Matildas turn focus to main event with straightforward Asian Cup group stage completed

The end of the beginning of the Matildas’ Asian Cup campaign has been reached. Now the fun starts. Emily van Egmond’s 39th-minute strike, supplemented by Sam Kerr’s cheeky capitalisation on a goalkeeping error with 10 minutes to go, secured a relatively benign 2-1 win over Thailand.

Claiming top spot in Group B with a perfect three wins from three games, including an 18-0 win over Indonesia and a 4-0 triumph over the Philippines, the Matildas will now head into the quarter-finals with 23 goals scored and one goal conceded – much to their chagrin.

“I’m happy at how upset the team was after the game. They were upset about the goal that we conceded in injury time,” coach Tony Gustavsson said of Nipawan Panyosuk 93rd-minute consolation goal for Thailand.

Related: Van Egmond and Kerr sink Thailand to extend Matildas’ winning Asian Cup run

With the group stage now concluded, Australia’s women must now prepare for a step up in quality in the fixtures that follow, starting with South Korea in the quarter-finals on Sunday.

The Matildas have been quick to acknowledge the need to respect all their opponents – one of the justifications provided for not easing off the gas against Indonesia – and the upcoming contests could be said to mark the true beginning of their bid for continental supremacy.

Given the still-nascent stages of growth in most Asian nations, there are effectively two tiers of teams at the Asian Cup. In one resides the likes of Japan, China, and Australia – sides that are regular competitors at a World Cup level and enter every continental competition with genuine aspirations of winning it.

For these teams, there is scope to use group stage games with lesser-heralded sides as forums for preparation for