The Matildas have rebounded from their alarming loss to Nigeria to record a stunning 4-0 triumph over Canada in Melbourne on Monday night.
Facing the prospect of group stage elimination from their home FIFA Women's World Cup, the Matildas took away a commanding win to top their group at the tournament for the first time.
"It's incredible when you're in a position where you can potentially be knocked out to then go through and top the group – it's a nice little bonus," striker Caitlin Foord said post-match.
AS IT HAPPENED: Matilda's flog Canada to secure round-of-16 berth
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There was a combination of both joy and relief amongst the players as they made their way through the mixed zone after the game.
Heading into the match under immense pressure to get the job done, defender Alanna Kennedy said the team never faulted.
"There was definitely pressure on us coming into this game but then once you're in the game I think it's just [taking things] moment by moment," she said of dealing with the load.
"We had to be switched on for every moment of the game and be present.
"I think that was something we did really well – being present and concentrating at every moment [even if] we were up four-nil at the end and taking pride in that clean sheet.
"We thrive under pressure, ideally we wouldn't have wanted to be in that position but we're always going to fight until the end – it's the Aussie mentality,"
"We love the challenge and I think when our backs are against the wall we really show our character and who we are as a team so we were never going to shy away from tonight."
Foord confessed the result was no fluke despite the reaction to the team's shock loss to Nigeria in their second group match last Thursday.
"I think we've been playing well. I think against Nigeria we were unlucky not to get the win [as] we dominated the game and I guess it was the focus of not letting that knock our confidence," she said.
"We were just ready to get out there and to play because we knew we could do what we just did and I'm just so pleased that we went out and did it.
Asked what kind of statement this latest performance would send the rest of the tournament, Foord said their efforts would do more to underpin the belief in the Matildas.
"I think it's more for us. I think it's a point for us to prove that we know we can do this," she said.
"We've proven that we can do it against the best and we wanted to show that.
"I've always said that when we're at our best, individually and as a team, we'll beat anyone."
The Melbourne Rectangular Stadium is traditionally a happy hunting ground for the Matildas and tonight was no exception with the side able to replicate the encouraging result of their win over World No.3 Sweden at the stadium last November.
"There's something about this stadium that we like," Kennedy said.
"It's a great result for us. We talked about it coming into the game – we wanted to score goals – we didn't just want to win one-nil or two-nil."
The Matildas will now shift their focus to the round of 16. They will play either Denmark or China at Stadium Australia on August 7. Both sides play Tuesday night.
"We'll obviously enjoy this win and then [on Tuesday] all focus will be on whoever we are going to play, but, for now, we're going to enjoy this one," Foord said.
China will play England in Adelaide, and Denmark will take on Haiti in Perth. Both games will kick off at 9pm AEST.
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