make it to the final.

“Winning the (AFC) Asian Cup would be a massive result for this relatively young team.”

Sermanni understands that World Cup qualification through Asia is tough but knows the team he has selected, including the return of overseas stars Kate Gill, Lisa De Vanna, Sarah Walsh and Heather Garriock, can make an impact in the competition.

“The World Cup route through Asia is extremely difficult as four of the top 15 teams in the World come from this zone.

“This will be a tough test but the squad we have assembled continues to surprise me with how well they have gelled and I’m sure they will cause some surprises next month in China.”

Matildas squad: Teigen Allen (Sydney FC), Melissa Barbieri capt (Melbourne Victory; (GK), Tameka Butt (Brisbane Roar), Collette McCallum (Perth Glory), Kim Carroll (Brisbane Roar), Lauren Colthorpe (Brisbane Roar), Casey Dumont (Brisbane Roar; GK), Lisa De Vanna (Perth Glory/Washington Freedom (USA)), Heather Garriock (Sydney FC/Fortuna Hjørring (Denmark)), Kate Gill (Perth Glory/LdB Malmö (Sweden)), Elise Kellond-Knight (Brisbane Roar), Samantha Kerr (Perth Glory), Leena Kharmis (Sydney FC), Kylie Ledbrook (Sydney FC), Aivi Luik (Brisbane Roar), Clare Polkinghorne (Brisbane Roar), Sally Shipard (Canberra United), Thea Slatyer (Canberra United), Kyah Simon (Sydney FC), Karla Reuter (Brisbane Roar), Servet Unzular (Sydney FC), Sarah Walsh (Sydney FC/Boston Breakers (USA)), Lydia Williams (Canberra United; GK).

A true striker’s goal from substitute Kyah Simon in the dieing moments of a hotly contested clash has seen the Matilda’s defeat fifth-ranked Asian heavyweights North Korea 3-2 at Ballymore Stadium.

After recording a 2-all draw with the North Koreans just three days earlier, the Australians were desperate to hold out the visiting side in the second game of the series.

The Matilda’s dominated for much of the opening half, however despite their threatening attacks were unable to finish amid pressure from a tough defensive line from the Koreans.

The home sides'first chance came in the 9th minute after an explosive attacking effort from speed-demon Lisa De Vanna who drew a free kick from Chung Sim Kim.

McCallum took the resulting free kick, forcing a dive from Korean keeper Myong Hui Hong, which left the ball rebounding off the ‘keepers hand, veering it just right of the goal.

Yun Mi Jo looked just as dangerous for the visiting side moments later when she belted the ball just outside of goal, forcing a high-quality save from Australian ‘keeper and Matildas captain Melissa Barbieri.

The Australians were quick to respond with a powerful strike from Clare Polkinghorne who found herself open in front of goals after pushing past several Korean defenders.

Australia’s opening goal however came when a Lauren Colthorpe free kick found a heavily marked Katie Gill at the edge of penalty box .

Gill clinically directed her header down to an Sarah Walsh who burst into the area and drove the ball past the helpless North Korea keeper Hong.

In the 33rd minute North Korea fought back when a Ye Gong Re cross to found an unmarked Yun Mi Jo who met the ball with a diving header to level the scores.

In the 44th minute Australia was awarded a penalty much to the chagrin of the Korean team whose officials ordered them to the sideline impeding the progress of the match.

After a delay of five minutes with the North Koreans refusing to return to the field officials managed to bring order to the match once again and a clearly unfazed Katie Gill slotted the resulting penalty kick.

The second half began much the same as the first ended – a rough and tough contest with neither side giving an inch and possession evenly divided between the two sides.

In the 53rd minute Matildas’ Kim Carroll was unable to stop an explosive Yong Ae Kim who took the ball into the box and expertly finished past the fully stretched arm of Melissa Barbieri.

For the remainder of the match Australia’s defense held firm following a wave of attacks from the dogged North Korean team while the Koreans themselves were more than capable of breaking up the Matildas play.

With the match looking to end in a similar result to the team's midweek encounter Lisa De Vanna provided a late charge turning sharply just outside the 18-yard box before being brought done cynically by the Korean defender.