Newcastle's Clare Wheeler helped save the Matildas from imminent disaster with a starring role off the bench in Monday's remarkable 6-5 victory over Zambia at the Paris Olympics.
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After a 3-0 loss to Germany in their tournament opener, Australia appeared on the verge of an embarrassing exit when they trailed minnows Zambia 5-2 after 55 minutes.
Somehow the Matildas regrouped, swung the momentum and staged a great escape, finishing with four unanswered goals to keep their hopes alive of advancing to the play-off rounds.
Australia will conclude the group stage on Wednesday when they face the United States in Marseille, who have beaten Zambia 3-0 and Germany 4-1 in their previous pool games.
Victory over the Americans would guarantee that Australia progress to the quarter-finals. A draw or even a loss might even be enough, as the top two third-placed teams also qualify.
But losing both their opening games would have been terminal for the Matildas, and that was the unthinkable scenario they were facing against Zambia.
Enter Wheeler, the former Adamstown Rosebud junior and Newcastle Jet, not long after a delirious Zambia had scored their fifth goal.
Playing at her first Olympics, the 26-year-old midfielder had an immediate impact, firing a pass to Caitlin Foord, whose shot hit the crossbar.
From the rebound, Mary Fowler and Michelle Heyman combined to force a clumsy own goal from Zambia, and the Matildas were back in the game at 5-3. Soon it was 5-all, before Heyman delivered the winner in the 90th minute.
Australia's other goals came from captain Steph Catley (two), Alanna Kennedy and Hayley Raso.
"It was a very eventful day," a relieved Catley said.
"We obviously wouldn't want it to go exactly how it did.
"But we didn't drop our heads ... at the end of the day we needed to win - and that's what we did."
Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson said he was disappointed to concede so many goals but praised the "spirit and energy" his players showed in recovering from their horror start.
"We just needed to score more than them tonight - and we did," he said.
Newcastle's other representative in Nice was veteran Emily van Egmond, appearing at her third Olympics.
The 31-year-old, deployed up front alongside Fowler against Zambia, was replaced in the 58th minute when Gustavsson made multiple substitutions.
