'I had tears': Comeback star scores four, books Matildas' Paris ticket

Heyman was the first-half star in the Matildas demolition of Uzbekistan 10-0 in the second leg of their Olympic qualifier in Melbourne.

After scoring in her comeback match on the road on the weekend, she found the back of the net four times in quick succession to book Australia's ticket to the Paris Olympics.

Up until last week Heyman hadn't played a game for the Matildas in six years and hadn't scored an international goal in eight years.

But with regular skipper and striker Sam Kerr out after having a knee reconstruction, Heyman's goal-scoring prowess is going to make it almost impossible for coach Tony Gustavsson to ignore her for Olympic selection.

Gustavsson must now weigh up selection options, with Cortnee Vine to return and other players in the mix for the final Olympic squad.

But as the the greatest goal-scorer in A-League Women's history and having scored five goals in less than an hour for the Matildas this week, Heyman delivered the best possible audition for a ticket to Paris.

"This is the most amazing feeling ever," Heyman said told Channel 10.

"To get onto the field was a dream come true and to get some goals was just so much fun.

"For myself,I thought I'd retire and I thought I was done. But I got that little bit of fire that I wanted to come back and show people I could do it.

"But I needed that break, it's OK to have a break, it's OK to have fun out there because I know I can do it. To have the support from the girls and the coaches, it's an incredible feeling."

Heyman joked she told Gustavsson not to take her off the field until she had scored five goals.

"I have that confidence and self belief now, I know I can finish, I know I'm good when I get in the box ... I just know what I can do and I'm proud of myself," Heyman said.

"To walk out here and hear the crowd ... that's something I've never been a part of. To get the goosebumps and feel that, I had tears when the national anthem was going. It's such a beautiful moment and I'm so grateful I got a second chance.

"I'm playing with a smile on my face, and that's when I play good football."

Heyman was promoted to the starting XI for the second leg after coming off the bench to score a game-changing goal in Uzbekistan four days ago.

The stage was set for a big night with a packed crowd selling out Docklands. It was the 12^th time in a row the Matildas had played in front of a sell-out crowd at home.

But Gustavsson needs to cut his squad from 23 to 18 players for the Olympics.

"I don't want to think about that tonight because I get stressed," Gustavsson said after the match.

"I don't want to cut any of these players or amazing human beings. I'll think about that in April or May when I have to.

"I'm so happy for [Heyman], she showed what a world-class finisher she is. And I love her mentality, no nerves or nothing."

Australia led the tie 3-0 after Saturday's first leg in Tashkent but blew Uzbekistan out of the water to win 13-0 on aggregate, with Caitlin Foord, Kaitlyn Torpey, Mary Fowler, Hayley Raso and Amy Sayer also scoring.

The Matildas took the lead inside 34 seconds and never looked back, with Fowler at her spellbinding best in an eight-goal first-half rout.

Heyman, 35, who also scored in Tashkent, replaced Emily van Egmond for her first international start since March 2018.

The striker's movement and guile proved far too hot for Uzbekistan to handle as she snared a hat-trick inside the first 16 minutes.

Second-gamer Torpey, 23, had a hand in three goals and scored her first international goal in her own compelling audition for the 18-player Olympics squad.

Australia took the lead when Torpey's squaring ball deflected off Uzbek defender Dilrabo Asadova for an own goal.

Three minutes later, Fowler launched a diagonal ball from the left and Torpey brilliantly stuck out her right leg to cut the ball across goal.

Clare Hunt fluffed her shot but Heyman was on hand to tuck it away.

For the third, in the eighth minute, Steph Catley lofted a ball in from the left that dipped for Heyman to nod home.

Heyman sealed her hat-trick when Fowler threaded a great ball behind the Uzbek defence for the striker to put away.

Torpey scored the fifth in the 22nd minute when Uzbekistan failed to clear a corner and she rifled a close-range strike into the roof of the net.

Rarely troubled, Mackenzie Arnold made a strong save to deny Uzbekistan captain Lyudmila Karachik in the 28th minute.

Six minutes later, Katrina Gorry picked out Fowler with a wonderful inside pass and the playmaker rifled home.

In the 38th minute, Uzbekistan failed to deal with a Kyra Cooney-Cross free kick and Foord pounced for Australia's seventh.

On the stroke of half-time, Uzbekistan cleared a corner off the line but Torpey squared it for Heyman to stoop and head home her fourth.

Heyman, Foord, Gorry and Ellie Carpenter came off at half-time, for Sayer, Tameka Yallop, van Egmond and Raso, while Charli Grant replaced Catley in the 65th minute.

Raso rifled home in the 68th while Sayer's first international goal in the fourth minute of injury time put an exclamation mark on the victory.

AT A GLANCE

MATILDAS 10 bt UZBEKISTAN 0 at Melbourne on Wednesday night. Crowd: 54,120

Canberra United face the possibility of being without their most lethal goal-scoring duo with Michelle Heyman and Vesna Milivojevic dealing with a very short turnaround from their international duties.

United play Western United on Friday afternoon in Melbourne, less than two days after Heyman is with the Matildas playing in a crucial Olympic qualifier against Uzbekistan in the same city.

Milivojevic meanwhile arrives to Melbourne on Thursday night from playing two matches in Iceland for the Serbian national team.

Canberra coach Njegosh Popovich said Milivojevic will be a case of "wait and see" on whether she can play after coming almost straight off a lengthy flight from Europe, but he's more confident Heyman will be good to go - as long as no injuries emerge after Wednesday night.

The worst case scenario would be that both players are unable to suit up, as Canberra are already without three on Young Matildas duties in defenders Sasha Grove and Tegan Bertolissio, and goalkeeper Chloe Lincoln.

"It is tough," Popovich said.

"If you lose players of that calibre [Heyman and Milivojevic] and then you lose three of your back five to the Young Matildas that's five of your starting 11, and it's very challenging.

"But we'll get on with the job."

Popovich has been in close contact with the Matildas training staff to track how Heyman is going in the lead-up to Friday's A-League match, but it is a huge benefit that the veteran forward is already in Melbourne where the United squad will be.

With another standout performance like her drought-breaking goal heroics in the first leg of the Olympic qualifier against Uzbekistan, Heyman will be in the box seat for Matildas selection for the Paris Games.

After six years between Matildas appearances, to get back on the international stage, and play at her second Olympics (following the Rio 2016 Games), Popovich said Heyman would be pinching herself at the opportunity.

"We're proud of her," the coach said.

"She's a great role model, she worked really hard, and the proof is in her game.

"For her getting to the Olympics is a milestone that she never thought she would achieve again, and so being able to do that I think would be amazing. We can't wait to see what happens.

"Michelle is one of these players that has grown into that position of being able to be comfortable when she's uncomfortable [with all the attention on her].

"The younger Michelle probably would have struggled with the injuries and any setbacks, but this Michelle is so resilient that it's no surprise to me that she's there back in the Matildas."

Canberra will need every bit of help they can get in the seven remaining games of the A-League regular season.

All set to be packed into just four weeks - with two of the seven games rescheduled from earlier postponed rounds - it's a brutal stretch for Canberra as they desperately cling onto their hopes of playing in the finals.

Though still mathematically possible to reach that goal sitting 12 points outside the top four, Canberra will need a perfect run home to make it happen.

"It's about maintaining that focus," Popovich said.

"We're growing well and if we continue to do that for the rest of the year I think we'll be knocking on the door come end of the season.

"Western United are a good side and top of the ladder for a reason.

"I always say if you want to be the best you've got to beat the best and for us this Friday is an exciting opportunity to knock another tall poppy off the top of the ladder."

A-LEAGUE WOMEN

Friday: Western United v Canberra United at Melbourne, 4.30pm