The Matildas left it until the last half-hour of their match against the Czech Republic before their pressure told on the tiring visitors, running out eventually to a comfortable 3-0 victory which could easily have been more. Two goals in a minute turned the game and sent the Czechs reeling.
Anissa Tann-Darby opened the scoring from just outside the penalty-area with a well-taken free kick which cleared the wall and hit the top corner of the net 59 minutes in.
Before the Czechs could refocus, the Matildas had netted again. Julie Murray, only on the park for four minutes as a substitute for the lively Sunni Hughes, was gifted a goal by a poor goalkeeping clearance falling to her with the goal yawning. Murray correctly did her geometry, getting the angle exactly right to send the ball past the despairing goalkeeper and in off the far post.
Five minutes from time came the inevitable third. In what was the best-crafted goal of the night, Danielle Small won a ball in midfield and sent a perfect through-ball to Sharon Black whose well-judged near post shot was unstoppable.
The Czechs had made things difficult for themselves as defender Marie Tlachova was dismissed mid-way through the first half after referee Tammy Ogston showed her a yellow card for the second time, a mere eight minutes after her first, both for bad tackles.
Tlachova's dismissal might make it seem that the Matilda's win came cheaply, but the disadvantage of being a player short is not as marked in the women's game as it is in the men's, due to the more compact nature of play. The long ball is less a feature of the women's game and so there is a greater ability to cover the spaces left by an absence in the formation.
The Matildas still needed to work as hard against ten as they had against eleven. Despite the hot conditions which would not be familiar to the Czechs, they continued to hold their own in the midfield which was the main battleground site.
Dagmar Cilova was selected in goal as a replacement for Zuzana Pincova. Pincova had the misfortune to play in the opening game three days earlier against a rampant and merciless USA which scored eight times. So it was no surprise that the Czechs opted to give tonight's goalkeeping opportunity to another. Cilova looked more at ease in goal than Pincova, but Cilova's action when leaping might mean she has a short international career. Not many referees will be as lenient as Ogston with Cilova's outstretched leg which puts her studs at chest height in the jump.
Coming of the rout against the USA, the Czech Republic needed to step up a gear if they were not to be similarly over-run.
They showed their class just five minutes in.
Katerina Doskova managed to beat long-serving national team representative Cheryl Salisbury on the turn inside the 18-yard box, and her shot needed Matilda goalkeeper Leanne Trimboli to be at her most alert to save.
Trimboli was just one of the familiar names to the Bob Jane regular, and although not related to South captain Paul she's a South Australian - there was another with a more direct connection. Full-back Dianne Alagich is the sister of South Melbourne's new signing Ritchie Alagich.
Matilda Alagich, who left the field just before the final whistle after receiving a head injury after all four Matilda substitutions had already been made, had an important but not feature role on the night. Most of the play involved the Matildas' attacking players.
It's a team confident in possession. It plays a brand of football where supporting players create options for the player with the ball, who is, in turn, happy to hold and wait for the passing opportunity. And it's not just a passing game in the Matildas' armoury - there's a bite to the Matilda's tackles when needed.
Hughes and Heather Garriock combined well in the tenth minute after captain Alison Forman sent a through ball up the left. Hughes just failed to reach Garriock's cross with Cilova well beaten.
Katrina Boyd found the side-netting just a minute later, but had a better effort just after the dismissal with a superb volley gratefully gathered by Cilova.
Boyd had further chances, heading over from Hughes, and then shooting after a sparkling 25 metre jinking run from Kelly Golebiowski. Both were moves where the Matildas showed their technical and tactical skills were of high standard.
Golebiowski herself had a goal disallowed for offside immediately before the crazy two minutes which gave the game to the Matildas.