03:06

Good evening, and welcome to live coverage of the Matildas’ first Olympic qualifying clash against Taiwan.

Had all proceeded as planned in the land of the Matildas they’d be readying to leave China bound for their respective clubs tomorrow morning, quite possibly with qualification already in the bag.

But plans, as we know, are made to be broken. And the coronavirus was made to mutate, making way for a hurried cross-continental hop for the tournament that carries Australia’s Tokyo hopes.

Which leads us to tonight’s location: Campbelltown Stadium.

The place where, after weeks of uncertainty that included three scheduling changes and the Chinese team’s quarantine at a Brisbane hotel, Ante Milicic’s side will finally kick off their campaign against world No 40 Taiwan, who upset Thailand 1-0 earlier this week.

Following that they’ll face Thailand on Monday night in Campbelltown, before heading to Bankwest Stadium for Thursday night’s crucial final showdown with China.

For those unaware, the top two from Australia’s Group B will play off against the top two from Group A (hosts South Korea, Vietnam, Myanmar, North Korea), with the two winners of that home-and-away tie qualifying for the Olympics starting in July.

As ever, get in touch with any thoughts via Email or tweet @emmavkemp